sjimmo (12/29/2009)
To be fair
We must remember that many people from many countries and cultures post here and we (Americans/English speaking majority) shouold not want to discourage anyone because of their grammer. Some languages place verbs in funny places to our way of thinking. We should conduct ourselves in a professional and courteous fashion throughout.
I put the blame with the editors who recieve the proposed QOD, and then review it. After they have reviewed it they notify the submitter of when it wil be scheduled. I have to assume that they get flooded with QOD's daily and I would venture that they can't give each question an in depth test. But sometimes, like this one, the problems just seem to jump out at you.
I mostly agree, but in the case of a technical site, even though one can forgive a few minor errors (spelling, etc.), once the grammar becomes a bigger problem, it is sometimes impossible to know what is even being asked, or what information is relevant. For a SQL question, that can make it impossible and even unfair as a question. There should be a process for the person submitting the question to ensure that it is understandable in English. If the person has access to an English-speaking proofreader prior to submitting the question, that's great. But I think there should be some review of the grammar on SSC itself, prior to publishing the question. I realize, though, that that may be more work than SSC can support at the moment. But it should be on the list of things to implement.
IMHO - I personally think that comments such as:
OH - now I understand - the proof reading is outsourced to a foreign country where they speak fractured english
have absolutely no business on here. How many of us have had to work with people who speak english as a second or even third language? Remember, we may get frustrated with their speech patterns, but they too get frustrated when we answer them because they may not always understand at first.
I completely agree. That's why I posted my first comment. Even if the original comment correctly states that some non-native speakers of English post poorly worded questions, they are not the only ones with the problem. As I said, a lot of supposedly native English speakers have trouble writing with proper grammar and intelligibility. We are all in this together, and to make the QOTD fun, it has to have well-written questions, no matter who is doing the writing. Comments such as the "the proof reading is outsourced to a foreign country..." are not helpful in reaching that goal.
- webrunner
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A SQL query walks into a bar and sees two tables. He walks up to them and asks, "Can I join you?"
Ref.: http://tkyte.blogspot.com/2009/02/sql-joke.html