Do spelling and grammar matter? Let’s ask some basketball fans

• Say it ain’t so—spelling and grammar matter?
• How do you feel about this monument designer? Still don’t think spelling and grammar matter?
• Koreans don’t care about English spelling and grammar—are you sure about that?
• Not just the experts were bothered by these mistakes
• The government claims it cares about English spelling and grammar, but does it really?
• Feels like when the government says it cares about awkward English, it’s just a form of lip service
• If you think English spelling and grammar matter, hire a professional

I’ve stated several times on my site, in my Instagram posts, and in blogs—spelling and grammar matter. They matter regardless of what your business/service is. Whether you agree with it or not, it speaks to your professionalism—or lack thereof. Don’t believe me? Keep reading.

Several weeks ago, a friend sent me a link to a news story. It was about Kobe Bryant, the former basketball legend, who died in a helicopter crash. Unsurprisingly, a decision was made to honor him with a monument outside Crypto.com Arena, the home of the Lakers. But when the monument was revealed, there were some surprises in store.

Say it ain’t so—spelling and grammar matter?

Several people have expressed disappointment with the memorial statue. They weren’t upset because it was a poor likeness of Kobe or was done in poor taste. What were they so upset about? See for yourself.

That’s right. Spelling mistakes. Etched in stone—literally. One interviewed person stated, “There’s no excuse for that.”

Here are a couple of other comments from this news clip:

• “For something so big like this, you would think that they…someone would’ve had proofread or, or you know, double-checked it.”
• “The fact that you’re gonna build a nice statue dedicated to Kobe and then not spell things right on it, it kinda does take away from it, yeah, it takes away from it.”

A German sports writer spotted and reported on these errors. The names of players on the scorecard were misspelled. Really? That’s what the Internet is for! Go to the team’s home page! Misspelling “decision” as “decicion” right under it? Plain carelessness. I’m not sure why the reporter claimed it was spelled wrong twice—unless it appears elsewhere.

The company that created the memorial, Rotblatt Amrany, has agreed to fix it. But this will cost time, money, and effort. It would’ve been easier to do it right the first time. There’s an expression in English, “Measure twice, cut once.” Maybe they should’ve followed the motto, “Proofread twice, etch once.” 

How do you feel about this monument designer? Still don’t think spelling and grammar matter?

If I ever need a monument built in the States, I know I’ll be looking for someone else. I wouldn’t trust them to do it right. There were at least three mistakes on a monument of this importance. Why would I think they’d be more careful with my monument? I’d worry that I’d have to double-check everything myself, and even then, I’d still worry about mistakes.

Many people expressed disappointment that this monument to Kobe contained simple errors. They wondered how the mistakes weren’t caught earlier. The people have spoken—spelling and grammar matter.

While some weren’t that bothered by the mistake, many were. Can you afford to take that risk? Are you willing to gamble that enough people won’t be bothered by typos and awkward English on your site? Let me ask you a quick question. 

Has anyone ever complained about accurate, flowing English on your site? Didn’t think so. There’s a chance you’ll lose some customers with errors—or at least make them reconsider. There’s no chance you’ll lose customers because of error-free English. The right choice is obvious to me.

So what about you? Would this monument builder be your first choice? Or would you be looking for another option?

Koreans don’t care about English spelling and grammar—are you sure about that?

Let’s bring things a little closer to home. When this article appeared online, several people shared it with me (thank you!). The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) wants to employ foreign nationals. So what was the problem?

There were typos on the application form. The worst one was that they spelled their own name wrong. Yes, you read that correctly. The misspelled name (Korea AreoSpace Administration) appears at the top of the form. Looking at the image in the news article, I would also argue that an “Application Form” is not a “Resume.” I assume applicants must also submit their resume with the application, as is the norm. 

Later in the form, they misspelled “country” as “countr.” But they spelled it correctly on the next line. I can see how that mistake could’ve happened during the editing process. It may have been a copy-and-paste error. But if a pro had proofread the form, it would’ve been caught. Well, I would’ve caught it.

These errors likely didn’t affect the collection of information via the application forms. But they did have quite an effect. According to the Korea Herald article, “Experts in Korea’s science and technology sector criticized the lack of preparedness as it makes people doubt the government’s expertise and sincerity in recruiting top talent, despite the government’s claims that it wants to bring the best experts to KASA.”

Not just the experts were bothered by these mistakes

In the same article, an international student also commented on the typos. “The fact that there was a typo in the government’s official document makes me feel like (KASA) is not approaching the foreign recruitment process seriously.” 

The official response was, “Our employees made a mistake while working on drafting the application format,” the office said. “We will be more careful not to make this kind of mistake in the future.” 

I can pretty much guarantee similar mistakes will happen in the future—unless they consult with a native English-speaking proofreader. The errors in the Kobe monument happened in the States. Native English speakers missed those typos. Thus, it’s logical that non-native English speakers will also make mistakes.

If KASA hires more foreign talent, it will likely create more English content. And unless checked by a pro, it will likely be riddled with mistakes and awkward English. Let’s see what they do. Hopefully, they’ll remember that spelling and grammar matter and do the right thing.

The government claims it cares about English spelling and grammar, but does it really?

A follower recently sent me this picture. It indicates spelling and grammar don’t matter to the “Seoul Immigrartrion Office.” 

Here are several other changes I’d make—if anyone from the Seoul Immigration Office cares. 

1. Name, date of birth and nationality on your passport
2. Occupation (job) in your country of residence
3. Address/accommodation during your stay in Korea
4. Purpose of visit
5. Your signature

Refer to the examples below to complete the “Address in Korea” section

Korea Immigration Service 😉 

BTW, an autograph is not the same as your signature. An autograph is a famous person’s signature.

This is literally the first impression visitors to Korea have of the country. And that first impression is spelling mistakes and awkward English. Great start.

Feels like when the government says it cares about awkward English, it’s just a form of lip service

Every few years, I see articles about inaccurate English in Korea. The government claims it will crack down on these mistakes. For example, this article was posted in 2019. It’s been five years, and I can’t say I’ve seen a marked improvement in the quality of public-facing English in Seoul. Or Incheon, for that matter.

That may be partially due to the government’s method of tracking down these mistakes. In 2016, this “great idea” emerged—Seoul wants foreigners to track down mistakes on signs. Here’s a thought—instead of relying on residents to do the work, why not hire a professional? You know, someone who systematically reviews and creates a method for correcting signs. The article claims the city would review errors with experts, but I’d be keen to know who those experts were. It wouldn’t surprise me if native English-speaking professionals weren’t in that group.

The article also states Seoul will deploy inspection teams of English-speaking students to find errors. These students will identify several errors. They’ll also likely miss some and flag others that aren’t mistakes. This is precisely what happened in one of the images in the article. It incorrectly flags Br as the incorrect abbreviation for “bridge”. Even worse, it claims it should be “Brg.” 

If Br isn’t used, then Brdg would be more common. Perhaps a bigger concern should be whether to use a period or not. That would depend on whether Korea decides to use American or British English. American English uses periods in abbreviations, while British English doesn’t.

If you think English spelling and grammar matter, hire a professional

This is the kind of knowledge and expertise students and residents don’t have. This is why you need a professional if you’re going to do the job properly. 

Consider the reactions to the typos in the Kobe monument and the KASA application form. It’s clear these mistakes affect people’s perception of your business/organization. What matters more to you? Saving the money it would cost to pay a professional to help portray your business/organization as professional? Or losing potential business because of a poor brand image?

Korean government organizations that want a professional, native English-speaking proofreader should contact DC CopyPro. Stop asking tourists and students to do the job. Without a professional native English speaker, these issues will continue to arise. 

Like it or not, typos and awkward English don’t make for a great first impression. Spelling and grammar matter. DC CopyPro can help you with that. Comment below or send me an email to ask for help.

Subscribe to this blog or follow me on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter for more content and updates.