ok... for fear of being called pedantic, I’m going to ask the question “How Important Is Spelling To You”...

to me it’s one of my pet hates. I understand that dyslexia is not as uncommon as we think, and yes, we all make genuine typographic errors (typos). but with most websites, browsers and publishers having ‘spell checkers’ is there really any excuse to click “Post” before you have a quick read through what you’ve written.

The Internet really has made the world a much smaller place, and with all nationalities coming together through Social Networking Sites do we really need to worry about something as trivial as Spelling..? Well, Quite simply I think it’s a YES..! We have translators such as Bing, Babelfish, Google Translate to name the most well known, and they are only the tip of the translator iceberg... the translators are only are good as the text they’re translating, so if you post a Blog or to a Forum which has a multi national audience then they may not be able to understand or respond to your post as the Translator will not be able to decipher what you’ve wrote... using Your instead of You’re.., or There, or There or They’re, in a sentence can change the context which a translator could misinterpret, and making it harder for our none English speaking friends to understand us or what we’re trying to say...

we developed a TEXT language about 15 years ago due to being restricted to only 140 characters in a single text message, but now we have ‘smarter’ phones we don’t need to abbreviate unnecessarily, to me it’s just pure laziness...

I recently registered with a ‘new’ Social Networking site and I deactivated my account within 15 minutes as their introduction page had no less than 51 spelling and grammar errors... including their OWN website NAME... even the Profile Information form was bloody AWFUL..!.. “Wear you From” “Whats Your Location”...

So... taking into account the multi national audience on sites like Transtastic, is spelling really that important..?

y-a-w-n

Gemma.... if this subject bores you... and you have no reasonable input on this thread please feel free to pass it by... & try not to goad me into another one of your pathetic conflicts, it won't work... that's all...

Well said Lisa, re the G.

Back to spelling - it also bores me, but I know why - and that's because I'm rubbish at spelling. I'm getting better, and my grammar isn't great either. I'm aware that my poor spelling and grammar stops some people in their tracks reading things I write - they instantly think you're 'thick' - when it reality it is their prejudice.

I often re-read what I write (I may or may not with this reply) - but I have a very short attention span to things. I don't think it's important to me (reading), unless it's really bad (or on a document like a CV, from a school etc). People need to pay attention then - and like you say, on the intro of a website - it needs to be right. It's says they are LAZY.

The point I think you raising is about communication. Is ones inability to spell affecting their communication with the audience? If it is, then it needs to be correct.

Oh, and for the record - if you see anything on here that is spelt wrong, do say so (but maybe not on this thread).


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This post was edited by R Fox at February 17, 2013 5:35 PM GMT

I must say that I agree with your sentiment Lisa, but I have long ago given up on being overly concerned about it.
I was taught that correct spelling is the sign of a good education and therefore a kind of superiority. When I actually speak with people I don't see the letters that form their words. If I can understand their utterances then I am happy.

There are many illiterate people who can still communicate verbally just as well as the literate.

I know, I work with people with intellectual disabilities and while they may not be able to read a book they know what a book is and can say the word.

Anyway, communication is just that, making yourself understood with whatever means you have at your disposal.
I'll shut up now and love to you
Nicky XXX

@ Beckie: you're right... many people who see poor spelling automatically think the author is "thick"... far from it, not everyone can be good at spelling... I'm not likely to point out spelling errors as I'm not that pedantic... I used to do quite a bit of Proof Reading... but to see a document or website with errors is laziness as there are plenty of spell checkers/grammar checkers...

the ability to communicate with ALL of the audience requires correct spelling if some of the audience need to use a translator

@Nicky: I forgot how old fashioned some people are, I too remember when teachers and elders told us as kids that being smarter then the rest makes us superior... thank god we've evolved since then.... communication is not just about the written text.. or vocal... I have a couple of deaf friends, who seem to want to teach me sign language, so OK, I'll give them the respect they deserve and I will try and learn to communicate with them in their way...

making yourself understood is the key... but spelling is only important in its written form, of course...

~♥~

Having worked on a spelling corrector I learnt that spelling is in fact mutable. I think people would be surprised how many words have changed their spellings since the war. This is particularly true when one considers words which have/do differ between the UK and the USA. So which do we work with, which is right. Largely I don't care too much as long as the sense comes out in the end.

On occasion it bothers me, but overall I don't worry about it. Being dyslexic and having a son who's severely dyslexic means I know first hand that poor literacy skills doesn't necessarily mean low intelligence.

The couple of times I've let someone else's spelling bother me, it has usually been more to do with clash of personalities rather than their poor literacy skills. Easier to find fault with someone's English that you don't like, than with those that you do. I find that true of many things. We accept certain things about our friends that we'd sneer and point at if it were someone that we dislike.
This post was edited by Deleted Member at February 19, 2013 5:36 PM GMT

to be honest - i replied y-a-w-n because its yet another thread which involves negativity and an I'm holier than thou ting! I find this sort of thing tedious and it wasnt a vain attempt to start an argument

Well, my Grammar was horrendous a kid, and even when I first got the net, but that was thanks to txt talking, via MSN....

But, as a Child I suffered a near fatal accident, involving getting my head Impaled on a tree that had not been cut down properly, or cut to smooth as a log, and was a spike...

This then involved me, picking up the pieces afterwards, and learning to read and write again, and also affecting my eye sight, due to the close proximity of the impact zone, next to my eye socket.

Anyway, it did make me Dyslexic, and then meant years of, " Special Needs Teachers " through out my Primary School life.

And, after leaving for Secondary School, I vowed to get rid of the " Special Needs Teachers " and Improve my Grammar, and hand writing, to which I did.

But, I personally don't care too much, about bad Grammar, I just think, so long as I can make it out, then there's not too much to worry about.

And considering sometimes, when my own Mum sends me a Text Message it takes a few reads to get the gist of it... so I just learned to take the whole thing with a Pinch of Salt!

Basically, my mindset it is, Life is too short, and too precious to worry about such things!

And, all I want to do, is enjoy the ride! xxx

Hiya i Kandy, I just looked at the top two forums, the General Forum and the Adult Forum. Out of the 45 front/first page topics, I could only really see around 7 topics that could be construed as negative between the two forums.

I've created 16 of those topics between the two forums that are still on the first page. Maybe I'm getting it wrong, but I'm still trying to find out what topics, if any, float peoples boat here.

Is it me that's getting on your tits?

Adele
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This post was edited by Deleted Member at February 19, 2013 2:03 PM GMT

absolutely not adele x

Phew...that's good. Thought I might have to sulk or go off in a girly huff! Hahaha!

All you other contributors PULL YOUR FINGER OUT! :-D

Adele
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