by Wim Reimes
I often wonder whether it is me or ‘them’. It’s been too long that I’ve given ‘them’ the benefit of the doubt and, unfortunately, the day has come to fulminate against those who voluntarily or unknowingly abuse language.
Language, whichever is your mother tongue, is a gift. It has been created, improved, and nourished to enable human beings to communicate with each other. To make clear what cannot otherwise be understood, to transmit a message that cannot otherwise be transmitted.
It’s a given that English is not my primary language; in fact, it’s not even my second. This doesn’t hold me back, whenever I’m using it, to use it to the best of my ability. Yes, I might be somewhat of a perfectionist, but the main reason is that I have the utmost respect for the person who chooses to spend some of her valuable time to sit down and read my musings, much less listen to them. And that, my friends, is the crux of this message.
I admit that IT people usually don’t have a strong affinity for communication, but in my (extremely) humble opinion, the use of language is what sets apart the “better” from the “good”. Any poorly written offer, documentation, web page, customer testimonial, or e-mail shows your lack of interest in the person who will have to read it. It sends cold shivers down my spine.
Some tips to make your writing better:
The power of the written word is limitless. It can backfire just as hard …
(credit for the picture to Kriss Szkurlatowski.)
0 comments