A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry
Spelling/grammatical mistakes: English first language - Thornbush
Posted: Feb 23, 2013
I have noticed, when interviewing for certain companies, some obvious spelling and grammatical mistakes in the emails I receive from them. While these companies strive for perfection in accuracy (which includes spelling words right and marking possession with an apostrophe, mind you), sometimes it looks like their emails have been written by ESL employees.
It's weird that after speaking with some of these people, their writing skills don't match their speaking skills. Maybe I'm just obsessed with accuracy as a budding MT... I was taught to proof read and make sure words were spelled right, that punctuation was in the right place, etc.
For example, the obvious differentiation between "over time" vs. "overtime", or "MTs" vs. "MT's". My conclusion is that either these emails were not proof read before sending, or whoever wrote them is contradicting the company's motto of accuracy - especially if English is the first language of the employees. 
I'm not criticizing, I'm just observing.
Not everyone - is
[ In Reply To ..]capable of achieving your level of perfection.
You Missed the Point - see msg
[ In Reply To ..]We are talking about people who expect us to be perfect, but they can't form a good sentence to save their life or know how to paragraph.
I know the difference between a typo or a misplaced/misused comma and someone who doesn't have a clue on how to form a proper sentence.
No, I did not - miss
[ In Reply To ..]the point.
Her "observation" was just a thinly veiled opportunity for a "newly minted" MT (who may or may not even be employed) to trumpet how superior she is. If she is so much better than everyone else, she should start her own perfect MT company and put all those inferior people out of business.
nicely stated - say no to braggerts
[ In Reply To ..]x
Since when is it bragging to write English correctly? - cutbank
[ In Reply To ..]Expecting the same degree of profesionalism of your employer that your employer expects of you is hardly being a braggart; it's called being equipped for your job.
Had the comments - come from
[ In Reply To ..]a working MT with some real experience and the humility that comes from realizing one's own fallibility, then it might have had some authority. Coming from a self-styled "newly minted" MT, it's just arrogant.
Not to mention... - sm
[ In Reply To ..]When she made several errors like those she was complaining about, it looks foolish as well as arrogant.
I understand the OP's point, but had it been said without such brash arrogance and offensive stereotyping, it would have been much more well received.
OK, OK, I get it - Thornbush
[ In Reply To ..]You get angry if what you read isn't to your liking....
Take a chill pill. I was merely OBSERVING, not criticizing or offending. Jeez, humans can be so complex sometimes. Can't we all just get along? LOL
Here is what you need to do. sm - me2
[ In Reply To ..]As a budding MT you need to tell "some of these people," likely people in the human resources department, that their emails have "some obvious spelling and grammatical mistakes in them." Then tell them that you "were taught to proof read and make sure words were spelled right, that punctuation was in the right place, etc."
They will be grateful that this was brought to their attention, will realize that they have a brilliant and very skilled budding MT on their hands, and will snap you up with lightening speed before another company gets the gold instead.
Arrogant?? No . . . Observant - MT Pockets
[ In Reply To ..]Her post does NOT come across as arrogant. Not at all. I know she was talking about professional emails for the most part, but seriously . . . if I were looking for an MT job and I saw notable errors on the website (and there are a lot of them), I would definitely question that company's credibility. If I see an error on a post on here, some of my own, in fact, that is different. Seriously . . .
Arrogant?? Yes, and not too bright either s/m - me2
[ In Reply To ..]Look, anyone posting here who works in the field knows the job market situation is certainly not great regarding this field.
This poster says that she is a "budding MT" interviewing for companies. Unless this poster has inside information about a wealth of companies hiring MTs that just about everyone else does not know about, the chances are that the poster is interviewing for the very same companies that most MTs are interviewing with today.
Let's assume that one of the dwindling- in-number companies puts up an ad for help. What happens? They get flooded with resumes, well above 100 of them, and some get as many as 500 resumes. The human resources department, as a result of the resume flood, becomes a madhouse on steroids, and emails get sent out,and yes, some of them get sent out with discrepancies in them, as in the poster's example of MTs versus MT's.
I am sure that any seasoned MT is familiar with sudden deluges of work and the stress, fatigue and mental strain that goes along with a deluge, much like what happens when a human resource dept. gets deluged with resumes, interviews, etc.
Now, the poster then goes on to write that after speaking "to some of these people", i.e., the people that have quite a bit to say about who gets hired and who does not, that she cannot believe that the person that she spoke with is the same person who sent an email to her with grammar and spelling errors in it.
Let's face it, folks. If you are in the MT job market today, even with years of experience, it's dicey as to whether or not you will get a response to your resume, and if you do and end up with a phone interview in addition, you feel lucky when you read 25 or more posts from fellow MTs that never even got a response to their resume, even with experience. A budding MT who gets an interview these days is called a minor miracle. Any experienced MT, let alone a budding one, who speaks to a person during a job interview and then becomes appalled by an error or two in a follow-up email stepped on a landmine, because believe me, that type of an attitude comes through when that person is interviewing, even if they don't verbalize the words, or on the very remote chance that that person gets a job offer and takes it, that poster will not last more than a month, because a person like that who is "budding" is going to receive a great deal of correction and some criticism as well, and some of that criticism is going to come from leads, supervisors, QA, etc., and all of their emails to that person are not going to be perfect at all times either, and that person is not going to take correction easily and that type of person gets let go.
Frankly, from years in this field, this poster has a snowball's chance of making it as a MT, and especially in today's MT job market where even a good, or great know it all MT can be replaced, and is replaced, in a twinkling of an eye for another good, or even great MT, without the air of superiority.
There is a human element to job interviewing
Re Arrogant me2 - MT Pockets
[ In Reply To ..]Me2: I see your point and agree with a lot of what you posted. All I am saying is that I don't think the post itself was meant to be arrogant or "above everyone." She posted it on here as more of an observation, not to the actual people who sent the e-mails or whom she spoke with. So she is just expressing her opinion on the matter on the MT board. I do see your point and, like I said, agree about overflow of resumes, tired and overworked, etc., which is understandable and agree also. However, I still think the original poster was just stating her thoughts and opinions regarding her situation and with the grammatical errors in professional e-mails, etc. I don't think it was meant to be arrogant. Again, just my opinion. :)
where did she say newly minted? - sm
[ In Reply To ..]Hard for me to understand why you would take such umbrage at the post, or why you would interpret the poster as trumpeting her superiority. It's a little over the top.
It looks pretty stupid when a company advertises for Acute Caer positions (as I noted on this board recently). I'll tell you something. I can't feel good about a company who is so sloppy. It speaks volumes about their ethics.
she said "budding MT" - thats pretty new
[ In Reply To ..]or just starting... like the buds on a tree!
no, another poster said that - sm
[ In Reply To ..]Nowhere in the original post does it say anything about budding, being a beginner, or being newly minted.
Yes she does - look at
[ In Reply To ..]the second paragraph of her OP.
**BUZZ** Wrong answer - sm
[ In Reply To ..]
Spelling/grammatical mistakes: English first language - Thornbush
Posted: Feb 23rd, 2013 - 1:54 pm
I have noticed, when interviewing for certain companies, some obvious spelling and grammatical mistakes in the emails I receive from them. While these companies strive for perfection in accuracy (which includes spelling words right and marking possession with an apostrophe, mind you), sometimes it looks like their emails have been written by ESL employees.
It's weird that after speaking with some of these people, their writing skills don't match their speaking skills. Maybe I'm just obsessed with accuracy as a budding MT... I was taught to proof read and make sure words were spelled right, that punctuation was in the right place, etc.
For example, the obvious differentiation between "over time" vs. "overtime", or "MTs" vs. "MT's". My conclusion is that either these emails were not proof read before sending, or whoever wrote them is contradicting the company's motto of accuracy - especially if English is the first language of the employees.
I'm not criticizing, I'm just observing.
you're right - ...
[ In Reply To ..]I still don't see what's wrong with the poster noticing these errors and finding them unacceptable. I certainly do.
It isn't that noticing errors is unacceptable - sm
[ In Reply To ..]The reason people are so upset is she sounds VERY holier-than-thou, particularly with multiple mistakes in her own post, and also immediately assuming that the authors of the error-laden emails must be ESL.
Had she posted her frustration with just a touch more humility and also not stereotyping, I think the rest of the posts would have been much more supportive.
To the poster who calls herself "sm", - Thornbush
[ In Reply To ..]It is evident by your ad hominum attacks that you have no argument, other than calling names and distorting what I was really expressing in my OP. Your posts are focused on my "holier-than-thou" attitude and the fact that I dared say some of the emails I received looked like they came from ESL people. How exactly is that "offensive"?
Your conclusion that I am arrogant only proves that you may have some issues of your own that you are merely projecting onto me.
I have already admitted the errors you pointed out in my OP, and I even said that I take them into consideration.
If I came off as arrogant and stereotyping, well, I'm sorry you interpreted my OP that way. I took a risk in expressing an issue that concerns me (in this case, grammatical/spelling errors) because I actually care about being an MT.
My "obsession with accuracy" is that I strive for perfection and getting things right for the sake of patient integrity. I am also open to constructive criticism, something not everyone can accept whenever they make mistakes.
Perhaps not everyone has an open mind to see the big picture. It's what makes us human, after all.
FYI: "sm" means "see message" - similarly "nm"... - means "no message". /nm
[ In Reply To ..]x
there is more than one sm - sm
[ In Reply To ..]I am the "sm" who doesn't think you sound arrogant or holier-than-thou. I believe you have every right to expect appropriate language skills from language skill employers. I can't believe the pile-on of attacks you got here.
spelling - Sheryl Orok
[ In Reply To ..]Funny I should read this because today I got an email from M*Modal and they had used wrong grammer in their e-mail. What a coincidence.
Grammar errors - see msg
[ In Reply To ..]I have noticed the same thing. I don't know who is writing these, but they should hire someone to fix them up if they don't have good writing skills.
I used to have an MT manager who was horrible in e-mail. It was like, okay, you can use bad grammar in the e-mail, but I'm supposed to be perfect on the job? To boot, this person is the one letting us know we messed up when the QA person told her.
Lack of respect - me
[ In Reply To ..]They don't realize that the people they are trying to recruit have, in some cases, spent the better part of their lives correcting other's people grammar. They just don't care since MT jobs are so scarce, they can do what they want, they know we need jobs. What we think of them does not matter, no respect for us or what we do. I think in some industries, image does count, but in this economy with jobs so rare, companies can do what they want.
Oh no! - me
[ In Reply To ..]Other's people?? I guess I shouldn't throw stones when I forget to proof my own post. So sorry, so funny. We all make mistakes, can I be my own spelling police? Sorry.
Re Thornbush - MT Pockets
[ In Reply To ..]I agree with you, Thornbush. I can't believe that some of the posters are interpreting this post as you thinking you are superior or a know-it-all. The post doesn't come across like that to me at all. I agree. If you are an MT company, if you are sending out professional information/emails to perspective employees or whatever, OF COURSE it needs to be correct and proofread. I agree with you.
Another example, nothing to do with transcription, but I was watching TV the other day and another of those stupid law firm commercials (attempting class action suit), regarding a mesh implant. They are endless . . . anyway, one of the side effects they had named was incontinence. On the screen they had a list of side effects, etc. and had incontinence spelled as incontenence. I could care less, but if I were spending millions on a commercial that is supposed to be from a professional LAW Firm, I think I'd at least use my spellcheck beforehand.
I don't agree with people nitpicking errors on posts, etc. that are casual. I probably have some here because I'm not paying as much attention and it's not professional. And I make errors on my work. All the original poster is saying, I believe, is that if it is something professional (especially by a company whose job is totally about accuracy, punctuation, etc.), proofread, get it right so your company doesn't look incompetent. JMO
Punctuation - Carol
[ In Reply To ..]Maybe some of us are used to typing our own account specifics no matter what they be,like multiple diagnoses we just type diagnosis and we spell out every age down to the day before ten years old. Every account is different, and they have their own preferences.
like this one... - sm
[ In Reply To ..]on the job seekers board:
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