Only monkeys don't fall off trees

Concerns about opening blog in English

Recently I came up with the idea of opening a blog that would deal with Politics and social issues in my country. The main idea is to give an insight on internal processes and the dynamics of the society I live in. The main obstacle, as I see it, is the language barrier, English isn't my mother tongue. I can express main ideas quite easily, but my main concern is that I wouldn't be able to develop those ideas enough, and later debate on them by replying to comments.


The bottom line is that I'm afraid that my blog will look too simplistic.


I would be glad to get any comments about my concerns from native English speakers (others are welcomed too), especially on how you perceive and treat texts written by non-native English speakers.


Share Send to a friend Watch Report
 

Best Answer

 
13 helpful answers

I can be altruistic. when it suits me.

Sanjeev hi,

 based on the english-level of your "yedda" question -

I don't think you will have any trouble managing an english-based blog at all.

The written level of english, in many blogs, is usually much more simple than yours, even in US based blogs and websites..

 

There are several online tools for translation, some even free, but they are better for vocabulary translation, not so much for grammar and coherent sentences.

 

Also, if you keep conversing and replying in english, inside your blog, your english level is bound to get better!

 

have no fear - u are ready! :-)

good luck

Robot55 

Posted 2006-07-22T11:09:38Z
robot55 was invited by Yedda to answer this question.

Helpful?(8)
Rated as Best Answer

 

All Answers
Order by

 
30 helpful answers

Bored with knowledge? Try golf

Honestly, such a blog would only gain visibility among arab visitors, who are not so fluent in english. You would get awesome and terrific messages and posts, and I wouldn't recommend you to launch such a blog. See what Ouril Ohayon says about the recent posts he's got on his own blog

http://ouriel.typepad.com/myblog/2006/07/a_blog_war_will.html

Posted 2006-07-20T14:39:22Z
hkabla was invited by Yedda to answer this question.

 
24 helpful answers

Waht robot55 said

Cool

Posted 2006-07-23T07:40:58Z
Annete was invited by Yedda to answer this question.

 

Go for it mate, don't language be a issue and people who read blogs care about the content and not so much about grammatical errors in the contents. So just start one up, keep it simple to start with.

Posted 2006-07-24T03:24:08Z
 
18 helpful answers

Only monkeys don't fall off trees

Thanks for the advice. as you said- I'll just go for it. 

Posted 2006-07-24T10:05:33Z
 
18 helpful answers

Hi Sanjeev!

I know that your question has already been answered but I'd like to share my 2 cents.

First of all, like everyone else has already said - go for it. Your concerns are legitimate since the purpose of language is to communicate and express ourselves, and it's always difficult to express ourselves and our ideas in a language which isn't our native language, even if we're good at that langauge. This is, as far as I see it, a plus as well. I am currently learning a new language, and having to try harder in order to express an opinion teaches me how to deal with the language on a daily basis and as you work with it, you'll find that it will become simpler for you to express your ideas to others. This also forces me to think more than twice about what it is that I'm trying to say, which has avoided my unfortunate "foot in mouth" syndrome on more than one occasion Wink 

If you're planning on discussing social and political issues, I suggest that you find yourself a nice vocabulary book which deals in these certain topics, or do some reasearch beforehand to find out which words will be important to the topics you're planning on touching on. I think this is important - English is a language full of idioms and double-meanings and it's unfortunately very easy to slip-up by accident. It happens - my boyfriend and I find ourselves in similar situations often since English is not his mother tongue, and trying to express an intricate idea is always hard. 

So as I said - my advice is to concentrate a little on vocabulary. Read articles, gather newspaper clippings, even keep a little notebook with new words you've learned. Don't be afraid to use a dictionary, and if you're still a little worried, there is no harm in attaching a small disclaimer on your website explaining that English isn't your mother tongue.

Good luck! 

Posted 2006-08-03T12:52:15Z
 

Why not find a native speaker buddy at an online service like www.polyglot-learn-language.com or www.xlingo.com to review your postings before you publish them? I have been lucky to find a serious person at those services and she helps me a lot with proofreading important texts that I happen to have to write.

Posted 2006-08-06T14:33:59Z
 
18 helpful answers

Only monkeys don't fall off trees

vocabulary book is a good idea, thanks. 

Posted 2006-08-17T07:53:19Z

Sign in to participate

Got an answer for Sanjeev? Would you like to comment on the posted answers, or vote for the one which you think is the best?

Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you're already a member).

Feed - Subscribe to changes to this Q&A Blog
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Answers
  • Web
Copyright © 2006-2010, Yedda Inc. and respective copyright owners · CC License