Why grammar is super important for us sellers

[miiila]

Offlinehelpers doesn´t really say anything else than that people should label their language level correctly to avoid problems because of disappointed expectations.

[Guest mahedi_raj]

Thnx for the suggestion dear

[wooden_fish]

Very well said. While I probably won’t hire a non-native speaker for a writing gig, I’ll make that judgement based on the gig description and not what they claim.

Otherwise, it doesn’t matter as long as the English isn’t atrocious.

You’re only hurting yourself by lying.

[mariokluser]

English is my third language. I would like to learn more, but I get tired of it.

You have some very good points here.

There is one important thing that people who claim to be fluent in a language and are not don’t grasp:
If they just would state that their language skills are just basic, they would immediately earn some bonus points, because it would make the more sympathetic. The buyer know from the get go that the communication can be a little bit more difficult, but they know that the seller stands behind what he does, can and can not do.

This way they will not automatically doubt the skills and the decency of the seller.

Alas, everything here in this forum is preaching to the choir, as the people who should read certain topics don’t do it.

[Guest offlinehelpers]

English is my third language. I would like to learn more, but I get tired of it.

You have some very good points here.

There is one important thing that people who claim to be fluent in a language and are not don’t grasp:

If they just would state that their language skills are just basic, they would immediately earn some bonus points, because it would make the more sympathetic. The buyer know from the get go that the communication can be a little bit more difficult, but they know that the seller stands behind what he does, can and can not do.

This way they will not automatically doubt the skills and the decency of the seller.

Alas, everything here in this forum is preaching to the choir, as the people who should read certain topics don’t do it.

Spot on @mariokluser! Thank you. 🙂

[alexnkart]

I totally get what you’re saying. The level of fluency to describe someone’s English speaking abilities is quite… umm… vague on Fiverr. I, myself, have been learning English ever since I was very very young (probably around 2 to 3), and I wish that there was a way to testify this on Fiverr’s platform. It is as if everyone is fluent/native or bilingual lol :P. Thanks for posting! 😃

[filomena_silva]

This is so true, and at the same time, this is so bad to freelancers who are fluent in those languages. Sometimes I have people doubting about my skills and asking questions and now I realise that this can be one of the motifs.

[somaginer1996]

correct but do you think all the time language matters?

and i agree with you that quality does matter a lot

correct but do you think all the time language matters?

She was talking about translation gigs specifically, so yes it does matter. It really salts my apples when people try to claim fluency in a language they’re translating into/from when they clearly don’t know the first thing about it.

[helloscoopz]

(post withdrawn by author, will be automatically deleted in 24 hours unless flagged)

[nikavoice]

Like the old adage goes "Honesty is the best policy".

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Great post @offlinehelpers. :ok_hand:t4: tales about their English speaking abilities and their credentials. People tell so many tales, they themselves start believing it, too. Honestly, I think it’s a big plus for those who can speak multiple languages. As a Buyer/Seller ~ If English isn’t your Native language, who cares, that doesn’t stop me from working with Sellers who aren’t fluent in English. If we understand each other then cool freakin’ beans!

As a Buyer ~ I hire a bunch of articles :pen: writers on this platform. So, being able to write in English fluidly is extremely important. In fact, flawless! You don’t have to be a Native English speaker but grasp the language structure and whatnot. Just don’t lie to me and say you graduated from Harvard and obtained a Bsc or Masters Degree in Journalism, Business or Creative Writing etc. Just don’t do it!

Another thing… I’ve worked with many Sellers who never graduated from College or acquired a degree. Most are self-taught and do a darn good job, too. 🎉

Just my 2 cents!

[gogugmg]

I’m posting this with my buyer’s hat on. 🎩

Can I start by saying that I’m always really impressed when Fiverr users learn English to enable them to use Fiverr. I know I wouldn’t be able to learn a second language to such a level, and I salute all of those who’ve been able to achieve something I know I couldn’t. I was lucky the stork dropped me down the chimney he did so I didn’t have to learn English as a second language.

However, it really does worry me when responding to forum posts which are from users who describe themselves as being fluent in English on their Fiverr profiles, but it’s clear from the off that their English is anything but fluent.

There’s nothing wrong with saying on your profile that your English level is basic, conversational etc. Buyers would think much more of you if you were honest about your abilities. If you set yourself up as being fluent in English and a buyer finds that this isn’t the case, you’re setting yourself up for cancelled orders, bad feedbacks etc.

Please, just be honest about your English level - we buyers are quite happy to take it into account and work with sellers who are good at other things we need if we know beforehand. If we’re expecting fluency and don’t get it we’ll be disappointed.

I do hope nobody’s feelings are hurt from this post - that is not my intention.

Please, just be honest about your English level

I use 80% Google translator and Grammarly for Chrome. I have over 22k of complete orders. Communication is necessary, but it is more important to offer the customer what he wants.

Rating Breakdown

4.9 Communication With Seller

[catwriter]

Please, just be honest about your English level

I use 80% Google translator and Grammarly for Chrome. I have over 22k of complete orders. Communication is necessary, but it is more important to offer the customer what he wants.

Rating Breakdown

4.9 Communication With Seller

I use 80% Google translator and Grammarly for Chrome.

And you’re honest about your English level, so your buyers know what to expect.

[thecreativeguys]

I have worked with fabulous sellers from all walks of life. Many of whom don’t speak ‘great’ English. However, if they did not understand some of the points I made, they know to keep asking questions so they can be sure they understand what do to.

[catwriter]

I have worked with fabulous sellers from all walks of life. Many of whom don’t speak ‘great’ English. However, if they did not understand some of the points I made, they know to keep asking questions so they can be sure they understand what do to.

Many of whom don’t speak ‘great’ English.

That’s not the point. The point is to just be honest. If a seller doesn’t speak ‘great’ English, isn’t it better if they honestly say so, instead of trying to pretend that they’re fluent speakers?

[Guest offlinehelpers]

Please, just be honest about your English level

I use 80% Google translator and Grammarly for Chrome. I have over 22k of complete orders. Communication is necessary, but it is more important to offer the customer what he wants.

Rating Breakdown

4.9 Communication With Seller

I use 80% Google translator and Grammarly for Chrome.

That’s excellent advice - thank you for sharing it! 🙂

[humanissocial]

you love to criticize me always

Criticize! I don’t think so. @jonbaas is only being good by telling you your mistakes.

Seller:

hi how r u thx for kontakting mee abaut dis. i havve redd ur instruktions and chure i will read it

The seller who wrote this as a proofreader appears to me to be a maniac. How on earth will a proofreader do this.

Create gigs on what you can do best and not what you can do less

Do they think that are on Facebook?

“I typed this on my phone.”

How does typing on phone affect your delivered document? This is just so funny to hear as an excuse.

As for me, I type most of my documents on the phone as I am not always at home with my laptop.

Yes, my point is that “I typed this on my phone” is a poor excuse. Unfortunately, it happens.

[ashique99]

yes, totally agree with you

[jahiduls]

for grammar, i use, grammerly so when i write a sentence, while grammerly help me, where i wrong,
so i recommend, u cam also use that extension

[fastcopywriter]

Grammar only matters to writers. If you’re not making a living as a writer, then grammar doesn’t matter as long as you’re easily understood.

[rosebarlow]

I’m not sure about that. I think grammar does matter to people who are not writers. If you are writing in your own language and your grammar is poor, it just doesn’t look good and people will make assumptions about your level of education. Grammarly can help you check your writing if you are writing in your own language but it is too easy to make a mistake if you don’t understand the rules of the language. That is why I feel that there is a need for gigs offered by native speakers of English or at least people who are fluent in the language.

[monowarbappy2]

hahaha. This seller deserves Nobel prize.

[paulmaplesden]

Grammar only matters to writers. If you’re not making a living as a writer, then grammar doesn’t matter as long as you’re easily understood.

Grammar only matters to writers.

I think grammar matters to presenting a professional image, no matter what service you are providing. Buyers use all sorts of subconscious and subtle cues to decide who they are going to buy from. After all, if you don’t care enough about your gig description and messaging to check it for grammar, spelling, etc, how can I know you will care about what you deliver?

[fastcopywriter]

Grammar only matters to writers.

I think grammar matters to presenting a professional image, no matter what service you are providing. Buyers use all sorts of subconscious and subtle cues to decide who they are going to buy from. After all, if you don’t care enough about your gig description and messaging to check it for grammar, spelling, etc, how can I know you will care about what you deliver?

Did you get my reply? I wrote something but then I got a pop up?

Anyway, I wanted to say that if I’m hiring a video editor, dancer, logo designer, etc, his or her grammar is irrelevant. Would I recommend they hire a proofreader after they make some money? Absolutely, just like I hire gig image makers because I can’t design a darned thing.

[fastcopywriter]

Grammar only matters to writers.

I think grammar matters to presenting a professional image, no matter what service you are providing. Buyers use all sorts of subconscious and subtle cues to decide who they are going to buy from. After all, if you don’t care enough about your gig description and messaging to check it for grammar, spelling, etc, how can I know you will care about what you deliver?

I think grammar matters to presenting a professional image,

If I’m hiring a hip hop artist, a dancer, a makeup expert, personal trainer, singer, logo designer, graphic designer, then grammar is secondary if it’s a factor at all.

It’s like a TV production, the people in front of the cameras are pretty, the people behind the camera are often scary. Often wearing shorts, sometimes they’re obese or have tattoos or look like bikers. Why? Because they’re not paid to be pretty. It’s the same with reporters vs. cameramen, the reporter might be wearing a suit while the cameraman wears whatever he wants.

if you don’t care enough about your gig description and messaging to check it for grammar, spelling, etc, how can I know you will care about what you deliver?

Because I’m not hiring for your grammar. If I hire a designer, I’m paying for amazing designs. If his grammar is great but his designs are so-so, I will be disappointed.

Look, everyone thinks that what they do is the most important thing. English teachers think everyone needs good grammar, math teachers think everyone needs math, sports coaches think everyone needs sports. The reality is very different. I rarely if ever use math, I have zero use for trigonometry, calculus, and most of the math I learned in school. I might do an equation once in a while: “If I make $50 a day, how much will I make in a 30-day month.” But for the most part, math plays little relevance in my life.

Grammar is more relevant, people who can’t write, can’t create, can’t be original, are often great at catching spelling or grammatical mistakes. So if you’re client is a grammar ****, watch out!

[paulmaplesden]

I think grammar matters to presenting a professional image,

If I’m hiring a hip hop artist, a dancer, a makeup expert, personal trainer, singer, logo designer, graphic designer, then grammar is secondary if it’s a factor at all.

It’s like a TV production, the people in front of the cameras are pretty, the people behind the camera are often scary. Often wearing shorts, sometimes they’re obese or have tattoos or look like bikers. Why? Because they’re not paid to be pretty. It’s the same with reporters vs. cameramen, the reporter might be wearing a suit while the cameraman wears whatever he wants.

if you don’t care enough about your gig description and messaging to check it for grammar, spelling, etc, how can I know you will care about what you deliver?

Because I’m not hiring for your grammar. If I hire a designer, I’m paying for amazing designs. If his grammar is great but his designs are so-so, I will be disappointed.

Look, everyone thinks that what they do is the most important thing. English teachers think everyone needs good grammar, math teachers think everyone needs math, sports coaches think everyone needs sports. The reality is very different. I rarely if ever use math, I have zero use for trigonometry, calculus, and most of the math I learned in school. I might do an equation once in a while: “If I make $50 a day, how much will I make in a 30-day month.” But for the most part, math plays little relevance in my life.

Grammar is more relevant, people who can’t write, can’t create, can’t be original, are often great at catching spelling or grammatical mistakes. So if you’re client is a grammar ****, watch out!

So if you’re client is a grammar ****, watch out!

I assume this was a deliberate mistake? 😉

Grammar does matter to me as a buyer on Fiverr (And as someone who spends a fair bit of money elsewhere online.) The fact is, it doesn’t take long to check and use correct grammar, and, all other things being equal, people will likely hire someone with a better command of language and grammar.

Why penalize yourself in the first place by not checking for grammar and English mistakes?

If it makes a difference to even 10 percent of buyers, then I don’t see why people wouldn’t do that.