woofy31 Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 After over seven years of serving people from all over the world, and having reached a rather high coverage of Fiverrās world domination map, I can safely say that Iāve seen more than I bargained for in regards to the use of English language and the way some are butchering it.I wonāt claim that my English is flawless - thatās simply impossible, and definitely not something I aim for. Although you should be aware that many native speakers will get annoyed when you excuse your English by saying things like āā¦ and sorry for my Englishā or āsorry for my bad Englishā - I get it, for some itās a way of appearing humble and kind, but if you want to show that then at least be that way until the end and donāt get all feisty midway šNow, Iāve worked with native English clients that made it a challenge for me to understand them. Iāve also worked with clients who were using Google Translate, which led to further confusion and conflicts at times.But do you know what pleases me most? Seeing people improve each day. I had a regular client with some really bad English skills, but every time I got a new order from him I could clearly see his progress, having reached to a point where it felt like talking to a native speaker. That was truly amazing to witness!!You claim to be that perfect writer with perfect English skills and then complain you donāt get any sales, then suddenly everyone here jumps on your back saying that your gig/profile has several English spelling & grammar errors. Itās because youāre relying on free tools to do your work, and people can easily spot these. Trust me, itās easy to distinguish a native speaker from a non-native one who relies on such tools šI dig confidence, I really do, but abusing it isnāt the way to go. Not only does it scare away your potential buyers, but it makes you look bad, and overconfidence isnāt something Iād want to live with if I were you š¬Also, I just had to mention these for the sake of trying to make a difference:You salute your buyer/seller with āDearā, āMaāamā, āSirā, āBroā, āBrotherā and then you wonder why they appear evasive and not that friendly? Itās because weāre on a professional platform and weāre definitely not family nor related, and only our grandparents call us ādearā š So Iām kindly asking you to stop treating people like they are your family - theyāre not, weāre not;Why are you purposely murdering words? Your Browser shows a red squiggly underline on misspelled words, you canāt tell me you donāt notice it. Is it really that hard to write ābadgeā? For I keep seeing ābatchā like itās some batch of tasks, or even ābudgeā;So youāve decided to work on Fiverr, but you still canāt pronounce it? I see you use āFiberā, āFeberā or even āFeverā like itās some kind of fever; I get that you might have the money fever, but chill down a bit;Why do you call us āsellarsā? Itās sellers with an āEā. Weāre not cellars, and weāre not in a cellar;Why are you using āamā everywhere? Itās not āI am thank youā, itās simply āI thank youā, why the need to insert unneeded words and increase your typing time? You canāt imagine how much time you save by removing unneeded or unnecessary letters or words!So my question to you isā¦What do YOU do to improve your English? For it can open so many doors if you get at least good at it. Donāt believe me? Let me just name a few:easy & proper communication with potential buyers, which in turn converts them into actual buyers;clear communication with your seller, which in turn saves time by avoiding misunderstandings;attracting new buyers by having really well written gigs and profile descriptions;converting existing buyers into regular buyers;turning the power of words to your advantage when dealing with troublesome buyers/sellers;great, enlightening debates on the Forum with your Fiverr peers, etc.When was the last time youāve opened a book on English grammar, heck, on English as a whole?And with the excessive popularity of mobile devices, everyone has access to free apps on everything English - be it grammar, spelling, punctuation, verbs, pronunciation, tests, you name it and itās there in plain sight!If this all sounds fascinating, then hereās some more food for thought:Fiverr Forum Tips For Sellers Who Are Not Native English SpeakersOk, you want to make some money but you do not speak English well. This is a real problem when you are going to sell on a marketplace where most buyers do and most communication is done through English. It can be done though, here are some tips for... Reading time: 22 mins ? Likes: 16 ā¤ Fiverr Forum Tips for better communication in English [CLOSED]Tips for non- native English speakers... Hiya ? [i speak and teach several languages, so here are some tips for you about writing in English on Fiverr.] DIFFERENT LANGUAGES - DIFFERENT CULTURES: For example - in Spain, when you walk into a store,... Reading time: 2 mins ? Likes: 135 ā¤ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woofy31 Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 By the way, I forgot to answer my own question š Iāve decided to use a few English grammar & tests apps on my phone (not just any app, but from official sources like Oxford and such), and Iām preparing to dive into the the Chicago Manual of Style (though now Iām getting curious about the other style guides out there, too)@gig_freak also recommended a great book called āMy Grammar and I Or Should That Be Me?ā - I took a glimpse inside it and itās terrific!!If any of you have some other recommendations, Iām all š ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gig_freak Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 By the way, I forgot to answer my own question š Iāve decided to use a few English grammar & tests apps on my phone (not just any app, but from official sources like Oxford and such), and Iām preparing to dive into the the Chicago Manual of Style (though now Iām getting curious about the other style guides out there, too)@gig_freak also recommended a great book called āMy Grammar and I Or Should That Be Me?ā - I took a glimpse inside it and itās terrific!!If any of you have some other recommendations, Iām all š !That escalated quickly. I do hope that the people you aimed this thread for, would actually be able to understand it.If any of you have some other recommendations, Iām all š !āThe Elements of Styleā - Itās old but gold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balacafa Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Even as a native speaker, whenever Iām writing I always have a thesaurus with me to improve my vocabulary. Itās an incredibly useful tool to help to expand your vocabulary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gina_riley2 Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 The only time I truly get fed up is when looking for article writers and proofreaders. How can someone offer writing service when their gigs & profiles are full of errors?I donāt fuss too much at non native sellers who offer gigs that are not writing related. I know there are many who werenāt fortunate enough to learn and be fluent.Iāve worked with several illustrators who I am certain use Google translate, but we are able to understand each other and I get great work. I do find it challenging to work with sellers on a complex design, if their writing isnāt at least half way understandable.I count my blessings that I went to school in the states and quite fluent. I still hire proofreaders and/or editorās for all my books, bios, articles, blogs, etc. to be posted.I know not everyone can afford it but I do wish sellers would at least put forth the effort to have a nice page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woofy31 Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 The only time I truly get fed up is when looking for article writers and proofreaders. How can someone offer writing service when their gigs & profiles are full of errors?I donāt fuss too much at non native sellers who offer gigs that are not writing related. I know there are many who werenāt fortunate enough to learn and be fluent.Iāve worked with several illustrators who I am certain use Google translate, but we are able to understand each other and I get great work. I do find it challenging to work with sellers on a complex design, if their writing isnāt at least half way understandable.I count my blessings that I went to school in the states and quite fluent. I still hire proofreaders and/or editorās for all my books, bios, articles, blogs, etc. to be posted.I know not everyone can afford it but I do wish sellers would at least put forth the effort to have a nice page.I know not everyone can afford itWhile it is indeed true that not everyone can afford English classes/courses, nowadays it seems that everyone has smartphones and/or internet access - therefore, in my opinion, the amount of free apps on smartphones that teach English, as well as the unimaginable vast amount of educational material offered freely to learn English online, leave no room for any excuses not to learn English properly and correctly (unless, of course, time is enough of an excuse)P.S. access to Fiverr = access to internet, and from here the possibilities are endless as long as there is will š Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misscrystal Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Iām very sympathetic to those who canāt use English well. Itās those who offer writing gigs and make claims of being professional writers who canāt even put together a sentence that annoy me. Iām amazed that they donāt realize they canāt write well. Itās as if they never noticed that they write so much differently from anything else on the internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
writer99025 Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 I donāt know why English speaking skills of non-natives are a suspect. Actually, my English is better than my Hindi and Kannada, my mother tongue. I can barely read and write Hindi and Kannada, for heavenās sake. Itās the same for a majority of educated Indians. I am not worried about my English, I am ashamed of my lack of Hindi and Kannada skills, and complete inability to learn other Indian languages such as Tamil, Marathi and Telugu. But to give English some credit, it has made me a small fortune š[Do you folks like my new favorite icon? š ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misscrystal Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 I donāt know why English speaking skills of non-natives are a suspect. Actually, my English is better than my Hindi and Kannada, my mother tongue. I can barely read and write Hindi and Kannada, for heavenās sake. Itās the same for a majority of educated Indians. I am not worried about my English, I am ashamed of my lack of Hindi and Kannada skills, and complete inability to learn other Indian languages such as Tamil, Marathi and Telugu. But to give English some credit, it has made me a small fortune š[Do you folks like my new favorite icon? š ]Yes that icon is one of my favorites too. I would never know you are Indian, from the way you write and the expressions you use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
writer99025 Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Yes that icon is one of my favorites too. I would never know you are Indian, from the way you write and the expressions you use.Iām the most Indian Indian š Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misscrystal Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Iām the most Indian Indian šIs India a bi-lingual country? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
writer99025 Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Is India a bi-lingual country?Haha, there are like hundreds of languages in Indiaā¦ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryangillam Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Best way to improve your English? Stop using your current language as a crutch during the language learning process.I live in Sweden. You would think that people would DRASTICALLY improve their English skills by interacting with me every single day. They do not.Guess which people improve their English skills? Those who were not always trying to translate something into Swedish. Those who are not opening up subtitles when they watch movies. When you rely on your language always being there, you never learn.This is why I am abysmal at Swedish. I use English as a crutch. Slows down your way of thinking. I have noticed vast improvements by not trying to think about English when I am communicating in Swedish.Take this, for example:I had both the English and the Swedish versions of Harry Potter & The Philosopherās Stone. Read them side by side (basically word for word translation). Donāt remember a thing.I have Chamber of Secrets in Swedish. Read it through without looking up words in the dictionary. you can pick up so much just by looking at contextual clues.Same as if I watch āGirl with the Dragon Tattooā. Not a clue what is going on (although, I have read the book in English). I suddenly found myself being able to absorb so much of the language because I had English subs turned off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woofy31 Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 Best way to improve your English? Stop using your current language as a crutch during the language learning process.I live in Sweden. You would think that people would DRASTICALLY improve their English skills by interacting with me every single day. They do not.Guess which people improve their English skills? Those who were not always trying to translate something into Swedish. Those who are not opening up subtitles when they watch movies. When you rely on your language always being there, you never learn.This is why I am abysmal at Swedish. I use English as a crutch. Slows down your way of thinking. I have noticed vast improvements by not trying to think about English when I am communicating in Swedish.Take this, for example:I had both the English and the Swedish versions of Harry Potter & The Philosopherās Stone. Read them side by side (basically word for word translation). Donāt remember a thing.I have Chamber of Secrets in Swedish. Read it through without looking up words in the dictionary. you can pick up so much just by looking at contextual clues.Same as if I watch āGirl with the Dragon Tattooā. Not a clue what is going on (although, I have read the book in English). I suddenly found myself being able to absorb so much of the language because I had English subs turned off.Those who are not opening up subtitles when they watch movies.The moment I dropped subtitles, a whole new world opened up in front of me: one where I could actually see those small visual / compositional details in a movie, where I could see the actors and all their facial expressions, and it was also the moment when I released myself from the burden of finding or waiting for a subtitle š¤And it was a moment where I had realized I did not actually need subtitles š¤Æ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misscrystal Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Best way to improve your English? Stop using your current language as a crutch during the language learning process.I live in Sweden. You would think that people would DRASTICALLY improve their English skills by interacting with me every single day. They do not.Guess which people improve their English skills? Those who were not always trying to translate something into Swedish. Those who are not opening up subtitles when they watch movies. When you rely on your language always being there, you never learn.This is why I am abysmal at Swedish. I use English as a crutch. Slows down your way of thinking. I have noticed vast improvements by not trying to think about English when I am communicating in Swedish.Take this, for example:I had both the English and the Swedish versions of Harry Potter & The Philosopherās Stone. Read them side by side (basically word for word translation). Donāt remember a thing.I have Chamber of Secrets in Swedish. Read it through without looking up words in the dictionary. you can pick up so much just by looking at contextual clues.Same as if I watch āGirl with the Dragon Tattooā. Not a clue what is going on (although, I have read the book in English). I suddenly found myself being able to absorb so much of the language because I had English subs turned off.I have the part of the brain missing which is good at foreign languages. I worked in a Hispanic company for two years and only picked up a couple of dozen words but still couldnāt understand any conversation spoken in Spanish. Iāve tried sitting through movies and shows in Spanish and it does no good. I will never learn a foreign language. I was taught French for years as a child and can say a few basic things in that language. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryangillam Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Those who are not opening up subtitles when they watch movies.The moment I dropped subtitles, a whole new world opened up in front of me: one where I could actually see those small visual / compositional details in a movie, where I could see the actors and all their facial expressions, and it was also the moment when I released myself from the burden of finding or waiting for a subtitle š¤And it was a moment where I had realized I did not actually need subtitles š¤ÆSubtitles annoy me. Even English ones. Since many of my friends rely on subtitles still (although, they have graduated to English subs), I canāt help but read them. Detracts from most of the action on the screen.Most people I know do not need them, but they have yet to drop them. I wish they would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rankinfinite Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 I read and post on forums to improve my English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modasser_jasim Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Valuable article. I could learn a lot from your article. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mae_creativity Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 @woofy31Ooh! You shared the link to my forum post in your post. š['Tips for better communication in English"]Thanks ādear.ā š (Iāve said it -----> Now Iām your grandmother.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mae_creativity Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 @woofy31 I added a pic for you in my last comment lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woofy31 Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 @woofy31 I added a pic for you in my last comment lol.Exactly! If I hear a granny calling me dear, I get all warm and fuzzy šWhen a buyer calls me that, the same feelings try to surface but they take a punch immediately, so basically theyāre hurting my feelings šI guess thereās a second meaning to your image, as well: that dark & cold times are coming in regards to English, and I really need to put on a jacket to protect myself š Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mae_creativity Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Exactly! If I hear a granny calling me dear, I get all warm and fuzzy šWhen a buyer calls me that, the same feelings try to surface but they take a punch immediately, so basically theyāre hurting my feelings šI guess thereās a second meaning to your image, as well: that dark & cold times are coming in regards to English, and I really need to put on a jacket to protect myself šlol Youāre rightāwinter is coming . . .I wonder if this thread will now turn into: Tips for staying warm during the winter for freelancers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gig_freak Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 It is proven, that this song might improve your grammar. In my opinion, it is a fun way to get rid of the basic errors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woofy31 Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 It is proven, that this song might improve your grammar. In my opinion, it is a fun way to get rid of the basic errors.That was simply spastic for my brain, my eye was twitching on the rhythm :rofl: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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