In what language to write?

[Daniel M.]

Hello Fastlaners,

I have a few ideas in my mind and I want to write articles and publish them on LinkedIn as a start.

The problem is that my native language is hungarian and I can't write or compose perfectly correct in english. Now, I can't decide in what language should I write.
1. Write in my native language, hungarian, then hire a translator and publish in it in english.
2. Simply publish in hungarian.
3. Write in english then hire someone to proofread my article.
4. Write in hungarian, then translate myself and then hire someone to proofread it.


What's your opinion? Which is the best option?

I know, is a stupid question but I hope that there are other fastlaners who had this question and can help me out.

Thank you

 

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[Aimee]

Honestly, just from reading your post I'd say your English is good.
Option 1 will be too expensive, option 2 will severely limit your audience, and option 4 will take much longer than necessary. I'd say go with option 3 and write in English then get someone to proofread. You can find people willing to do it very cheaply on fiverr.

 

[Daniel M.]

Thank you Aimee.
Yeah, probably that's what I'll do ... But also this option has it's negative side ... I can't compose in english as good as in hungarian. I just don't have a rich vocabulary.
People on fiverr who do proofread, also rewrites sentences which doesn't sound good? Or can I find someone who willing to do this?

I've written an article in english and I know already that it is hard to me. In many case I know what I want and I still can't write it down in english.

 

[Hicks]

Undoubtedly option 3.
Judging from your first post only (second one looks more hurried) I feel that your English is very good. There are just a few changes that need to be made in your sentence structures and maybe a bit of brushing up here and there....but to be honest I have seen native University graduates with much worse(r) grammar.
I say go for it and get someone to clean it up a bit.

As for richness of language, just use a dictionary for those bits.

 

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[Daniel M.]

Undoubtedly option 3.
I know a little about languages and feel that your English is very good. There are just a few changes that need to be made in your sentence structures and maybe a bit of brushing up here and there....but to be honest I have seen native University graduates with much worse(r) grammar.
I say go for it and get someone to clean it up a bit.

Thank you. So you say that I will find someone on Fiverr who will do this for me? Sentence stuctures also? That would be great.
It is important not just to be correct but also to be clear and understandable.

 

[Hicks]

Thank you. So you say that I will find someone on Fiverr who will do this for me? Sentence stuctures also? That would be great.
It is important not just to be correct but also to be clear and understandable.

you might find someone on fiverr I don't know.

what I meant by structure was your grammar is a bit mixed up in places.... for example:

'Now, I can't decide in what language should I write' should be 'Now, I can't decide what language I should write in'.

Very easy to fix for the most part.
good luck

 

[Aimee]

You'll be able to find someone on fiverr who'll do it for you, but I prefer using elance for quality. My writing is a bit verbose so I often use an editor on some of my more important stuff. They're very easy to find, and not too expensive either (just make sure you get one whose native language is English, of course).
As for vocabulary, either get a thesaurus or just search Google for synonyms of words.

As Hicks said, it's very easy to fix - it's just your syntax that needs a bit of work. You'll be proficient in no time if you hire someone to iron out your mistakes and give constructive criticism.

I'm not a literary master by any stretch, but if you're really stuck on anything in particular you can drop me a message sometime and I'll help you straighten things out a bit. Obviously I don't have time to go through a 100k word novel, but I don't mind doing odd bits here and there to help out if needed.

 

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[Digamma]

Write in English, keep it as simple as possible, and learn to use Google to find phrases similar to what you're aiming for.
You will get better, post by post.

 

[poro78]

Thanks to Daniel for asking a question that has been haunting me now and then for a long time.
I have similar situation as my native language is Finnish (about 5,5 million speakers - couple million less than Hungarian speakers) and I think writing is one of my strongest skills (at least in my native language).
I've been wondering if my language skills are good enough for writing stuff in English, but somehow I always think I'm not good enough.
A proofreader or an editor would be a perfect cure for my disease.

I guess I should just start doing and stop questioning my abilities.

 

[Hicks]

I've been wondering if my language skills are good enough for writing stuff in English

yes they are.

 

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[miked_d]

I agree with the others, #3. Your English is good but needs a proof reader. Over time, your English writing will get better.

 

[Digamma]

I agree with the others, #3. Your English is good but needs a proof reader.

Does it, though? We're talking about articles published online. You publish it, ask people to let you know typos and mistakes on Twitter, and the grammar police will do that work in minutes.
People, the world of writing has changed. If you have good ideas, publish them before somebody else does. You're not writing for a magazine. Thankfully, those times have F*cked off forever.

 

[miked_d]

Does it, though? We're talking about articles published online. You publish it, ask people to let you know typos and mistakes on Twitter, and the grammar police will do that work in minutes.
People, the world of writing has changed. If you have good ideas, publish them before somebody else does. You're not writing for a magazine. Thankfully, those times have F*cked off forever.

As with most decisions, this one has several variables. Time vs. Correct Grammar vs. Cost.

• Will an additional 24 hours hurt? I don't know if @Daniel M.'s articles are time sensitive or not.
  
• Who is the audience? Poor grammar may not even matter.

 

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[Michał Kóska]

Depends on what audience you have. You can write in Hungarian but if most of your contacts are English it makes no sense. Writing+ proofreading is good option in my opinion. You can also refer to online dictionaires if you have any doubts. I am also non- English native. My favorite dictionary is: http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/

 

[Durete]

To be honest, unless you actually write a book I don't think professional editing or proofreading is necessary.

What I do:
- Write it in English
- Use the free options in Ginger and Grammarly to "proofread" it for me.
- Edit it based on their suggestions.
- Read it myself quickly, see how it makes me feel
- Read it sentence by sentence, see if anything is "odd" or stands out.
- Read it out loud, see if it sounds good.
- Edit if necessary.
- If you need, get someone that you know to read it and give comments.
- Edit as needed

The end.


If you're actually writing a book...yes hire a proofreader/editor, but for articles on linkedin? I strongly doubt that it would have a good enough ROI to consider.

 

[ChickenHawk]

your grammar is a bit mixed up in places.... for example: 'Now, I can't decide in what language should I write' should be 'Now, I can't decide what language I should write in'.

Alas, I feel compelled to state that his original version was, in fact, correct. The reason it sounded like a mistake was because that's not the way we generally speak. The "corrected" version ('What language I should write in') had a grammar no-no, which is a dangling preposition (the "in"). Another example below:

• TECHNICALLY CORRECT: With whom are you going? (This is correct, but would likely sound wrong because we don't talk that way.)
• TECHNICALLY INCORRECT: Who are you going with? (Technically, this is incorrect. But we all talk this way, so it sounds great anyway.)

Sorry to get all rambly (and potentially pompous, I fear) about it. In truth, his English is probably better than the vast majority of those in the U.S. who graduate from high school, and perhaps even college. The real issue, IMO, is writing in such a way as to sound like a native speaker.

Anyway, all this to say, @Daniel M., that I think your English is fine (more than fine actually). If you're uncomfortable about it, you could always get a native speaker to give it a quick read. Or, you could state somewhere in your articles (maybe in an "about me" blurb) that you're from Hungary and that English is your second language. I don't think it would come across as a detriment, but potentially as a plus, maybe even charming or folksy if you phrase it right. The fact that English isn't your primary language would only be a minus if your English was atrocious, which it definitely isn't, or if it's overly time-consuming to write in a language that isn't your primary one.

 

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[ChickenHawk]

A funny side note...My books occasionally get dinged in reviews for bad grammar. Generally speaking, I know all the rules, but I deliberately use "bad" grammar in dialogue because that's the way people speak in real life. I can only imagine the scorn I'd receive if my hot, alpha male hero said to the girl, "With whom are you going?"

 

[Sean P]

There was an interesting proofreading test done by a blogger which you can find when you type in "Grammarly vs Ginger" in Google search. Both pieces of software failed to check for several errors in the content and were awarded a score of 3 out of 8. Surprisingly, MS Word did better than the two and was given 4/8. Finally the author gave the editing work to his wife and she got a perfect 8/8!

I've used software for a variety of purposes while writing and editing content but I find nothing works better than human intervention if you would like to produce good content.

By the way, I find the OP's writing skills as demonstrated in his posts quite good too.

 

[Daniel M.]

Thank you all !

For me it is important to be correct. I'll publish on LinkedIn in order to make new connections, maybe meet new business partner. I want to improve my onlince presence. So I want it to be correct.

So it is decided, I'll write in english then hire someone to proofread it.

I'll get back to you when my article is finished.

Thank you again !

 

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[Jake Knight]

Thank you Aimee.
Yeah, probably that's what I'll do ... But also this option has it's negative side ... I can't compose in english as good as in hungarian. I just don't have a rich vocabulary.
People on fiverr who do proofread, also rewrites sentences which doesn't sound good? Or can I find someone who willing to do this?

I've written an article in english and I know already that it is hard to me. In many case I know what I want and I still can't write it down in english.

There is so much software that can help with that.Don't allow this to road block your dreams to success.

 

[EricZ]

Don't forget your own language is also a market!
Whenever you can: CHOOSE BOTH.
Start out in your own language, if you get a good following you will get help automatically.

Google translate is simply amazing, BUT -- it's only amazing for "big" languages like English, French, and German, you can even get goog to speak the phrase.
When you do this there is no jittering or metallic robot voices, it's really amazing how good goog has become. People are even using google translate for the audio of their whiteboard videos -and they aren't bad. BUT when you get to "smaller" languages -like Swedish etc.- you get a robot voice and so-so translation.


That's why I recommend blogging in your own language first - that's your powerbase, don't forget it.
Then branch out to English when you're ready.