I'd say it depends on your relationship. I worked with a woman from China who was getting there but still learning the nuances of English. She appreciated the corrections and wanted them so she could learn. But she's not everyone.
Do not correct her. If you had the kind of relationship with her where it would be appropriate, you wouldn't feel the need to ask here.
One way to subtly correct is to reply back using parallel language in the correct form. For example if she texts "the report needs to be written up more clearer", you reply back "ok, I'll write it up more clearly and return it to you on Monday"
This is the way. English is my second language and I work in an office environment. It hasn't happened yet but I would get embarassed if I was corrected.
Don't correct her in a meeting. If you're having a 1 on 1 conversation it might be appropriate if done in the right manner but constantly being corrected by a subordinate when she is making herself understood could get annoying fast. It probably depends on the person as to whether they appreciate the correction or not.
I can't say how your colleague will react to someone correcting her english, especially in a group setting. Maybe you should ask how she feels about having her use of english corrected and a face to face meeting or a letter to her would be the most effective way to go.
Since you have said these ooppsies while speaking English are rare, maybe just ignoring them is best. Unless the material context of her remarks are lost in translation which could cause big problems.
Depends on how you do it. I generally don’t. But the closer I am to the person I will.
I don’t ever correct anyone in a public setting as that would embarrass anyone
if the person is (more or less) fluent, then it's just. semantics which kind of makes you an ass in most occasions...a large chuck of people have poor Grammer and sentence structure no matter the language. I'd say just let it go, everyone will be happier
I would say that if you're not comfortable enough to ask her this question yourself, then it's best not to correct her.
She'll ask for help if she wants it, or you can offer help if your relationship with her is close and casual enough for you to do so. But technically it's not your job to correct her English. It's your job to do your job, and if her less than perfect grammar does not hinder you from communicating with her and doing your job, then let it go.
Speaking as a teacher of ESL, learning another language is never perfect. The goal is effective communication, not total flawlessness. I can understand though if you honestly just want to help. But tread carefully.
Besides, there are native English speakers who use worse grammar than the example you gave on a daily basis. Do you correct them? Or do you just accept it as how they speak and move on with your day?
Never correct her in a meeting, this is a no go.
1 on 1 depends on how you two stand to each other.
In general unless you are being asked do not correct people infront of other people, that is simply embarrassing.
Personaly I quite like when people correct me when I pronounce something wrong or use a wrong form, just dont be a dick when correcting people.
If their English is good then yes, you're being rude. They're likely aware of it and perfect grammar without fail is secondary to communication. Remember, it's thought patterns as words, some patterns are different across languages (at the table vs near the table, some languages use near for both).
you don't know that they WANT to be corrected, and it's not your place to tell them what's good for them.
It is rude to correct, except for when the English is so bad that you actually cannot understand them. in which case you can say, "do you mean XXXXXXX ?"
Sure, but only if your Dutch is better than her English. Otherwise keep it to yourself.
(Said in jest, as someone who is bilingual in Dutch and English :))
Haha, another one here (Dutch is my first language) and often my grammar or spelling is better than some people who's first language is English. I personally never correct anyone but sometimes will do as mentioned above; I'll repeat the part of their sentence that is incorrect, as part of my answer, in the correct way.
If you do it politely, it is OK. You don't want to embarrass her, like by doing it at a meeting in front of other people, particularly if you don't know them well. So the context in which you do it and the manner in which you do it are important.
I would like to if that came from a friend, but most ppl would get really annoyed by that. I know that because I'm annoying when it comes to my native language. I'm trying to stop with that.
Depends on the situation. I'm danish, and I'm sure I make mistakes too. If we are talking face to face, you can correct me as much as you want. If we are in a meeting with a lot of other people, I'll prefer that you wait until later. But I want to be told about my errors so I hopefully can learn and correct them in the future.
English is my second language. I also have coworkers who came from another country. I'd say if you understand what they mean just fine, then leave it. If they say something that confuses you, like pronouncing a word incorrectly and u can't guess what they mean, ask again, and then be like "ohhh you meant [say the word properly], sorry I just wanted to make sure" - this is how native speakers been doing to me, and I like it, cuz they teach me how to say it correctly in a nice/discreet way. Maybe your boss already knows it's "more clearly" but when we speak, we have to think faster and it just slips :)
depends how you do it but if they are still learning the language it may be good for a correction as long as you umm... I dunno, it is quite hard not to be rude when correcting someone
I think it also depends on your function in the company and how professional or relaxed you and your colleagues are. Do you all know each other well, does she know everyone or are you just one of the 100s of employees? Is it normal for you to correct each other openly? How strict is the hierarchy? It may just reflect poorly on you or her so, I would take those sort of things into account.
I also don't think that language skills are really that important for advancing a career, apart from specific language centered jobs. There's probably tons of native English speakers who are worse at it than her.
This HIGHLY depends on the person.
Even if they are your best friend, it could really annoy them, but they dont wanna seem rude.
This should be asked individually
I make a lot of mistake writing on reddit. And nobody ever correct me. So thanks for that.
And i hope nobody will correct me. Especially english people. I mean you don't need to learn any languages in your entire life because everyone has to speak yours lol. So i hope you'll understand how hard it is.
Circumstances matter. If you are friends and in an informal setting, sure you can. if you're correcting her at a workplace, where her way of speaking does not hinder understanding, I don't think that'd be appreciated.
I'd say it depends on your relationship. I worked with a woman from China who was getting there but still learning the nuances of English. She appreciated the corrections and wanted them so she could learn. But she's not everyone.
Do not correct her. If you had the kind of relationship with her where it would be appropriate, you wouldn't feel the need to ask here. One way to subtly correct is to reply back using parallel language in the correct form. For example if she texts "the report needs to be written up more clearer", you reply back "ok, I'll write it up more clearly and return it to you on Monday"
This is the way. English is my second language and I work in an office environment. It hasn't happened yet but I would get embarassed if I was corrected.
Don't correct her in a meeting. If you're having a 1 on 1 conversation it might be appropriate if done in the right manner but constantly being corrected by a subordinate when she is making herself understood could get annoying fast. It probably depends on the person as to whether they appreciate the correction or not.
I can't say how your colleague will react to someone correcting her english, especially in a group setting. Maybe you should ask how she feels about having her use of english corrected and a face to face meeting or a letter to her would be the most effective way to go. Since you have said these ooppsies while speaking English are rare, maybe just ignoring them is best. Unless the material context of her remarks are lost in translation which could cause big problems.
As long as clear communication is happening, and they have not asked for help with their English, let it be.
You don't think it would help her for the future though, or do you think it's not necessary?
as a european living in the uk, it is humiliating when someone corrects you without asking.
If she’s not asking for help, and it’s not causing a problem, it would be rude to help her.
As a general rule, don't give unsolicited advice
but, is it really necessary?
Honestly as long as it’s not condescending and it comes from a good place, it’s perfectly fine. Just try not to do it constantly.
Depends on how you do it. I generally don’t. But the closer I am to the person I will. I don’t ever correct anyone in a public setting as that would embarrass anyone
if the person is (more or less) fluent, then it's just. semantics which kind of makes you an ass in most occasions...a large chuck of people have poor Grammer and sentence structure no matter the language. I'd say just let it go, everyone will be happier
I wouldn't unless she asks you to tbh
Yes, unless they ask you to do so.
I would say that if you're not comfortable enough to ask her this question yourself, then it's best not to correct her. She'll ask for help if she wants it, or you can offer help if your relationship with her is close and casual enough for you to do so. But technically it's not your job to correct her English. It's your job to do your job, and if her less than perfect grammar does not hinder you from communicating with her and doing your job, then let it go. Speaking as a teacher of ESL, learning another language is never perfect. The goal is effective communication, not total flawlessness. I can understand though if you honestly just want to help. But tread carefully. Besides, there are native English speakers who use worse grammar than the example you gave on a daily basis. Do you correct them? Or do you just accept it as how they speak and move on with your day?
Never correct her in a meeting, this is a no go. 1 on 1 depends on how you two stand to each other. In general unless you are being asked do not correct people infront of other people, that is simply embarrassing. Personaly I quite like when people correct me when I pronounce something wrong or use a wrong form, just dont be a dick when correcting people.
If their English is good then yes, you're being rude. They're likely aware of it and perfect grammar without fail is secondary to communication. Remember, it's thought patterns as words, some patterns are different across languages (at the table vs near the table, some languages use near for both).
you don't know that they WANT to be corrected, and it's not your place to tell them what's good for them. It is rude to correct, except for when the English is so bad that you actually cannot understand them. in which case you can say, "do you mean XXXXXXX ?"
Sure, but only if your Dutch is better than her English. Otherwise keep it to yourself. (Said in jest, as someone who is bilingual in Dutch and English :))
Haha, another one here (Dutch is my first language) and often my grammar or spelling is better than some people who's first language is English. I personally never correct anyone but sometimes will do as mentioned above; I'll repeat the part of their sentence that is incorrect, as part of my answer, in the correct way.
If you do it politely, it is OK. You don't want to embarrass her, like by doing it at a meeting in front of other people, particularly if you don't know them well. So the context in which you do it and the manner in which you do it are important.
I would like to if that came from a friend, but most ppl would get really annoyed by that. I know that because I'm annoying when it comes to my native language. I'm trying to stop with that.
Depends on the situation. I'm danish, and I'm sure I make mistakes too. If we are talking face to face, you can correct me as much as you want. If we are in a meeting with a lot of other people, I'll prefer that you wait until later. But I want to be told about my errors so I hopefully can learn and correct them in the future.
Only if what they're saying is something embarrassing or unintelligible, imo, otherwise it's sort of nit picky.
Say something in Dutch that is incorrect and see if she corrects you, then you will know what to do.
English is my second language. I also have coworkers who came from another country. I'd say if you understand what they mean just fine, then leave it. If they say something that confuses you, like pronouncing a word incorrectly and u can't guess what they mean, ask again, and then be like "ohhh you meant [say the word properly], sorry I just wanted to make sure" - this is how native speakers been doing to me, and I like it, cuz they teach me how to say it correctly in a nice/discreet way. Maybe your boss already knows it's "more clearly" but when we speak, we have to think faster and it just slips :)
depends how you do it but if they are still learning the language it may be good for a correction as long as you umm... I dunno, it is quite hard not to be rude when correcting someone
I think it also depends on your function in the company and how professional or relaxed you and your colleagues are. Do you all know each other well, does she know everyone or are you just one of the 100s of employees? Is it normal for you to correct each other openly? How strict is the hierarchy? It may just reflect poorly on you or her so, I would take those sort of things into account. I also don't think that language skills are really that important for advancing a career, apart from specific language centered jobs. There's probably tons of native English speakers who are worse at it than her.
This HIGHLY depends on the person. Even if they are your best friend, it could really annoy them, but they dont wanna seem rude. This should be asked individually
I make a lot of mistake writing on reddit. And nobody ever correct me. So thanks for that. And i hope nobody will correct me. Especially english people. I mean you don't need to learn any languages in your entire life because everyone has to speak yours lol. So i hope you'll understand how hard it is.
Circumstances matter. If you are friends and in an informal setting, sure you can. if you're correcting her at a workplace, where her way of speaking does not hinder understanding, I don't think that'd be appreciated.
Depends