Freelance sites like Upwork or Freelancer have perpetuated a ridiculous belief that there are only some people in the world to whom the English language is native, while to most others, it is not.
Typically, the reference made is to people from countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or South Africa (at best). Folks from practically all other countries are dismissed as being “non-native” to English.
As an Indian myself, I find this belief thoroughly obnoxious.
I can’t help but wonder how has this belief come about?
After all, off these freelance sites, such a falsified belief does not quite exist. Then, why is it there on them?
Non-Whetting of Professionals on-board Freelance Sites
The answer, to quite an extent, lies in the fact that freelance sites miss out whetting folks who come on-board. For instance, Indians or other South Asians readily sign up as “content creators”, even though they may not have the skills to serve as such professionals.
Now, these same folks, when hired by overseas clients, unsurprisingly fall short of expectations. Every such instance then goes onto perpetuate a belief that Indians or South Asians are incapable of writing coherently in the English language. Therefore, I genuinely believe that it is freelance sites who have stemmed the falsified notion of Indians in general being linguistically challenged in English.
Blinded by Nationality
Particularly annoying is the way prospective clients on freelance sites are simply blinded by nationality. Essentially, if there’s a professional geographically located in any of the countries I mentioned in the beginning, that individual is automatically presumed to be “native”. This is true even for Indian-Americans for instance; change of location suddenly grants them English language proficiency that was missing in their home country. Such beliefs are simply bizarre!
I, personally, know Americans and Britishers (among others from the countries I mentioned in the beginning) whose English language expertise is practically non-existent.
I especially want to emphasize on the fact that writing is a skill that is not bound or limited by nationality.
So, do not be blinded by nationality when considering hiring professionals for crafting English language content. Instead, look at factors such as experience and expertise.
Remember that among many other skills in the world, English language expertise is also not limited to specific countries or nationalities.
Conclusion
STOP presuming that Indian – as well as other supposedly “non-native” folks cannot write quality content in the English language, simply based on where they come from.
Instead, assess based on factors such as prior experience as well as expertise (which can easily be determined).
DON’T be blinded by ridiculous prejudices and stereotypes; each time you do so, you only perpetuate such unwanted human tendencies.
Immobilienmakler Heidelberg Makler HeidelbergSource by Vikram Malik