I come from non-English speaking background my written and verbal skills are not perfect but I believe they up to the standards when I did my IElTS test couple of years ago to get my permanent residency I got overall band of 7.5. I am working for non profit organisation as part of my job I have to write reports at the end of the month. Every time when my boss is asking me to write reports she mentions at the end not to worry about my English when writing report. I have asked many times if my English is not good enough or need correction she always says no it's good, I have no problem with your English. I don't understand why she has to say it each time then. Is she racist or just being nice?
It is okay for your boss to say "it's okay even if your English is not perfect?"
LGuilty Flamez on 25/06/2015 - 17:06
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"a guy looked at me sideways, is he a racist?"
I think you been watchin too much news…
I come from non-English speaking background my written and verbal skills are not perfect but I believe they up to the standards when I did my IElTS test couple of years ago to get my permanent residency I got overall band of 7.5.
No offence OP but after reading your first 'sentence', I agree with her. She's not being racist. She's giving you a constructive criticism. Maybe look into taking a course to improve your written english?
Far out man, your boss is being accommodating and understanding which is an uncommon trait yet one of your first thoughts is if she is racist?
your assumption that she may be racist is actually you being racist.
nah, just messing with you.
your boss may wrongly assume you are worried about your own proficiency.
Don't sweat it with your boss's comments
I was an english instructor in Japan for 4 years and I know my english isn't always that great.
On a side note maybe say that you are trying to speak Australian, not UK English. ;-)
you asked if its no good and she answered its ok, so what is your problem? If your english was'nt on par for the job then you would have been sacked by now, so please accept that your adequate and move on.
please dont drag down other immigrants and migrants because you want to feel victimised - this attitude is why many anglo run places do not like to hire people of other races.I can understand your point, but the problem I am experiencing is she also mentions in the emails every time. It's really annoying but I guess it's her way to say I appreciate what you do.
If your reports are like your posts in this forum, I think I can understand why your boss keeps saying that. Punctuation! Pay attention to punctuation! They are there for a reason.
Also, try using "that, who, which…" a bit more often.
Seems like quite a nice thing for a manager to say. You add the value in terms of the content of your reports and then someone else can fret about the grammar.
We do it a lot with technical experts. Why waste their time on punctuation? We have people who can refine the style.
Unless I'm misinterpreting it, that's good isn't it?
My gawd, she tells you not to be worried about your English and you think she might be racist.
The world has gone mad!!
People hanging around waiting to be offended by somethingNo its not racist to comment on your grammar.
if you have shit grammar you have shit grammar or if its good its good
im a white Australian from English origin and i swear like a drunken pirate (if you want to hear bad english come have a beer with me)The IELTS is a real pain in the ass, an overall of 7.5 is not that difficult to achieve for most people with English as a second language, but the writing part is extremely difficult, its not not mention about the complex grammar and all the English rules, it also test your logic and arguments, a test of your iq level ultimately.
The highest score possible is 9, and its uncommon for native english speak to achieve avenge of 7 to 8 in speaking ( from an IELTS examiner).
Anyhow, just be yourself, I come from China, and my english needs a lot of improvement(obviously) , just be humble and try to do your work nicely. I believe your english is way better than those people lying down on the street asking for money from strangers, theoretically they are native English speaker.
"I believe your english is way better than those people lying down on the street asking for money from strangers, theoretically they are native English speaker."
lol nice tangent you went off on there…
i guess so, should have avoid the word "always", What i was trying to say is that English is not just about speaking, nor how good your pronunciation is, the english level for native speakers may vary vastly depending on their leave of education etc.
Anyhow, i am alright with those whom voted down on my comments, people are different and i respect that.
Maybe it is because you keep asking if your English is OK that she keeps saying this.
Your few posts on here tell me that there are small grammatical mistakes throughout your reports. Your boss is probably just trying to make you feel better. Some people don't realise saying things a certain way can offend or cause embarrassment.
English skills is not a race thing. So are most other skills and mannerisms. Race is only a physical descriptor.
I am not white and I come from a non-anglo country where the official language and language of instruction is English (based on my passport I am required to take the ielts). Parents speak English as well. Whenever possible and required, I do correct the English of people from all races and am perfectly accepting of criticism from anybody as well. As you can tell, my English is far from perfect.
One advice you can take being a non-white in any white country is not to carry a chip on your shoulder. In this day and age, it probably would not be worthwhile sticking around people who are racist. It is unfortunate that people can and do get away with outright or indirect racism but I believe that is an unavoidable part of how some humans deal with things that are different from themselves. If you keep attributing the behaviour of others to your race, you might find yourself shying away from possible ways to improve yourself that has nothing to do with your race. If you start to feel more sensitive, others will inevitably feel it too and hesitate to point out your mistakes for fear of being called racists.
Additionally, since race is something you cannot change, you may find yourself feeling increasingly helpless with the silly ones who are genuinely racist. This helplessness may even translate into a belief that those people may actually be right and that somehow you are actually inferior because of your race. Eventually your own sense of self will start to reflect that belief and it may even turn into a "self-fulfilling-prophecy" kind of thing. No point letting others affect you that way.Another thing you could do is sort of subtly flip the tables on her by saying "do you have any suggestions for me to improve my reports?"
If she does not offer any, she can't really fault you any more because you have tried.
If she offers some, take it and learn. Apply it to your next reports and see what she says.
At the end of the day, it will look like you are trying to improve yourself and this behaviour will stand you in good stead with your boss.
Why is it racist when I say all white people look the same?
lol… I'm almost as white as they come… sandy blonde hair, blue eyes… I lived in an area of Japan for over a year when I was younger, and I didn't see many white people. I got so used to seeing Japanese faces that when I finally came back to Oz and visited my family in Hobart I was easily loosing them in the sea of white faces and light hair at shopping malls etc… they all looked the same to me! lol
Ami111, your post contains some errors so I think she is being truthful and providing valid feedback. Maybe tell her that you would like to improve and ask her when she's making changes to do them in tracked changes, at least sometimes, and send you a copy. That way you can see what you're doing wrong. The best training is often on-the-job training.
And if your employer offers study assistance (or even if they don't) see about taking an advanced writing course for foreign speakers. (I can tell your English is pretty good but you need to make an effort to improve it that final 1 or 2%. That's why I'm suggesting that you take an advanced grammar and writing course.)And if you do it on your own make sure your supervisor knows that you've done it at your own cost and initiative. (Note, if done at your own cost the course fee will likely be tax deductible.)
If you do the above any supervisor should be really impressed that you took the initiative and you will be positioning yourself for a promotion or a great reference if you look elsewhere for a promotion.
And finally, English is a tricky language even for native speakers. Even those of us who have spent a long time at Uni still make minor errors. Learning is a life long process.
It's somewhat painful to read your first paragraph - whole lot of sentences without any punctuation! Start using it.
I understand your English is not perfect, but if you really wondered why your manager is saying it all the time, maybe start asking her to give you back the reports after she has corrected it all, or ask for constructive feedback. Tell her you would like to know more, learn more, you want to improve.
Workplace is not just a place for you to work for after all, their feedback would add values to your knowledge, and would make your manager's job a bit easier, rather than having to proof-read your end of month reports all the time.
She is not racist, not even close. If she is a racist, she would not have kept you in the job for this long. She would have made some complaints about your English skills, your performance or any other random excuses to try to get rid of you.
From what I can see, she is being nice to you, she may not have told you what mistakes you have made in your reports, but it is very possible that she cares about your feeling. Not everyone likes getting corrected by others. Some people get very offended by it.
I am not an native English speaker either.But I can still see that there are many minor errors in your sentences.So I think you really need improvements.And by the way, IELTS 7.5 overall is very very easy,especially a few years ago.Needlessly thinking others are raciest is no good.I would suggest you keep enhancing your English skills so that you can be more confident about yourself!
I wish I was lucky enough to see raciest where ever I go :)
She has clearly identified that you are nervous about your English skills and is trying to reassure you that they are OK. This, on the outset sounds like a great boss.
Let's not sugar-coat it though. Racism and Sexism is rife throughout Australian workplaces. You need to understand what you are accusing your boss of before you go down that path;
https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/race-discrimination/…
If it's a requirement for the job, you could be fired for bad English skills and nobody would bat an eyelid. They have nothing to do with your race. I encourage you to keep up your study. I want to say that I completely admire your efforts in learning English, coming to Australia and succeeding in your job. Well done!
Finally, if you really have a problem with it - bring it up with her. Just let her know you appreciate that she is reassuring you but mentioning it all the time makes you uncomfortable.
CHEERS
Yes, your boss is racist. I heard Lionel Hutz, aka Miguel Sanchez, aka Dr. Nguyen Van Phuoc is an exceptional lawyer in this field. You should look him up
You have nothing to worry.They don't really care much about you english efficiency as long as your quality is good.And i suppose you are doing a good job.
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Just be glad she isnt saying your english is bad. Rather than asking ozbargain whether your boss is racist, why not ask your boss where you can improve. If you read through king tightarse comment you can see there are quite a few errors.