For a while, webmasters loved it. They had a huge online pool of intelligent, university educated Indian graduates prepared to work for bargain basement prices. However, the tide might be slowly turning back in favour of the natives as webmasters realise that they might not be getting quite what they had wanted.
J. Watanabe discusses in his Beyond Konspiracy blog about an occasion when he tried to find an Indian copywriter for a UK client. Despite finding numerous copywriters he thought were acceptable (including a leading Indian writer with a Masters degree and who read English publications daily) none were taken on because the UK client found that, “Though a fair number of Indian copywriters write well…their writing looks funny.”
Indian copywriters use the same vocabulary and grammar as Western writers, but there are inherent differences between the two versions. I often find Indian writing a bit disjointed and cumbersome to read. Many a time have I retraced a paragraph on an Indian news site because I felt I had lost the meaning halfway through.
To an Indian their English writing structure is correct and flows according to their conventions. The nuances and differences in how the language is applied, however, means that it never quite reads as if it were written by a native English speaker.
Even if you were to train an Indian copywriter on some of the distinctions of Western English I think they would still struggle to write like a native because they are not fully immersed in the language.
Writing is like sculpting a block of ice. You start by pouring out all your garbled points and thoughts into your first draft to create your block, ugly and unrefined. Then the real work begins of chipping, chiselling and fashioning the ice to try and create a beautiful sculpture, with every word and sentence shaped to reflect your desired impression.
Indians approach their block of ice with different shaped tools and a different plan in mind. Their sculpture isn’t necessarily any less attractive. It’s just designed to be appreciated by a different audience.
Brian Clark wrote a post this week about using metaphors to improve the impact of your copy. When you consider how our language has evolved, with the subtle use of such devices, it makes it virtually impossible for a foreign writer to be able to compete in the same ball park.
There will always be webmasters who just want cheap copy to fill up space. However, if a business really cares about ensuring they communicate their message then there are just some corners that can’t be cut.
[Matt Ambrose is a freelance writer and web copywriter. He is from the UK and is author of The Copywriter´s Crucible, a weekly melting pot of news and opinion focusing on the evolving role of the copywriter in internet marketing. You can find out more about Matt on his website http://thewritewords.me.uk or his blog 'The Copywriter's Crucible' http://thewritewords.me.uk/blog.]