Dear Cameron, All, thank you for your work on the diversity statement, I appreciate this initiative of OSGeo. I'm opening this thread to discuss one aspect of the statement, which is language diversity. The draft of the code of conduct currently reads:
"We have a multi-lingual community and are considerate toward non-native speakers, such as by speaking clearly and avoiding slang." I acknowledge the good intention behind this sentence, but as a non native English speaker I don't feel comfortable with it. I have some experience in living and working in a multi-language environment, and one of the most enriching experience is to learn from my peers about their languages and ways of expressing. Personally, I don't feel as a barrier that a person uses expressions / idioms / slang in their email, on the contrary, I would learn that. I believe that the main goal of people writing in a public forum is to be understood by the widest public, thus everyone, according to their command of the language, will try to express themselves as best they can. On the other hand, putting as a requirement that the English should be clear, would forbid the expression of the people that are aware of their non excellence in the language. My 2 cents, madi -- Best regards, Dr. Margherita DI LEO Scientific / technical project officer European Commission - DG JRC Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) Via Fermi, 2749 I-21027 Ispra (VA) - Italy - TP 261 Tel. +39 0332 78 3600 [email protected] Disclaimer: The views expressed are purely those of the writer and may not in any circumstance be regarded as stating an official position of the European Commission.
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