A good post need not be in perfect English
I have read several people’s blogs and admittedly looked into a few curation bots. Some of these people and bots define a good post as one that is written in good English, with little grammatical errors. When I think about this, I don’t believe that this is a fair yardstick to measure the quality of a post because the Steemiverse comprises of people from all over the world.
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Some of us were raised with English as our first language so we did not have to put in as much effort to learn the language. However, some people who grew up with a different language are making the effort to learn a second language. In my opinion, they deserve more recognition than I do.
Those of us who speak English are lucky that Steemit was created and first launched in an English speaking country but we need to employ a welcoming approach to speakers of other languages and especially those who are trying their best to write in English.
I try my best to read posts that may not have been written in perfect English or even English at all (thanks Google Translate). If I see a blogger who is consistent and seems like they are putting effort into creating good content, I make sure to leave encouraging comments or an upvote or two. This could be the beginning of their journey and in no time, their English may become way better than mine.
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I visit the pages of bloggers like @yanca and @patricksalin on a daily basis because when I look past the language barrier, I see that they are making an effort and because of this, I reward them.
I know that I am not the only one who shares this sentiment. Even a whale like @donkeypong has recognised the work of @patricksalin at least once. We need more people to do this so as to encourage creativity regardless of the language being spoken.
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One can argue that people who can’t write in perfect English should stick to their original language, but that does not align with the unity that I think is being promoted by Steemit. It divides rather than unites us. It is destructive rather than supportive. Why don’t we show some empathy and support their efforts? Let’s look past their errors and look into the message they are trying to communicate.
Step back and think about what I have said with an open mind and try to read at least one blog from someone who is obviously from a non-English speaking country. You may be surprised.
Thanks for reading. Let’s promote a United Steemiverse.
I love the world "Steemiverse" which means Steemit belongs to the whole globe. I am from a non-English speaking country, I know how difficult it is to try to write in your second language. It takes many years for people to master a second language.
I agree with you! I feel writing is to express our views and feelings. There's an old Chinese saying, “Good article is just the true feeling. ”
Of course, the perfect English is also important, the writers need to be encouraged.
"Let's promote a United Steemiverse"! I love your blog so much.
Upvoted and resteemed!
Thank you for your kind words @ginafraser. I feel very strongly about this topic because some of my closest friends are from non-English speaking countries. I remember when I was in school people would never want to work with the Chinese people because they assume that the Chinese people will not be able to write in proper English. Therefore all the writing will fall on the English speakers. This upset me so much that I formed my own team and invited all the Chinese people to be on my team.
It was one of the best teams I have ever worked in and everyone made equal efforts to contribute.
Those who can write in “perfect English” should be encouraged but we should also go beyond looking at just the language instead let’s look at the heart behind those words. Thanks for stopping to read my humble blog 😊😊
I too agree with the idea of giving more credits and recognition to authors from countries where English is not their primary language. In my country, English is just our 2nd language apart from that we also speak many dialects. I neither speak English very well so I could relate to that challenge in English writing. I hope Steemit community or Steemiverse can make this happen.
When I was writing my post, I was thinking of people like you who do not get the amount of recognition they deserve. I will like to say to you that I appreciate your efforts and thank you for taking time to read my post.
You're very much welcome too and I appreciate your kindness and care for people here on Steemit. Hoping to read more of your posts.
Upvoted on behalf of @thehumanbot and it's allies for writing this great original content. Do not use bid bots for at least 1-2 days, as your post may get picked up by top curators.
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Nice one, a united 'steemverse'. Sadly not everyone would share your thought or even have the patience to try it out. For me, I am just beginning to consider it.