what are the most common language errors in commercial texts and how to avoid them,
where to look for information on linguistic correctness and why Word's autocorrection can be tricky,
what to do to avoid publishing content with errors.
First, an important caveat: I am writing this article from a practitioner's perspective – my day job includes proofreading. That's why I'm highlighting kuwait telegram phone number list language errors that I often notice in the texts I read. I'm also omitting the issue of spelling errors. First of all, because most text editors detect them quite effectively. Secondly, because the really glaring ones happen relatively rarely (but when they do, they're astounding...).
Linguistic errors, what are they?
What is a linguistic error really and what criteria determine it? An error is considered to be a deviation from the linguistic norm in force in a given language [1] . However, it must be remembered that language itself is quite fluid and is subject to constant change. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to keep up with what is currently the norm, what is no longer, and what will soon cease to be an error. An example? The spelling of "nie" with inflected participles. Currently, we generally write them together (e.g. niepalający, niewycinżony), but this change was officially introduced... only 20 years ago by a resolution of the Polish Language Council [2] .
It is worth recalling that the so-called hypercorrectness , i.e. excessively restrictive adherence to linguistic rules, is also considered an error. This means that thinking too long about every nuance of a statement is also a road to nowhere. Therefore, a balance must be maintained between concern for correctness and a common-sense, practical approach - especially when functional texts are at stake, not oratory displays.
Are linguistic errors really that bad?
Since I took on the task of reading and proofreading other authors’ texts, I have noticed many linguistic phenomena that had not previously caught my attention. I have become, oh my, a “special needs reader” (as one of my lecturers used to say about Polish studies students). I have started to notice missing (or completely unnecessary) commas in newspaper articles, incorrect use of cases on advertising leaflets, inconsistencies in the notation on product packaging… Let’s be honest – I have lost some of the pleasure of reading at the cost of gaining much greater linguistic awareness.
The question is, do errors really make any impression on the “ordinary reader” who focuses on the substance of the text rather than on linguistic nuances? Do they change the way they perceive the content? That depends on several factors.
It depends on how serious the error is – glaring ones (e.g. serious spelling errors) will be glaring and may cause the reader to simply give up on following the content because it will lose credibility.
The number of errors in the content - one small one may go unnoticed, but twenty made over the course of ten sentences will draw attention.
The extent to which they disrupt the message – the basic purpose of language, both in speech and writing, is to effectively convey some information. The more errors, the greater the communication chaos.
From the communication channel – when errors appear in private conversations, they may go unnoticed, but in official correspondence or promotional content they can lead to a serious deterioration of the image of the person/brand that makes them.
The individual level of linguistic awareness of the reader and his or her "degree of tolerance" for various types of stumbles are also important.
Conclusion? While in private and less formal communication, language errors are sometimes acceptable, when you publish content for a large audience, you cannot afford them.
Mistakes:
make the content perceived as not very credible in terms of content,
they can cause negative feelings – which will result in a deterioration of the brand’s image,
will discourage you from reading further,
make it difficult to convey a message effectively – they often make the content simply unclear
Typical linguistic errors in user-friendly content
It's time to get down to specifics, i.e. to errors that can often be found in utility texts – those of a journalistic and advertising nature – especially on the Internet.
1. Lack of consistency in content
This is a flaw that can often be spotted by reading several texts on the same website. When there is a lack of consistency and coherence in the content (also in terms of style) on subsequent subpages, the reader may feel disoriented. The most common errors in this category concern:
the way the brand name is written – you should adopt one and stick to it. Note! This applies both to whether the name is declined or not, and to how it is written graphically (capital letters? small caps?),
addressing the reader – when you start writing texts starting with “You”, stick to this form on all subpages, and if you address the readers as “You” everywhere – also be consistent.
