Don't blog in English, if you can't speak English.

Everyday I see new blogs around here where the English is just horrible.

This is a sure fire way to guarantee that your blog will be unsuccessful.
It's hard enough to understand bad English when you hear it, let alone when you have to try to read it.
No one is going to struggle through bad English to read your blog and will likely never comeback to it.
I'm sure it sounds just as bad as when I try to struggle through a few Spanish phrases or if I were to attempt to write in Spanish...I'm sure I would look and sound like an idiot.

It is a complete waste of time to build a website that people cannot read or that makes you ( the owner) look uneducated.

I don't understand why so many feel the need to write in a language that they themselves don't fully understand, instead of one that they do, but blogging is writing. You cannot be a successful writer if you can't write.

When people advise to "blog what you know", language is part of that. If you speak French fluently, then by all means blog in French. But if you don't speak it, then you can't write it.
Which is better... Write for a niche demographic and make some money, or write in a language that you don't know well and make no money?

Maybe someone can help me understand why people don't blog in the language that they actually speak or try to attract a demographic that they actually know something about, because I don't get it. As a blogger all you are doing is hurting yourself.
Either learn it, or get someone to help you. It's really that simple.

This isn't meant to pick on anyone. It's just common sense. You can't fake education and you can't fake your way through a language. The only person you are fooling is yourself.

 

This is very true. I am always looking at them wondering why would somebody want to come back to read this horrible grammar. I feel like it has to do with content being recycled too many times. If you spin something too much it becomes unreadable. I have a few myself. hahahaha

 

I guess you just need to promote your signature or something.....don't really see the point in writing this post. I wish I knew more than one language.

 

Apparently it needs to be said because people keep doing it and then can't figure out why their blog has no traffic.
Doesn't matter if you see the point or not. Maybe others do.

I, for one am tired of looking at blogs where the reason is obvious why the bog is unsuccessful and having to temper telling the OP for fear of hurting their feelings or coming off as some kind of prejudiced comment. It appears that some people are absolutely oblivious to the fact that no one can understand what they write. So maybe this thread will cause some to take a step back and see their blogs as other see them and determine whether or not they are running readers away and to do something about it.

 

LOL! loved the title!

 

since google gives more money owner of english websites , people attend to build (semi)-english websites but mostly results in frustation

 

Everyone is after the the piece of cake

 

heh seems like fair advice dont blog in english if your english isn't good.

However having spent a lot of time with people whos second language is english, don't forget mangled english is a dialect in its self. If you dont recognise good grammar the lack of it isn't going to bother you.

A good example of this is my father who is an english teacher: he gets very upset reading pub menu lists with spelling and grammar mistakes. I am dyslexic and dont notice dont care and simply order my lunch. The spelling doesn't stop my dad ordering either, he just mutters for a bit.

 

GRAMMAR CORRECTION ALERT: Everyone is after a piece of the pie

Seriously though, I think there are some exceptions. I can think of a couple of blogs where English is not the writer's first language that I actually read. But they have been active in the WordPress community for quite some time and regardless of their language skills, their Php/WP language is very readable. Although I do have to muddle through some function names like researche_tabloid() and such.

Those exceptions aside, I agree one-hundred percent. Not only can they not speak English, they can not write anything original. Then they come here and ask questions that we can not read, and it makes you wonder if any of the advise we give them is actually sinking in. Then you find these blogs that actually have several comments for every post, and they are unintelligible also.

A couple of days ago there was a thread from somebody who wanted their blog critiqued and asked up front to be frank. Unlike you, I have no qualms in speaking my mind and I told him point blank to learn how to speak English. It was the first thing I looked at when I got to his site. The guy actually responded and was not offended, at least I think he wasn't, and I hope he takes my honesty to heart and learns from it. If not, that is all I can do.

 

This is my honest opinion:

Since English is not my first language, but i am trying my best to blog in English.

However my opinion, I can blog with any languages I like, any languages that I am comfortable with, though sometimes it is annoying to receive a feedback "your English sucks"..My answer is, this is my blog, i can blog with any grammar i like, if you don't like, then don't visit it.. I am a blogger, not an English teacher or dictionary.

That is my two cents

 

==^ I like that @KimiGermany, you've a point

 

This is fine. Maybe I was a little over-stepping in my previous post. There are exceptions.

A majority of the blogs I am referring to are the type that deal with making money online, seo experts, content ghost writing, etc. How can you trust any of these sites where English has to be your first language in the first place.

Not sure what you mean by Google giving you more money for an English website.

But, yes, it is frustrating for the person who builds them ... more-so for the visitor who wasted their time coming there via search just because you hit a couple of keywords.

 

What I'm hearing is the general consensus is that people think English language blogs make more money. Even if the English is poor? Or is it that the ad programs that most people want to participate in are English?
I can't see it really mattering that much if the English is bad. Surely there are ad networks for everyone, in almost every major country and language.

If someone asks, I will be honest. It's the ones that have no clue it's the writing and ask about design, or something stupid like ad placement and you hate to by pass what they asked for and tell them that it's unreadable and that's probably the main problem.

You make sense Kimmy, and no one should take it upon themselves to critique any aspect of your blog that you didn't ask for.
You are correct that no one is under any obligation to write their blog according to what I, or others think.

However, if your intention is to attract English language readers and advertisers in order to make money, you can't have something that is difficult to read or understand or readers won't come back. No readers=No Money.

 

If a blog has useful content then I may well read it.
But 'lost in translation' can be a real problem - so the harder it is to understand, the more important the content needs to be to make it worthwhile reading.

People who have succeeded online, despite English being their second language - often have more valuable content to share than the inane 'check it on google', 'LOL ...' and other such comments posted on DP and other forums.

 

I agree.

Can we apply this rule to posting in forums too?

 

What are you talking about? I do not understand to you This is the internet, get use to it!

 

There's a difference between someone who's making some mistakes in English, because that person is not a native speaker, and someone who's actually murdering the language. I can totally agree with you that people who are not too skilled with English should use another language they know best. Still, some small mistakes or a weird style, shouldn't be a problem. I've been writing in English for 8 years now (online I mean, articles, tutorials, forum posts) and no one complained about it. I'll never be as smooth as a native speaker, even with my 20 years of trying to learn it, but I do believe my readers won't have a heart attack either

 

Well you are right i guess , because whatever blogs i find in google search are all neatly written and easy to understand , so google also gives more preference to them than the ones you are talking about.

 

Well, how can Google match the search queries to the content if the content isn't written properly and is spelled wrong? Or is not using proper structure and diction?
People who speak English naturally don't search in broken phrases so how how would they ever match up with content that is written that way?

Also, how can you pick up links from other English speaking webmasters if they don't understand you?
A link is like a recommendation. Who is going to recommend, or link to a blog or website in broken English to their readers?

This is the whole problem and what I am talking about. It affects everything.

 

Will they harm anyone? Let them blog if they want to. In a year or 2 they can improve their language skills. Practice makes perfect!