Arablish Abominations
Two more horrors pollute my inbox. In the first, a screenwriter touts her dubious talents, proudly revealing that her last work was "broadcasted on Dubai TV". Hard to know what is more alarming here: the grammar or the network. Sympathy for anyone reduced to freelancing for such an organsiation prevents the usual reply, and it is quietly clicked into the Trash.
The second is a survey on telecom de-monopolisation in the UAE. Quite apart from the fact that "Submit" leads to a page error (wasting the lengthy effort of filling it in) it is again a tricky decision as to what is worse: the English or the methodology?
The survey begins by asking "What do you use the Internet for?" Given it is available only by email and web, the choice "I do not use Internet" is more than a little redundant. The survey form is radio button throughout, and while an "I don't know" option is given for each question, the much-needed options of "Both" and "Neither" never appear.
But the poor English must be its most startling feature, rendering some questions virtually unintelligible. It is time to cut through that enduring but far from endearing fusion of arrogance and ignorance, and recognise for once and for all that general fluency does not equal professional fluency. If this part of the world is to shake off its image of being backward and less educated than other areas, it needs to do better than:
- Do you suggest a telecom audit and announce the quality services track record of the Org?
- How much you think will we be the saving with the telecom liberalization for the Users :
- What the Public & Business Decision makers should do to make sure their investment is safe and guarantees operation continuity after the UAE’s new policy of telecom industry liberalization?
The second is a survey on telecom de-monopolisation in the UAE. Quite apart from the fact that "Submit" leads to a page error (wasting the lengthy effort of filling it in) it is again a tricky decision as to what is worse: the English or the methodology?
The survey begins by asking "What do you use the Internet for?" Given it is available only by email and web, the choice "I do not use Internet" is more than a little redundant. The survey form is radio button throughout, and while an "I don't know" option is given for each question, the much-needed options of "Both" and "Neither" never appear.
But the poor English must be its most startling feature, rendering some questions virtually unintelligible. It is time to cut through that enduring but far from endearing fusion of arrogance and ignorance, and recognise for once and for all that general fluency does not equal professional fluency. If this part of the world is to shake off its image of being backward and less educated than other areas, it needs to do better than:
- Do you suggest a telecom audit and announce the quality services track record of the Org?
- How much you think will we be the saving with the telecom liberalization for the Users :
- What the Public & Business Decision makers should do to make sure their investment is safe and guarantees operation continuity after the UAE’s new policy of telecom industry liberalization?
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