Dumbing it down - Is Text Talk Devaluing the English Language? Write House Founder, Daniel Waldron, Investigates

In my general perusing of my Sunday newspaper recently, I came across a very alarming article, which showed a PDF image of a recent GCSE English examination completed by a 16 year old student at a top UK secondary school.

At first I thought nothing of it, expecting the article to be heaping praise on another successful student from one of the UK’s leading academic institutions. Imagine my horror then, when upon closer observation of the said PDF image, I noticed an exam paper littered with ‘text talk’.

The said image had focused in on an essay question requesting the exam participant to provide a detailed analysis of two characters featured in Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’. I was shocked to see phrases like: ‘She really h8D him’ and ‘They cud not av been more in luv <3’.

For those of you unfamiliar with text speak (or txt spk) I will translate the aforementioned. ‘h8D’ should be taken to mean ‘hated’ and the ‘They cud not av been more in luv <3’ should be taken to mean ‘They could not have been more in love’.

I couldn’t believe what was I was seeing. Has the youth of British society succumb so much to social media, smartphones and other such demons that defile the English language that they have lost all appreciation of the English tongue?

Don’t get me wrong, I am an avid user of social media and smartphones etc…But never would I resort to sub-standard English, which, in my opinion and it’s my opinion only, reduces the value of the English language and portrays our youth as a generation completely devoid of any language intellect.

Am I looking at this from the wrong perspective? Is it that the English language I know is becoming obsolete and as a copywriter I am rather sensitive about the subject? Or, should I see the positives and embrace the idea that the next generation has developed a whole new English language that will shape the future of society, not just in Britain, but all over the world.

I almost convinced myself then. Absolutely not, I refuse to accept that ‘text talk’ is the replacement of years of our beautiful language, represented in many different accents across the UK and in many different cultures across the world.

Embracing the idea that my children would not understand me when I tell them ‘I love you’ unless I wrote it ‘ i luv u’ or I <3 u’, I just can’t entertain the notion. Again, for those of you unfamiliar with ‘text talk’ this image <3 is meant to depict a heart shape.

Maybe I’m being too harsh; critics of my opinion would suggest that ‘text talk’ is not dumbed down English. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Those who support ‘text talk’ believe it’s a very inventive form of shorthand, which requires a high level of grammatical intelligence in order to alter letters with numbers to create a ‘word’.

Whilst the article I read is only one instance of such an incident, a number of education experts have said it has become a widespread problem. Whilst the ‘language’ is perfectly eligible to the youth of today, traditionalists struggle to interpret text language.

Having been in copywriting for a number of years, maybe it’s my age and the generation in which I was taught was very particular about the use of English language. Supporters of ‘text talk’ stress that the majority of children passing through the current education system are intelligent enough to decipher between where to use text talk and where not to.

In fact a recent study conducted by Coventry University revealed that the more text speak teenagers used in text messages, the higher they scored in tests of reading and vocabulary.

So maybe I've been proved wrong, perhaps text talk is not dumbing down the next generation, it’s actually enhancing their ability.

Maybe it’s just a sign that I don’t like change… I am certainly a traditionalist ‘I 8 txt spk’ – I was being ironic. I’m going to stick to my copywriting roots, good old fashioned English language, served neat. ‘Viva la resistance’.      

Has the Art of Copywriting been Devalued? Write House Founder Daniel Waldron Investigates

If you are a professional copywriter, and I use the term professional in the sense that it’s meant to be used in, which is highly-skilled and passionate about your work, with your primary focus being to deliver exceptionally high standards of customer service, then you will no doubt be as depressed as me about how undervalued the skill of copywriting has become.

Words, not even my beloved words, can express the utter derision I feel every time I go onto a freelance jobs board and scroll through the writing projects on offer, displaying what can only be described as shed loads of work with employers offering a pittance in return.

Posts such as this… (**** inserted for the purposes of anonymity. Highlighted words are the mistake of the client) – Client expected to pay £8.00 per 550 word article.

“Top **** **** is an online bingo comparison website for UK bingo players looking for the next best bingo site to play on.

Now in its third year, I am looking to maximise its potential and grow the site three fold over the next 3 months. Crucial to achieving this will be increasing our reach online.

I am therefore looking for a reliable freelance copyrighter to compose around 5 articles a week and distribute these articles via guest blogging.

If you have an interest and/or experience in writing articles for the online bingo / gambling sector then this job may be for you!

You must have perfect written English and an ability to make articles useful and engaging to the reader. Being UK based would also be an advantage.

Contacts within online bingo / gambling sector would be an advantage, but not essential. As long as you're happy to establish them!

I am looking to pay £8 per 550 word article successfully submitted as a guest blog post.”

Source: peopleperhour.com

…are a prime example of what employers expect from copywriters in return for peanuts and a few magic beans, both of which are great food sources, but wouldn’t nourish the common rat, let alone a family for which my income has to support.

‘They are ruining the industry, I hear you cry.’ Well actually they’re not, they’re enhancing it. Go with me on this. Much of the work I see advertised on these sites, around 75% of the time, goes to the lowest bidder, usually a ‘copy righter’ pun intended, from a country with no grasp of the English language, weather (again pun intended) it be spelling, grammar or sentence structure.

The reason I say that such posts are enhancing the industry is for this reason only. Does the term ‘buy it cheap, buy it twice’ resonate with you?

In conducting an experiment of my own across a number of freelance writing job boards I discovered that, no sooner had the lowest bidder completed the project requested of them, 68% of those who had commissioned the work had re-posted the job at a higher rate, within 7 days, in order for a pro-writer to undo the mess the previous contractor had made.

Whilst I still cringe at the site of people offering $2 for a project that can be classed as ‘technical copywriting’, with the employer expecting a professional copywriter, to produce a 500+, well written and researched article, I say carry on.

For those business owners and individuals who make the mistake of hiring a writer, for a pittance, and continue to post jobs offering pathetic rates, they will soon discover the error of their ways once their business brand, reputation and image suffers as a consequence of poor copy that I know my 3 year old son could have written ‘much more better’.

Family and the Freelancer

As a freelance copywriter, with a young family, finding those moments free from distraction can be a challenging experience. I have two boys, one who will be three in March and a two week old newborn, which has completely changed the dynamic of family life and the way in which I approach my freelance career.

Juggling family and freelance work requires effort and patience and the two have to be clearly differentiated from each other in order to find the right balance. I don’t think I will ruffle many feathers by stating that family always comes first, regardless of workload.

However, it’s important, as a freelancer with a significant amount of work, to communicate with the family and simply have an open dialogue as to what constitutes ‘family time’ and what constitutes ‘freelance time’.

If you’re fortunate to live in a household with a spare room, many seasoned freelance workers would recommend setting up office in that room, with a door lock, in order to concentrate solely on work, free from disruption. Also, having surroundings that create a work environment free you from the urge to lounge on the sofa or on the bed, two places which do not inspire a ‘working mentality’.

The temptation to get involved in ‘family activities’, without a haven to retreat to for work purposes, is overwhelming and I speak from experience, bearing in mind that I myself live in a two-up, two-down, terraced house, which offers little space to separate ‘work’ from family.

With the recent addition of a newborn to the family, the time-frame in which I have to work has altered somewhat. My own personal preference is to work during the day; however, I’ve had to adapt my ‘working day’ to evening shifts when both children are resting.

Whilst working in the evening presents a whole new set of challenges, as a freelancer, I have to be adaptable and come to a compromise in order to best serve my customers and my family.

The best piece of advice I can give to aspiring writers, with a young family, is to make use of every pocket of time. Don’t envy the small jobs that come through from clients as you learn to adjust to carrying out your work commitments within a family environment. In terms of adapting, the phrase ‘little and often’ is very applicable when faced with the scenario of an expanding family and freelance work.

This is where having a good base of clients that you know well is extremely beneficial, as they will be much more understanding of your circumstances due to the rapport and relationship that you have built with them.

Above all, the key factor to juggling ‘family’ and ‘freelance work’ is to keep on communicating. 

Having the support of your family that understands when ‘work time’ is, and having clients that trust you and your reputation will stand you in good stead to manage the work-life balance.

 
Provided that you constantly keep all parties informed, with realistic goals and targets, don’t promise what you are unable to deliver, then you can maintain a prosperous freelance career and maintain family harmony, well to a degree at least!!! 

Write House provides a comprehensive range of services that will help your business to increase its prominence including copywriting, proofreading and editing services, social media assistance and media consultancy services.

 

Write House, Wolverhampton –Writing ‘What You Know’ Versus Pushing the Boundaries

In this blog, Write House founder, Daniel Waldron, looks at arguments for sticking to writing ‘what you know’ and broadening the horizons.

Write House founder, Daniel Waldron, comments: “As a copywriter, I come across the phrase ‘write what you know’ on a regular basis. Whilst to some degree it’s a great piece of advice, it also raises the question of whether it limits creative capacity. As a writer, should I be afraid to expand my horizons because I’m not an expert on the subject? I’m not convinced.”

Perhaps the obvious point to raise here is that becoming an expert in a particular topic or topics means that a writer would have had to push boundaries in order to achieve expert knowledge in that particular subject. Therefore, it makes sense then that a writer should not be afraid to keep on expanding their knowledge across a diverse range of subjects, doesn't it?

Well, according to some experts, no. Psychology experts argue that certain people simply have a natural affinity with certain subjects and tests show that this is true of writers. With this evidence in mind, many copywriters are of the belief that writing about what you know is the best route to writing success.

There is an argument for this belief, after all, some of the best articles ever written are produced by writers writing about subjects that they are passionate about, have an in-depth knowledge of and are ready and willing to carry out extensive research in order to do their specialist topic justice.

However, sceptics of this way of writing argue that it restricts creativity and limits the scope of what many writers can write about. The obvious question is, how will a writer know what they are good at writing about unless they push the boundaries of their writing capabilities?

Daniel Waldron states: “Yes I do have certain specialisms in terms of writing capabilities; however, I would never have discovered them unless I stepped outside my comfort zone. I’m not sure about natural affinity as I am a strong advocate of ‘if you apply yourself to something there’s no limit to what you can achieve’.”

In some respects, whilst a writer, who has a vast knowledge of a particular subject, has an ‘advantage’ over a writer who doesn't there’s no reason why the ‘less knowledgeable’ writer cannot become a specialist in a particular subject.

However, critics here would argue that the acquisition of knowledge is not the issue, the issue is passion. Is the writer stirred by the subject? Does it interest them? Does it provoke a reaction to dig deeper?

Even if it does, the argument then comes down to this – does it matter? After all, a writer should be writing for the audience not personal preference. But, this in itself is also a stumbling block, as writers need to develop the skill of removing themselves from the article on a personal level as the written word often conveys what’s on the heart. Unfortunately, many writers have suffered as they’ve been unable to remove themselves from an article on a personal level, leading to an unwanted backlash from audiences.

Write House states: “Any piece of written work is always subjective, it’s open to interpretation and will be viewed from many different perspectives. Copywriting in itself is an art and the best advice for copywriters is to do what feels comfortable. If you’re seeing results from sticking to a particular subject continue to write in that manner. If you’re a writer who likes a challenge, expand your horizons.”

Founded in 2009, Write House emerged with assistance from the Princes' Trust. Business owner, Daniel Waldron, established the company with the vision of putting the 'personal service' back into the media industry.