The decreasing standards of written English

[BallistixOnZ490]

It is part of getting a job, yes. I also said that language\literacy matters, not that communication skills were the #1 priority for me when hiring staff. Give me two candidates who are very similar barring one has a much clearer, coherent CV and I'll take the candidate with the mroe effectively written CV. But if my choice is someone with 10 years SQL experience, or an author, I'm selecting the SQL developer.

I also didn't say that most of my department can't write. But some formal communications they want to issue don't reach a standard I find acceptable, so I re-write them.

If you have to rewrite everything that other employees are writing, then surely that indicates they aren't suitable for their job.

Keeping them hired only proves in fact that written English does not matter at all employment wise, if someone else will simply fix all your mistakes.

 

[Chuk_Chuk]

What's the point in writing a sentence using good english if the people reading the sentence will ignore half the words and fill in the blanks with their own head canon.

I think it is laziness and also linked to people translating spoken english to written english which leads to the spelling mistakes that you often see.

Who said anything about being a manager?

I cant even be a ******* typist without 2 years IT experience and 2x2 year references.

Just ignore it. That's what I did, but it was in a different field.

 

[BallistixOnZ490]

Just ignore it. That's why I did but in a different field.

Ignore the requirements for a job? How do I get an interview if I don't meet the minimum criteria?

Been told several times already that I don't have enough I.T experience for receptionist or typist work. Its hard to 'just ignore it' when I can't get any simple desk job.

 

[gpuerrilla]

If you have to rewrite everything that other employees are writing, then surely that indicates they aren't suitable for their job.

Its not as bad as it sounds, but yes I have worked with many a person who struggle with simple tasks but have people around them to cover that weakness.

 

[Chuk_Chuk]

Ignore the requirements for a job? How do I get an interview if I don't meet the minimum criteria?

Been told several times already that I don't have enough I.T experience for receptionist or typist work. Its hard to 'just ignore it' when I can't get any simple desk job.

Certain requirements can be seen as optional.

I tend to treat the x number of years as partially optional. For example 5+ years requirements, you could probably get away with 3.5 years.

 

[bloodiedathame]

A chance at what exactly? I already tried applying for a £5000 creative grant, my production quality was still too poor. Slowly working on improving it, but its currently too hot to continue. Nothing I have is in a demoable state yet, I was trying to get funding to afford to use a studio and get training. No one will train me for free in anything, already spent years looking for free training.

Getting a job, earning some money, progressing, learning, responsibility. The only barrier to entry right now is your mentality.

 

[BallistixOnZ490]

Certain requirements can be seen as optional.

I tend to treat the x number of years as partially optional. For example 5+ years requirements, you could probably get away with 3.5 years.

I have zero.

 

[BallistixOnZ490]

Getting a job, earning some money, progressing, learning, responsibility. The only barrier to entry right now is your mentality.

I provide employers with a link to my youtube page on my application or C.V.

Doesn't ever work.

Not that they even read past the name on the top of the application before binning it.

Im happy to stop talking about me now if you are.

 

[bloodiedathame]

I provide employers with a link to my youtube page on my application or C.V.

Doesn't ever work.

Send it to me. It may well be ****, but everyone has to start somewhere. If you want, I can show/tell/mentor you, whatever. Get to a level where you can help me on my jobs and I'll pay you. I know VO artists who would be happy to give you older kit, studios who might add you to their roster. There's so much out there, you just have to take a step.

I'm not out to get you, humiliate you, or whatever, I'm honestly just trying to help.

 

[Murf]

If you have to rewrite everything that other employees are writing, then surely that indicates they aren't suitable for their job.

Keeping them hired only proves in fact that written English does not matter at all employment wise, if someone else will simply fix all your mistakes.

Are you being intentionally obtuse? Some formal communications don't reach the standard I would like. We're not a communications department, so those types of communications are a fraction of our output. The world isn't perfect, you won't find staff that can do every part of their job perfectly. You prioritise. And speaking of priorities I won't respond if you continue to labour this point, I've got a job to do.

 

[dlockers]

Are you being intentionally obtuse. Some formal communications don't reach the standard I would like. We're not a communications department, so those types of communications are a fraction of our output. The world isn't perfect, you won't find staff that can do every part of their job perfectly. You prioritise. And speaking of priorities I won't respond if you continue to labour this point, I've got a job to do.

It is surprising how poor people's written communication is, especially in a professional context. But exactly as you said, they generally have strengths elsewhere. As someone who had very poor written communication (and arguably still do ) - I really appreciated being 'corrected in my ways'. The amount of daft mistakes that I made, either because I didn't listen in school or didn't value getting the basics right, was astounding.

What people with poor comms. don't appreciate it as how distracting it is for those who do have good communication skills - which unfortunately in serious professional settings, is the vast majority of folk above a certain pay grade at least.

I do remember sitting next to a women on the 1st class train from London to the north not so long ago though (3-5 years) and she was HAMMERING the keyboard in size 40 font declaring a £2m transaction to be made immediately. There was zero attempt at spelling, structure or grammar; just a barrage of text. I expect she was senior enough to not give a damn and had an EA figure it out

 

[Deleted member 77746]

Ppl always tak shortcuts in lyf where possible, why do u think language is special 2 avoid these shortcuts?

 

[Semple]

I've been noticing it a lot over the last few years and I'm beginning to wonder if it's to do with the way people are speaking in slang and with accents out loud, and therefore they convert this into what they believe the written English should be? For example:

"...he's been an idiot isn't he?"
Been = being

This one winds me up to no end. I'd never actually noticed it until a few years back, and then all of a sudden there were quite a few people writing it this way. To the point i was starting to doubt myself and even had to check to that it was incorrect.

snip

I think that's more than likely someone who can't spell rather than a degrading level of English.

 

[Deleted member 77746]

This one winds me up to no end. I'd never actually noticed it until a few years back, and then all of a sudden there were quite a few people writing it this way. To the point i was starting to doubt myself and even had to check to that it was incorrect.

youre been a idiot now.

 

[BallistixOnZ490]

Ppl always tak shortcuts in lyf where possible, why do u think language is special 2 avoid these shortcuts?

Actually text speak began back when SMS messages had a character message limit and cost 10p each to send.

It was about reducing cost, not making it easier. Someone I once knew who I used to like in person basically wrote every communication she made on Facebook in all caps text speech including everything on her wall. Removed any and all positive opinions I had of her, as she generally spoke and behaved flawlessly and with much higher class than how she typed. It was like having a bipolar personality disorder that only happened when she typed, and yes she became a primary teacher.

 

[MatsyLR]

I couldnt care less about spelling or grammar, I type as my brain thinks the spelling should be.
For "professional" work yeah its important I guess, but for everything else, no it doesn't make any difference tbh as long as you can actually get what the person means.

 

[Hagar]

I wrote a piece for a creative writing course which included the phrase 'the three R's', meaning reading, writing and arithmetic. My work was queried by the tutor as to its meaning.
I was a bit taken aback but i took it to show that not everyone knows everything about English common usage.

 

[Deleted member 77746]

Actually text speak began back when SMS messages had a character message and cost 10p each to send.

It was about reducing cost, not making it easier. Someone I once knew who I used to like in person basically wrote every communication she made on Facebook in all caps text speech including everything on her wall. Removed any and all positive opinions I had of her, as she generally spoke and behaved flawlessly and with much higher class than how she typed. It was like having a bipolar personality disorder that only happened when she typed, and yes she became a primary teacher.

ai

 

[mmj_uk]

It's consistent with the general dumbing down of society and people being given employment to tick diversity and inclusion boxes rather than the most qualified for the job. Imagine Albert Einstein turning up for an interview in the sciences and being told he's not suitable because they want someone who's LGBT and that's pretty much where the west is at. China and other rivals must be laughing their heads off, they're building moon bases while westerners are burning down their own cities.

There was a Zoom call of a teacher posted recently with the teacher disagreeing with a student that police aren't heroes and that if she was being home invaded she wouldn't call the police because she'd be less safe. Too many mindless ideologues, the west is finished.

 

[dlockers]

I wrote a piece for a creative writing course which included the phrase 'the three R's', meaning reading, writing and arithmetic. My work was queried by the tutor as to its meaning.
I was a bit taken aback but i took it to show that not everyone knows everything about English common usage.

Haha, I remember my (mostly illiterate/poorly schooled father [skills entirely in the practical world]) telling me about the 3R's when I was younger. I thought he was stitching me up/having a moment.