本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛1. Pronunciation and reading a short paragraph: Slowdownforrose and Winterstorm are good. But I never heard a speech or a long paragraph from them. Reading is not speaking. A lot of people can read well, but only a few can speak well. Goingconcern has a very cute British accent. Again, I don't now how she speaks.
2. Writing. Winterstorm's writing is little bookish. I think he might be too conscious of English grammar. He could be great if not being chained by a certain way of writing. A really good one is Ordinaryone(ok). She did not write much here, but I know what she knows. I think Redneck is on a right track in learning English in his own way.
3. Translation. Everyone has his/her own standard, based on his/her own understanding of English grammar and English words. It sounds funny, but it is true. You can keep arguing about it.

I have spent over a year on this forum. I don't see much writing of any significance; do not hear readings of any significance, but arguing over everything of insignificance.

I have 24 "native speakers" working for me. Two of them are second generation Chinese. All of them have a good education, possessing at least one college diploma or university degree. Most of them disappoint me in writing something as simple as an email or a memo without clarity. I keep hearing someone here saying something like "I will check with my native speaker colleagues". Boy, they may not be as good as you think they are.

But there is one thing I have been learning from them and that is something I couldn't completely fix in any time soon. It is not about pronouncing words individually to perfection; it is more like orchestrating a symphony in which you are delivering a profound message in a combination of sound, tone, choice of words, and intonation; you are building a character, a personality and revealing your thoughts through those symbols that were created for that purpose. Writing to some extent reveals a writer's personality. Believe it or not, it doesn't lie. Whether you are writing in Chinese or in English, I "see" you.

Can we speak better than native speakers? Honestly, I don't know. (please, don't quote me "Jerry") But, we will see.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net