I read in an article, that if someone shall learn ONE new language, it's
JavaScript...
Regards,
Christer
Sent from my Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S
Russ White <russw(_at_)riw(_dot_)us> wrote:
If we are all going to learn a new language, why not Chinese?
I would suggest Koine Greek. It's a very precise language, and almost no-one
already knows it, so we'd all be on an equal footing (except for a few stray
old theology majors here and there -- it would, at least, make Sue and I
happy). (if you can't tell, this is a joke)
I think what's going on in LACNIC is a prime example of what we should do --
cultivate groups of people by giving them a strong forum that intentionally
crosses the language barrier. Perhaps, by participating in a more local
forum, they will gain the confidence needed to stand at the mic or present
or write a draft without feeling foolish (lots of people with really good
English skills feel like they don't have good English skills). It helps to
stand in a smaller forum and talk at the mic in a more mixed group of
people, just to get used to actually being there and doing it.
Another thing we could do is to help folks who have a real desire to improve
their English skills, especially on the writing side. There are an awful lot
of native English speakers in our community who could use the help, as well,
so maybe having some process where a draft writer could ask for a volunteer
to help specifically with grammar and style issues before publishing would
be helpful -- an open list where folks could ask for help, be paired with an
"editor," and then go off list to do the actual work.
Anyway, just a couple of possible ideas.
:-)
Russ