2014-03-08 15:15 GMT+01:00 <l.wood@xxxxxxxxxxxx>: > > 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. IELTS 7 is "Good user: has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings in some situations. Generally handles complex language well and understands detailed reasoning." What creates a good communication is when the most comfortable person in the exchange brings his own level down to the level of the least comfortable person. A bit like version negotiation in most protocols. Good English is backward compatible with Bad English ! Guillaume