It was a woman who told me that my English with a lot of grammatic errors would keep English-speaking people away from my website.
I´m sure I make mistakes now and then because English isn´t my mother tounge and it´s more than 30 years since I left school.
But I do my best and as long as people understand me I don´t think it´s a catastrophe....
However, I would like to ask for help. Take a look at my website and tell me what to correct, grammatic errors, spelling, if I have chosen the wrong word.....
Don´t feel impolite, it will not make me sad. I want to learn and do it right. I will really appreciate if you will help me. And there will be a reward....
*********************************************************************************
This star is a small project I´ve worked on today:
It will end up as a small table cloth for a friend of mine. The binding I´ve chosen is dark blue.
She asked for something blue, hope she will be satisfied.
31 kommentarer:
What a rude person! I only speak Australian as you can't call what is spoken here English and most English people give us the strangest looks because we speak a form of language they've never heard before! I admire anyone who can speak and write another language and forgive them any errors with English as it's difficult enough to learn it as a first language. I'm wondering if this person can speak/write Swedish and if not they should stop being so particular about your English!!
Cheers,
Robyn
Hey,
I love your blog, I am German and am thankful for your english posts. I speak only a very little swedish, its certainly not enough to be able to follow your posts. Keep posting and do not mind these people that critizise you. Is this woman able to speak swedish? No? How would she be able to read your post then if it weren't for your english version? In my opinion I prefer a not perfectly written english post to the result the google translater usually produces.
Keep on posting (preferably in ENGLISH)!
Kramar,
Segelfliege (thebanana(at)web(dot)de
I should say, DON'T DO IT. I am dutch, and as you I left school long ago (1978)and my english might not be correct. If that is a problem for someone reading your blog, then it is their problem. Blogging is about sharing things and when people do understand what you mean, then it is alright isn't it? I read dutch blogs too in which I see many things incorrect, but I don't mention it at all, it is about funblogging!
At least you try to write english. How well is the Swedish writing of that woman?
Other thing you might do : write swedish and add google translator to your blog. (Very funny translation, and incorrect too) Kind regards, Conny from the Netherlands
Dette skal du bare overse. Alle bloggere, meg inkludert, får slike komentarer fra en eller annen. Kanskje samme person. Jeg fikk for flere år siden samme kritikken om at min engelsk var helt forferdelig. Jeg gikk også ut på bloggen min og fortalte hva som hadde skjedd. Og får da tilbakemelding fra mange at min engelsk var mye bedre og mer korrekt en de som hadde engelsk som morsmål. Du kan lese det her http://abyquilt.blogspot.com/2006/10/quilty-sunday.html
Samme med din engelsk. Ikke noe i veien med den. Så bare fortsett og skriv på engelsk. Du skriver bra!!!
What a very rude person to write you an email such as that!! I love and follow your blog, I'm from the U.S. and have never found your words hard to read or understand. My heritage includes Swedish but, alas, I don't speak it. Just keep up the good work that you do and know that there are many of us out here that really appreciate what you share with us..Thanks so much.
I AGREE!! Don't fix it, she was very rude. And sometimes google translate does have some funny translations. I think it's mostly due to slang words we use or words that have mulitple meanings from one country to another or our sentence structure vs yours.
I only speak english and your site is fun. I make MANY mistakes on my own blog and would probably flunk blogging if my grammar was graded. The point of blogging is be who you are, share what you want and HAVE FUN!!! Ignore those who are too critical!! The rest of us will enjoy you and your blog. I love reading or viewing blogs. I visit many blogs written in everything but english. Most of the time, the pictures speak for themselves !! Once a while I translate something. Keep on blogging the way you always do. You're doing fine. Hugs from Missouri, USA
What gives her the right to judge anyone? Keep going the way you are and if someone can't accept it and wants to nitpick just ignore them.
Such a rude comment !! I really wouldn't take any notice of the person concerned, I am British and from what I see and hear these days, grammar and punctuation together with the letter 'T' are becoming strangers even to the 'English'! More kudos to you for publishing in a 'foreign' language - keep it up !!!
Luv....Ann J
Helena, Thanks for writing your blogspot and website in English so we who don't speak Swedish can appreciate your art work. I love your website the way it is. Wonder if that woman speaks/writes more than one language. My mother and her friends are from Japan and none were school trained in English, but they managed to raise children who bridged the gap and prospered. They all speak and write their version of English which is a mixture of Japanese, American English and Hawaiian Pidgin. We now live in Oregon and it is amazing how mother has taught her neighbors to understand her version of English. Thanks, pdx_doreen
Det finns alldeles för många skitkärringar och språkpoliser i den här världen.
Man får försöka att inte bry sig.
Sear Helena, Please know you have many readers and supporters and hopefully only one rude emailer. Your English is just fine. I was a teacher and I still find spelling errors in my own blog writing when I go back through them. My typing is not great and that causes me to make errors sometimes. Many many blogs have grammatical errors and people really struggle with apostrohes and they are folk who have English as their first language.
Don't be put off writing your blog in any way. We all enjoy it and support you. Go girl!
Hugs from Ali.
( Have you made that felt embroidered ball yet? )
Wow! The woman is the one with a problem, not you. English is my second language, and I do not care, nowadays, if I speak/write perfect english.At least I speak another language! So, forget about these people that talk about your english, they are not worthed a penny! Luiza
My dear Helena,
Please don't waste your time on someone who thinks she is so perfect she can mold the rest of us to be like her. You are a lovely person. Just delete her message and think about all the readers who enjoy your blog.
PS...the magazine you sent me last year is Swedish but I'm able to interpret measurements with a ruler and if I need to translate a word or two it's easy to do.
I love your blog and your website. I love your free patterns. I love looking at what you are working on. I think if people (prospective customers) like what they see, correcting a few English grammar errors won't make any difference.
Dear Helena,
I agree with all of the above! Keep doing what you're doing, one person grumbling isn't worth all the trouble, tell them TO GET A LIFE! The rest of us understand your english. I can't speak any other language other than Australian (I don't like to call it English) and I respect anyone who can learn a second language and I wouldn't expect them to get it perfect. I've written and spoken Australian for over 40 years and I still make spelling mistakes and grammatical errors but who cares, it's a reflection of who I am, easy going and love to spend my time quilting not checking someone's mistakes!
Love
Jo
Helena, I'm with all the other comments...don't waste your time with this person...English is a hard language even for those of us that have it as a 1st language....keep up the great blog!
Julz
Please ignore mails like that one.
I love reading your blog and all you share!
Yvonne - Antwerp/Belgium
What a horrid person! I love your website and blog. I can only speak, read and write English. I don't even try to do any other language. I wouldn't worry about her. She can stop reading your blog if she chooses. Truthfully I don't see anything wrong.
Sweet Helena, Don't you waste one single second worrying about grammar errors or using the wrong word driving people away. It's been a long time since I've heard of anything so mean spirited and hurtful. I learned a long time ago when I was diagnosed with a disease the severely cuts down on my energy and so I am not at active as I used to be along with many other problems, but the only reason I bring this up is to point out that I had for a long time, a small but what I thought was much beloved circle of friends that I did things with, got together with for coffee, shopping, etc. Shortly and I mean within just weeks, they were no where to be found. Some, just didn't know what to say to me or act around me, I guess they thought they needed to treat me differently because I was ill. However, one of them emailed me to tell me that she couldn't be friends with a "sick person". She wanted friends that could go places and do things with her, no someone that was always to tired or didn't feel well enough to walk the mall or go to lunch. I was crushed. Not as much what she said as the fact that here was someone I had known for years and years, who lived close by and she couldn't tell me face to face. Or pick up the phone. She had to send an email??? I cried buckets until I finally realized that my hubby and family was right. They were never friends to begin with. Friends are the people you can count on to be there when everyone else runs for cover. When I got that through my head, I was no longer hurt, nor angry. I just didn't care. Now I share this with you not looking for sympathy, not at all, but to point out that those of us that enjoy someone's company, or love to read their blog and comment on their projects etc. Enjoy people for who they are...not for what we want them to be. So like I said, Don't change a thing because we love you for who you are and the bright spot you bring to our life because of who you are. Truly....
Besides Helena...No one speaks our language more poorly than we ourselves. That just a fact of life. I'm so sorry and honestly embarrassed to hear of this lady's selfish request.
Big Big Hugs...
Awful! I just want that person to write a blog or a website in another language. English is not my first language either, but I try and people should understand that since is not your first language it wont be perfect. It just makes me furious!
To me it is great to read your blog without having to translate and it is remarkable to do it in another language.
Please do not let people make you feel down.
Helena I think that person is very rude and I love your blog and you are such a generous person with your free patterns.
Ignore her and keep up with your great posts.
I can only read and write English and I OFTEN make mistakes.
The point of language is to communicate, and you do that very well. Grammar and spelling is useful but not essential for communication. But I can understand how you might want your website to be more accurate, business is a different matter from blogging.
This person was very unfriendly. I'm from Germany and my English is not perfect. AND WHAT!!!!!!!!!!! I like your blog an d your website.
xxx
Heike
I adore your website and your blog!! Please continue on as you are - wonderful and always so very kind. I am from the USA, grandparents from Finland and Sweden and wish I could write in Swedish as well as you write in English! Have a great day and thank you for a great blog and inspiration!
Dear Helena, As I don't speak a second language, I admire you for writing your blog in English when it isn't your main language. I have never had a problem reading it and if the grammar and spelling isn't perfect it doesn't matter. It adds a charm to your writing. If you only wrote in Swedish I may never have discovered your lovely work. Don't let mean people like that take the fun out of your blog.
Thank you for your wonderful blog and website, I too would not worry about a few grammar mistakes. Everything is perfectly understandable.
Oh, it makes me so angry what that person wrote to you! Your spelling is not why I visit your blog, it is your work and your creativity. There will always be nasty people around, please ignore them :)
It is good that you want to learn, but don't get upset about it, and I hope it will not stop you from your enjoying your lovely blog:))
Beautiful combination of blue fabrics :)
Dear Helena
Life is too short to worry about the little things. Your English is fine and easily understood. Some people are silly. Obviously not a quilter as she has too much time on her hands writing unnecessary comments.
Enjoy and know that everything is just fine.
Helena, I've been at retreat and just read your post.... I can't believe someone would be so rude! Well, okay, maybe I can believe it, but it makes me mad!!! As so many have commented here, never let someone else determine how you choose to live your life, and take negative comments with a grain of salt - not worthy of your attention or time!!! Your blog is warm and wonderful and your many followers do not care one little bit about "perfect english"! Heck, most of us who speak english as our primary language don't speak or write it perfectly!!! Please keep posting, and we'll keep reading!!!
I am so sorry that woman hurt your feelings. It was rude and a much bigger faux pas than a grammatical error. You are doing just fine. Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us.
Mary Ann in Texas USA
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