On 09/03/2014 03:29, Bjoern Hoehrmann wrote:
> * <l.wood@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> You'll find it stated in a number of places that the working language of
>> the IETF is English. Well, yes.
>>
>> What is not stated is how good that English has to be to participate
>> fully in technical discussion to get the most out of IETF participation.
>>
>> I would suggest that an IELTS score of 7.0 or higher, or equivalent,
>> in all categories is a good indicator of being able to participate fully.
>> If someone is unable to achieve that level, they, and everyone
>> interacting with them, will find written exchanges very frustrating,
>> to the detriment of discussion overall.
>>
>> If we're going to write RFCs codifying behaviour, we can codify this, too.
>
> Sounds like we need more people who object to that.
We all, whether native English speakers or not, need to
work hard to write and speak clearly and simply. This is
not easy.
>From my experience, an IELTS score is not a good indicator
of real-world competence. Also, we have plenty of native
speakers whose writing is difficult to understand.
Brian