Are you tolerant of English mistakes?

[DoctorP]

It seems quite obvious to me that people love to poke fun at Japanese mistakes in English. Quite often these mistakes are referred to as Engrish or JEnglish or some other crude name.

My question here is: Are you more tolerant of Westerners mistakes with English than you are of Japanese persons mistakes?


Me personally I am quick to point out errors made by English speakers, especially those who either are/have been/or aspire to be teachers. With Japanese speakers on the other hand, I tend to be a little more lenient with them, expecting mistakes from time to time.

What are your opinions? How do you take critisism when someone corrects you?

[Dutch Baka]

I am tolerant to anyone that is not a native English speaker, including myself.

[DoctorP]

By tolerant, if you made a mistake, and it was pointed out to you, would you choose to say "thank you for pointing out my error!" Or would you instead throw a tantrum?

[Dutch Baka]

Depends on the mistake that I make, and on how that is being pointed out to me.

If someone is pointing out every mistake that I make, including where to put a capital or a comma sign for example, it would piss me off, but when someone tells me that you write Scientology instead of cientology, I am happy that somebody points out that mistake.

The way how I like someone to point this mistake out is in a way like this:

Me: Could someone please tell me more about the cientology church.
Anyone: The scientology church is a place where everybody is happy and can have fun together.

and not

Me: Could someone please tell me more about the cientology church.
Anyone: What the hell is cientology church, haha. you mean Scientology.

[DoctorP]

Point taken. But that example was a spelling mistake, and not an English or wording error. Much different in my opinion. On top of that, if you made a living as an English teacher for a large portion of your adult life, I would not expect serious English errors. Spelling errors on a computer could simply be due to typing too fast. I myself have made and corrected 10-12 errors in this paragraph, as I type about 135 wpm, but at times can be quite prone to keyboard errors.

[RockLee]

I am tolerant, but I can't stand it. I also like people to correct me, so I can learn I'm more lenient towards non-native speakers, ofcourse.

[Live91]

Well I'm only 15 and I probably make plenty of them so who am I to correct someone else? (Except the real beginners ^^ who actually need you to correct them in order to improve their english)

[nice gaijin]

When people ask for my help with their English, I am ruthless.
When people claim to be native English speakers and continually make flagrant mistakes, I am disgusted.
But most of the time, I'm tolerant.

[Elizabeth]

Originally Posted by CC1

It seems quite obvious to me that people love to poke fun at Japanese mistakes in English. Quite often these mistakes are referred to as Engrish or JEnglish or some other crude name.

It is Engrish translation errors on public signs or written documentation that either seems purposeful or easily corrected showing a contempt of the language from people who have studied for so many years that also irritates me. If Japanese is so impossible for foreigners it sure looks like English is equally out of your league.

Errors from serious students of the language don't disturb me at all and most others probably don't care enough to make it worthwhile. So I guess I don't correct unless asked which I hope means I'm generally tolorant.

[Mycernius]

I am a bit more intolerant if the person is a native English speaker, especially when it come to double negatives and people getting learn and taught mixed up and borrow and lend (He learned me to drive. Can I lend your pen? Arrrrgh) It just strikes me a pig ignorance in your own langauge and people, especially adults, should know better as these things are taught at school.

[leonmarino]

Man, I'm studying International Business, and its curriculum is completely in English. The problem is some teachers are really bad at English!! (Most of our lecturers are non-native speakers..) We have this Russian lady who is sometimes comprehensible, a Indian guy who talk with a thick accent and many Dutch guys that talk Dunglish. (Literally translating Dutch saying to English.. Doesn't work!)

I guess it depends on the position of the speaker whether I am tolerant or not. I'm not a native speaker myself and probably make a lot of mistakes too, so I can't be too intolerant towards fellow students, friends or whoever.

[Nana007]

I'm pretty tolerant unless they make too many mistakes. But in all I can't stand correcting people or being corrected.

When I was younger I had a cousin who was a speech nazi. She would always stop you in the middle of the sentance and say "what was wrong with what you just said?" It was really annoying. I was about 5-8 when this happened the most.

She also used to make us repeat like grammer rule for the mistake we made. It was quite a headache. But I do know that for a long time after I spoke proper English. But when I moved to a different state from her and moved in with my dad where they themselve's didn't really speak proper English, I started I guess speaking more like they did. So now I admit my English is not the best.

[yukio_michael]

First, I don't think anyone should have issue with people who are learning a language, though I can tell you that the Japanese tend to laugh at the mistakes of foreigners more so than English speakers would feel it to be polite to laugh at the mistakes of ESL learners... This is always explained away in some fashion as the Japanese being happily curious about your use of their language, but when you flip the coin, it just seems outright rude... This is another double standard that gets applied to Japan.

Generally speaking I think there's probably a corollary between native-English speakers who possess very poor English grammar, and those same people who usually don't have too much to contribute to a conversation... It just seems to be that way to me. I'm not a fan of ruthlessly attacking someone's grammar, like some sort of 'brain-bully'... but I do like to know when I've made a very stupid, or easily corrected mistake.

Japan does seem to be an outlier when it comes to correct usage of the English language. It seems to me that they give absolutely no regard to the language itself and employ it the same way that mindless idiots get kanji tattooed on their bodies, and plastered all over their cars--- and yet, and yet, the Japanese do this ad nauseum, and with little respect or care. Again, this is seen as something 'quaint' and Japanese rather than something that tends to me, to be basic ignorance.

Japan it seems has no use for the English language other than as some form of ornamentation on children's surfing shirts at Jusco. They are either completely ignorant of the language, or simply regard it as something not worth their time to give much care to.

[Uncle Frank]

I'm too dumb to recognize mistakes in any language.

Uncle Frank

[Dutch Baka]

Originally Posted by Frank D. White

I'm too dumb to recognize mistakes in any language.

Uncle Frank

Me too, although I actually can see the mistakes I make myself.

[Nall-ohki]

The biggest grammatical error I see commonly has to be the misuse of few/less and amount/number.
Observe:
Johnny has 5 apples. Jane has 3. Jane has fewer apples than Johnny.
Tom ate 3/4 of his melon. Troy ate 1/2 of his. Tom has less melon left.
To paint a fence, I need 20 gallons of paint. I have only 10 gallons. The number of gallons of paint I have is insufficient, and the amount of paint I have is enough to cover only half the fence.
Countable/Uncountable. I cannot count the number of times this comes up.

[moofs]

I'm tolerant but I come across as someone who's pretty anal because of my straightshooting personality. I comment on everything and say whatever the hell I'm thinking. So if I see a mistake I'll point it out. It's in my nature to, I can't help it.

I find a lot of foreigners learning/speaking English often think that natives are impatient with them. My korean friend always tells me how white people kind of seem like they don't really want to talk to you. I don't know if they actually are, 'cause I've never had a problem (yay for growing up in Canada), and I never ask.

[maikeru :D]

I usually am tolerant with mistakes in English. Usually, if its just a minor mistake i would just let it go, but sometimes if it's a sentence i kind of don't understand or doesn't make sense, then i repeat what they had just said in a more gramatically correct form. In some cases the people would ask me to repeat the sentence again and explain to them why the sentence should be said that way.

Originally Posted by yukio_michael

First, I don't think anyone should have issue with people who are learning a language, though I can tell you that the Japanese tend to laugh at the mistakes of foreigners more so than English speakers would feel it to be polite to laugh at the mistakes of ESL learners...

Hey!! You can deliberately use wrong grammar or inapporiate use of japanese phrases for a comedic effect to get a laugh from the japanese.

[Mikawa Ossan]

Japanese people love to make fun out of their own English mistakes and lack of general ability, too.

[RockLee]

Originally Posted by Dutch Baka

Me too, although I actually can see the mistakes I make myself.

Ha! Liar ! Then why don't you correct them huh

[DoctorP]

I have two very close Japanese friends. The first is very careful when selecting his words/phrases and does quite well. Rarely have I ever needed to correct him. The other tries very hard, but still makes simple mistakes...I correct him each time, and he is very open to the corrections.

My workers butcher the language everyday, and I am extremely tolerant with them because the words are more technical and focused on a particular task or event.

My wife actually has a brilliant understanding of the language after being self taught. Her speaking is very good, and she only struggles at times with writing and a few times with pronuciations. There is a very hilarious story involving the words sperm and spam, but I'll save it for another time.

[yukio_michael]

Originally Posted by maikeru :D

Hey!! You can deliberately use wrong grammar or inapporiate use of japanese phrases for a comedic effect to get a laugh from the japanese.

This is [st]mostly[/st] one of the types of humour that can be employed using the Japanese language, typically that of overly-formal speach used when a plain form would be most natural. I'm a big fan of these types of jokes... Unfortunately, when one learns Japanese this is typically form that is taught, and it often sounds awkward and amusing to coloquial speakers.

Originally Posted by Mikawa Ossan

Japanese people love to make fun out of their own English mistakes and lack of general ability, too.

I understand, I know that they don't man any malice, I just think that its discouraging to be laughed at, especially when learning Japanese sort of "sets you up" for these types of mistakes in the first place. One has to be very careful to learn not only good coloquial speach, but also, to avoid speach that is outdated... When you learn Japanese, you tend to sound un-natural I think, right off the bat.

[Revenant]

I always notice the differences between my English and an Aussie's for example. Dunno that I could say they're English is wrong, but I often think it just doesn't sound right.

If a student is interested in being corrected, I'll correct everything they say, and with those that aren't, I simply correct what is simply uncomprehensible.

Almost always notice but tolerant of mistakes in English.

Also I take criticisms quite well. If something I do is just wrong, well heck, I wanna know the right way.

[Mycernius]

Originally Posted by Revenant

I always notice the differences between my English and an Aussie's for example. Dunno that I could say they're English is wrong, but I often think it just doesn't sound right.
If a student is interested in being corrected, I'll correct everything they say, and with those that aren't, I simply correct what is simply uncomprehensible.
Almost always notice but tolerant of mistakes in English.
Also I take criticisms quite well. If something I do is just wrong, well heck, I wanna know the right way.

Some Australians like to go up at the end of a sentence making everything they say sound like a question. That could be one reason why you find it odd.
To correct "Dunno" to "Don't know" or "do not know"
"Wanna" to "want to"
Not to critcise or anything (Am I being anal here?)

[RockLee]

Originally Posted by Revenant

Dunno that I could say they're English is wrong, but I often think it just doesn't sound right.

they're -> their

Sorry, I couldn't resist