from Hacker News

More Bad English, Please (2010)

by floriangosse on 6/11/16, 10:56 PM with 14 comments

• by macinjosh on 6/11/16, 11:42 PM

  This is a good point to make! I don't know how accurate the article is about the emotion or reason behind this phrase being written.

  I've always taken it as a social shorthand for communicating that the writing may not be interpreted 100% in the way it was intended so more thought may be required before responding. Also, I take it to mean that the writer is aware their writing is not perfect. Some may perceive that as embarrassment but it could also come from a place of humility, respect to the language, and to establish a baseline of understanding with the reader.

  Just because someone is in the minority doesn't mean they feel embarrassed about it.

• by spriggan3 on 6/12/16, 1:31 AM

  Hey (Good) English is hard. Be thankful most of the planet feels compelled to learn it and you natives don't even have to learn a single foreign language. I wish I would be in that position, but I'm not. So excuse my french. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go back to my English lessons which consist in watching american TV-shows ...

• by baking on 6/12/16, 1:19 AM

  Sometimes when I stumble reading poor English I wish there was a way I could gently, privately, suggest corrections without making the author feel criticized.

  I never feel it is appropriate to do so in a comment or reply because I am not critiquing their ideas. Usually the meaning is perfectly clear, but to a native speaker's ear it can just feel awkward.

  Of course, we all make typos or fail to proofread adequately so we could all benefit from a kindly edit now and then.

• by lwhalen on 6/11/16, 11:42 PM

  I could not disagree more stridently. If the goal is clear, concise communication, the ask-er should be reasonably fluent in the language they presume to get a response in. If I had to start asking questions in a primarily-Japanese tech forum, you can bet I would make sure my written Japanese was pretty darned good before I start bothering native speakers whom I'm hoping will help me for free. Yes, that process might take years, but that's what I'm signing up for if I choose a primarily-Japanese supported widget. If I'm imposing on someone, the expectation is that I am going to bend over backwards to not waste their time, and that means communicating clearly.

  See: http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html#writewell