Not a native English Speaker? Allow me to lend a helping hand!

1. 0

   Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years ago

   Hello,
   
   My name's Earl!  I would like to try an experiment on HP, and lend assistance to hubbers who do not speak native English, and would like for someone to proofread and polish up their hubs for them!!  If you fall into that category, and would like my assistance, then please respond to this post. 
   
   Like I said, this is an experiment, so first come first serve!  Also, if this offer is somehow in violation of HP rules and regs, I humbly apologize.  I just thought this might be a good way to help out the community, especially those authors who have great content, but suffer unnecessarily due to the limitations that come with speaking English as a second language (on an exclusively "English" site!).   
   
   Regards,
   
   ~E.N.B.   
   
   UPDATE: Thanks to LuisEGonzalez and Carb Diva for offering their services as well!

   replyreport
   1. 88

      Christy Kirwanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Helping other Hubbers with editing is not against our rules, and it's a very nice thing to do.

      replyreport
      1. 0

         Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Oh, excellent!  Thanks Miss Christy — BTW, I haven't forgotten about my pledge to re-read the rest of the Learning Center tutorials for typos! (I'll email sections as I complete them.)

         replyreport
   2. 77

      LuisEGonzalezposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Great idea and super nice of you to offer. I would like to join you in your quest, so please email me and I'll do my best to proofread any hubs.

      replyreport
   3. 0

      Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Whoops!  Maybe I should have placed this thread in the Improving Your Hubs section?  Perhaps the admin powers that be will migrate it for me ...

      replyreport
      1. 0

         Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks admin powers that be!

         replyreport
   4. 60

      sunilkunnoth2012posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for your kind offer. I wish to register myself since I belong to the category you mentioned above.  I do not speak native English and my mother tongue is Malayalam.  Please evaluate my hubs and give some tips to improve.  Now my author score went down to below 80 and it was between 90-95 range till a few months back.  Kindly help me to improve.  I once again thank your for your great offer.

      replyreport
      1. 0

         Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Sure thing, sunilkunnoth2012!  Is there any particular hub that you would like for me to read first?

         replyreport
         1. 60

            sunilkunnoth2012posted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Thank you. I paste the link of those hubs that I wish to get examined:  1) http://sunilkunnoth2012.hubpages.com/hu … th-Breasts
            2)http://sunilkunnoth2012.hubpages.com/hu … luenced-me

            replyreport
            1. 0

               Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Great!  I also emailed you a quick edit for your profile blurb, just to get the ball rolling.  I will review and edit the two hubs you listed above, so look for my revisions in your email over the next few days.  In the meantime, if you have not done so already, I recommend reading HP's EXCELLENT Beginner's Guide to online writing success, cover-to-cover, found here: http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/great-content
               
               Regards,

               replyreport
   5. 87

      IzzyMposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That's a lovely idea Earl:)
      
      Unfortunately I will not be joining you because, as they say, "once bitten, twice shy".
      
      About three years ago there was this lovely pleasant girl on the forums who was a ESL writer, whose works really needed help.
      
      She asked for it, and she she got it, from a whole bunch of us.
      
      We'd sent her several corrections before I landed upon a Russian word  in one of her hubs that would not translate.
      
      The sentence could not be understood, nor rewritten, until I knew what that word was.
      
      So I Googled it. All of a sudden, it became apparent that not just that hub, but all of her hubs came directly from Russian or eastern European newspaper articles. She's never written a word of them. She'd just used Google translate to plagiarise the works of others in her own language.
      
      While I am sure many ESL writers do genuinely make the attempt at writing fresh content, it has left me with the sinking feeling that many are just using a translate service from articles written in their Mother tongue.

      replyreport
   6. 69

      quiterandomposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I considered offering the same service.
      I didn't know if it was permissible, and had the same fear of offending people with the offer, as well.
      I was also not sure how much time I could dedicate to it, either.
      Good on you for moving forward with it.

      replyreport
2. 94

   Carb Divaposted 10 years ago

   Early - What a wonderful offer! I have seen many posts that are obviously written by one for whom English is a second language. I would be willing to help also.

   replyreport
3. 88

   NateB11posted 10 years ago

   Great idea and a good thing to do.

   replyreport
4. 52

   Undauntedposted 10 years ago

   Thank you, sir.  This is the reason why I don't have one yet.

   replyreport
   1. 0

      Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      

      replyreport
5. 86

   Alphadogg16posted 10 years ago

   Oh wow, that is a very good point IzzyM, I hadn't even considered that aspect. I know that HP uses some kind of software for plagiarism here, but does it also check foreign languages?

   replyreport
   1. 87

      IzzyMposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      As far as I know, there is no plagiarism software capable of detecting a foreign language translation, especially considering that each translation service will word sentences differently.
      
      In the case I highlighted, she had used Google Translate and copied it word for word. Had she used another translation service I would never have found it.
      
      I have since found others guilty of the same practice. The only 'giveaway' they leave is when there is one or two words in the article that have not translated. This allows Google to detect the language it came from, and gives the searcher a narrower field to search for existing articles.
      
      I don't know how common this practice is, but if you have ever used Google Translate you will know how defective it is (though it has got better over the years).
      
      Hubs written in similarly poor English should be suspect.

      replyreport
      1. 0

         Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Well, that's definitely something to keep in mind.  Still, at the risk of seeming naive, my offer for help still stands.  I'd prefer to hope for the best from people, rather than expect the worst.

         replyreport
6. 62

   thirdmilleniumposted 10 years ago

   This is swell of you.
   
   Can you spare some tim to have a look at my hub at :
   http://thirdmillenium.hubpages.com/hub/ … ovies-same
   
   Thank you very much 

   replyreport
   1. 0

      Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Sure, thirdmillenium!  Although, I am working with sunilkunnoth2012 right now.  Once I have finished, I'd be more than happy to help you.  Or, perhaps, Carb Diva or LuisEGonzalez — who also volunteered to help, would like to work with you instead?

      replyreport
      1. 62

         thirdmilleniumposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Both Carb Diva and  LuisEGonzalez are as welcome as you are, DEarl
         
         Thank you

         replyreport
      2. 60

         sunilkunnoth2012posted 10 years agoin reply to this

         So glad to note that you working on my write ups. Await the pleasure of receiving your kind suggestion and useful tips.  I hope I can improve with your  suggestion.

         replyreport
         1. 0

            Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            No problem Sunil! I'm actually going to take a look at one of your hubs now.  I'll email my editorial suggestions today, Lord willing (and the creek don't rise)!

            replyreport
   2. 77

      LuisEGonzalezposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Send me the link via email, or if you wish I will take a look at it today.

      replyreport
   3. 77

      LuisEGonzalezposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      thirdmillenium;
      Your hub is well written and your use of English is good. However it is lacking links, videos, ads and images. These would make your hub more apealing

      replyreport
      1. 87

         IzzyMposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         You are having a laugh!
         
         "And, even if you do not have a hole to put your thing into or something solid and long to put into your hole, you can always widen the scope to include a lot of other avenues to satisfy yourself."
         
         And yes, this hubs refers to the S stuff, that everyone knows not to write about on HP.
         
         So you want photos of what, exactly? Polls? Why not a map, in case anyone is confused?
         
         This sort of stuff is not encouraged by HP because Google doesn't like it, and doesn't want their advertising on it.
         
         It doesn't actually matter how well you write, the subject is taboo.

         replyreport
         1. 62

            thirdmilleniumposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            I am glad a veteran like IzzyM has taken the trouble to read my hub. Though it about S, it is an enlightened (at least to me) look at S and violence juxtaposed as it were. And laugh I did. What links in deed! I am sure thankful  for the suggestions of Luis

            replyreport
            1. 77

               LuisEGonzalezposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               I did no take into consideration whether the subject was taboo or not. I just looked at it from a technical standpoint and since  I am not a moderator I did not dwell on those other aspects. Off course it should be moderated for other elements such as pictures, links and so on and perhaps using substitutes for some words. I found it somewhat enlightening as well as "tongue in cheek funny" written from a  "layman's" perspective. The subject, words, pictures, links are not decisions upon which I can offer any "official" advice..........
               
               If the author had asked for opinions,suitability etc. about the subject I would not have needed to be sarcastic in order to say what others have pointed out and keep in mind that the topic is the use of the English language.......

               replyreport
         2. 77

            LuisEGonzalezposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            I just looked at it from a technical point of view and since I am not a moderator I did not feel that I should offer advice on suitability, what pictures, what links etc..(no maps ) This is not up to me.
            
            However I did find it enlightening and 'tongue in cheek ' funny. As I remember the topic is use of the English language. Anything else is out of my realm and I did not want to come across in any way as trying to tell others what topics they should cover.
            
            Off course it should be moderated for pictures, suitability and use of some words, but that is between the author and staff.
            
            If opinions would have been sought then I would have offered some along the lines of Izzy's comments but perhaps with less sarcasm.........

            replyreport
      2. 62

         thirdmilleniumposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you, Luise
         
         I am happy that my hub is good
         
         Regards

         replyreport
7. 0

   Beth37posted 10 years ago

   I wonder what a non-English speaking person imagines when they read: "allow me to lend a hand."

   replyreport
   1. 0

      Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That's a fair point.  I hope I didn't confuse anyone who has been in a tragic accident resulting in the loss of an appendage ...

      replyreport
      1. 0

         Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

         It's ok, you've got another one.

         replyreport
8. 61

   Ronwanposted 10 years ago

   Hi all,
   I have on Hubpages for a while but have found it tough to get Hubs approved.
   
   I am dutch so not a native English speaker but on the other hand I don't think my English is really bad. Since Hubpages is open to anyone, worldwide, I think it would be fair to take this in consideration when reviewing a Hub for publication.
   I fully agree that all Hubs MUST be high quality, but there is a difference in Hubs with poor grammar and Hubs with just a few errors here and there.
   I mean, we can't have all our Hubs proofreaded by someone, can we?
   That's just my opinion ....
   
   So far I have 1 approved Hub, but others do not get cleared for publication.
   
   For some Hubs I understand why, but for the Hub below I really have no idea.
   
   http://ronwan.hubpages.com/hub/Make-Mon … -Postcards
   
   I have read it over and over again and feel the grammar is pretty good. The text is broken into multiple text capsules. All parts are illustrated with a related picture and there are Ebay and Amazon capsules.
   It has 770 words right now; but I feel there is not much more to say.
   
   So, if anyone likes to proofread it I would be very grateful for any comments that might get this Hubs approved.
   Thank you !!

   replyreport
   1. 90

      chasmacposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I can't see that hub as it says 'not published', but if the writing quality of your hubs is like the writing quality of your question here, then poor grammar and spelling are not the reason for not getting your hubs approved. Your English is well up to the required standard (although I'm overlooking where you missed out the word BEEN after HAVE in your first sentence  - a simple but glaring typo).

      replyreport
      1. 61

         Ronwanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Hmm yes, I missed that one
         
         Pity you can't view the Hub using the link.
         I have done some copy and paste; hope it is readable in the attached picture.
         Do not pay much attention to the right side-bar. Lots of duplicate parts there but  that is because of the copy and paste.
         
         Addition
         
         
         
         
         Edit: now that I uploaded the picture I see it is not readable ... any other way to show it to you??

         replyreport
         1. 0

            Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

            You could copy and paste the actual text... as they often remind us, the pics have to pass the test too. Have you credited them or do they have a watermark on them?

            replyreport
9. 61

   Ronwanposted 10 years ago

   Ok, I found out I had to make a Google document of it and publish the link to it; that makes it readable for all of you.
   
   I thought I better make a new discussion for this, so here it is:
   
   http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/118129
   
   Any comment are most welcomed !!

   replyreport
   1. 90

      chasmacposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      It's now published - but with only one pic. Did you remove the others?

      replyreport
      1. 61

         Ronwanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         No, i did not !!
         You can try the link above for the other topic with a link to a Google document that show the whole Hub.

         replyreport
         1. 90

            chasmacposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            There are two hubs "Make money Selling Postcards" and "Make Money Selling Vintage Postcards" (which is published). This can be a reason for one of them being rejected on the grounds that it's not unique enough. For the unpublished one, you might need to attribute the images to show that they're legally used and not infringing anyone's copyright.

            replyreport
            1. 69

               quiterandomposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               I see. It looks like he's trying to publish two hubs that are very similar.

               replyreport
            2. 61

               Ronwanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Thanks Chasmac.
               
               I took the pictures from sold Ebay-listings as to show what they can be sold for. That is what the Hub is all about.
               Should I add to them that they are taken from Ebay-listings?
               
               Regarding the other Hub, this one is meant to explain about selling both modern and vintage postcards and of different subjects (trains, cats etc.), while the other (published) Hub deals only with vintage postcards, mainly topographic cards.
               You think that is not unique enough?

               replyreport
               1. 69

                  quiterandomposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  I think they need to be condensed into the same hub.
                  I think that's your whole problem.

                  replyreport
               2. 90

                  chasmacposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  Taking pictures from eBay listings isn't allowed unless they're in the public domain, i.e., their copyright has expired. That won't be the case for the newer ones, so unless you get permission from the copyright owner, (not the eBay seller) or find them elsewhere complete with licence (such as Creative Commons) allowing anyone to use them under certain conditions, you can't use them legally. I don't think 'FAIR USE' can apply here because HubPages is a commercial site - not an educational site, where you'd have a much better chance of claiming FAIR USE of the images.
                  
                  I think the two hubs' contents are unique enough but the titles are almost identical. That alone could cause someone to hit the disapprove button.

                  replyreport
                  1. 61

                     Ronwanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     So, when I understand you right there is no way to show readers for what prices postcards sell on sites like Ebay??
                     
                     What about a title like 'Make Money Selling Vintage And Modern Postcards'?

                     replyreport
                     1. 90

                        chasmacposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                        I don't know of any ways other than those I mentioned. Someone more knowlegeable about FAIR USE might be able to tell whether that's an option or not. But try to find the postcard images from somewhere else with an attached licence (like you see all over Wikipedia). You can still mention the eBay sold prices.
                        
                        The title - No, it's still almost the same. Only two words are different. Make it very different. In fact, I'm inclined to agree with quiterandom - They should probably be merged into a single hub.

                        replyreport
      2. 69

         quiterandomposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         When I clicked the link to the hub (not the google document) it said unpublished.
         
         

         replyreport