English, please!
In my work, I often receive email messages from people for whom English is a secondary (or tertiary) language. Although they write using words that I am familiar with, they often provision them in unfamiliar, disconcerting, and confusing ways. I've grown to expect this and do my best to ascertain what they are attempting to communicate.
Sometimes I end up on their website, trying to divine truth and grasp understanding. I am decidedly less tolerant of websites spouting nonsensical English; I expect them to be professional sounding and comprehensible. Here is a recent example that still has me confused:
Would you want to do business with them?
Sometimes I end up on their website, trying to divine truth and grasp understanding. I am decidedly less tolerant of websites spouting nonsensical English; I expect them to be professional sounding and comprehensible. Here is a recent example that still has me confused:
"(Company name) is a baby of consultants from all over the world from various fields to add value to any business from their hands on experience under the leadership of (CEO name), who is a project consultant for over 2 decades across many business verticals. Lot of thought process is planned to be shared across many headings in the coming days, each one is a huge opportunity to create great business, it could be (long list of technical jargon and industries) so on so forth.Say what?
"The whole thought process is thought out keeping the world as one piece of opportunity. Let’s see how we can make use of it and create better opportunity for the globally employable ones and enterprising ones without disturbing the right political and natural environments."
Would you want to do business with them?
Posted by Peter DeHaan at 2/19/2009 9:19 AM 
Categories: Writing, Business, Internet
Tags: english as primary language Peter DeHaan blog author Peter DeHaan Peter DeHaan Musings Musings of Peter DeHaan
Categories: Writing, Business, Internet
Tags: english as primary language Peter DeHaan blog author Peter DeHaan Peter DeHaan Musings Musings of Peter DeHaan
As you seem to care about these things, Peter, given that you frequently write about the use of the English language, you might be interested to know that the world 'provision' is a noun, not a verb, as you use it: they often provision them in unfamiliar. Or perhaps you use it in a sense that I do not understand. It also normally takes the preposition 'with' rather than 'in'. I hope pointing this out doesn't cause you embarrassment in any way - it can be humbling to be pulled up on something one is proud of, as you appear to be in your use of English, but when you write as well as you do I suspect the details represent the only learning curve for you, so please accept this observation of mine about 'provision' as a modest contribution to your on-going adventure with the language. ... My best regards - your mentor.
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As a writer, I do care about the English language, but never claimed to excel at its usage. Hence there are often mistakes in my postings: some out of oversight and some a result of ignorance.
You make a good point about the use of "provision," however, the dictionary I consulted does indeed indicate that it can function as a verb!
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A verb, Peter, in the sense of provisioning a ship. It is oddly used here. But I myself realised my mistake in censuring you after I had left my comment, so I am justly rebuked.
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