@Spring
Beware of dictionaries.

The words you were probably wanting to use were 'proofread' and 'advice on editing'.

"The reason why I want to pay, is I'm thinking the different culture. Some western people don't like Chinese people asking for help for free."

Yeah, well you know, us barbarian races are all about raping, pillaging and the like. If there is nothing in it for us, no way we will do it.

@spring - ignore the trolls. Your original request for assistance was perfectly clear and succinct.

@Chingis
Spring made it clear that she offered to pay mainly because it might be stranger whom she requests help from. Also, there is plenty of evidence in GoKunming forums of foreigners shooting down Chinese asking for free help.

Spring never said anything close to the vitriol you spouted. You put those words out there.

I agree with laotou that Spring's request was pretty clear, till Dazzer baited with that crap reply and confused the whole thread. Not even sure Dazzer can write, revise, or whatever you want to use a phd level econometrics paper, but Dazzer threw it out there for personal amusement.

I totally agree with tigertiger on dictionaries. I do not know tigertiger, but reading all of his posts here at GoKunming Forum, I consider him to be a most qualified teacher and English teacher. He's one excellent example of expats offering useful information & advice on GKM Forum without thinking of personal gains.

English to Chinese dictionaries often give incomplete, sometimes contradictory or even erroneous definitions. I learned this from my sting as a volunteer helping young students in Zhuhai a few years back. Merriam Webster, the "bible" of American English for students, is inconsistent in different editions. Dictionaries simply cannot fully explain each word used in every context. Even Spring's 3 Chinese "修订, 修改, 改变" definitions for "revise" in the post above seem to have different meanings, especially when used separately & independently. Using a particular dictionary in reverse, "修订" = amendment or revise; "修改" = modify; "改变" = change.

Spring, in my original post above, I was merely trying to help you understand the negative response to your original post. It was not an indictment! You need to read more carefully. A "connotation" is different from a "meaning" or definition. Words used in different context have different meanings. Sentences using words with multiple meanings without precision and/or proper elaboration is opened to interpretations. Believe it or not, every comment above, whether it's in support or in criticism, can be of value to you in some way. Often, one can learn more from criticism than from praise! This is an opportunity for you to learn English in an unconventional way, and perhaps with a little humility; you will learn one of the most important language & communication lessons in your "young" life.

I'd like to share with you the following Mark Twain anecdote:

"When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years."

@aiyaryarr
Twain's humor is rather difficult for non-native speakers...

@aiyaryarr
Thank you so much, I've learned a lot from here.

This should read "looking for a reviser" not "...the reviser", so you know this person's paper is full of mistakes. This is basically, of course, cheating. Their paper is crap and they want someone to rewrite it to make it perfectly fluent.

I have never done this for a student in this type of situation, but I have been pressured into doing revising with the promise of pay and I have never seen a single RMB for some hard work I have done. In one case the people simply said they were not happy with my work, it was not good enough for them. And yet the rats still used everything I did in their little booklet. Do foreigners here studying for the HSK do this? Ask Chinese people to rewrite/revise their papers and homework? I doubt it. Spring says she has helped foreigners do revisions, but I seriously doubt this is the truth. It is just her way of making some guilt ridden laowai do her work for her. She may have helped with something, but not final papers. Turn in your paper as it is. If it is okay you'll pass, if not you won't. Why trouble others with your school cheating issues. But this also seems like some paper she wants to submit to a journal it seems, and that makes its worse really. Will the person who does the revising/rewriting share credit for the paper? If yes, maybe not so bad. But of course she is not going to share credit with anybody or ever admit she got help with it.

This person's character is summed up in her response to Dazzer. It was obvious he was being sarcastic but she just sees an opportunity. She's a user. Everybody jumps on him but he was brilliant in how he reviled Spring's true intentions. And if Spring were a Chinese guy there would be a lot less chivalry here.

"By the way, good people always see good things, evil people always see bad things." "And foreign people get screwed by self-serving Chinese people daily if they are not careful."

"...But now in my case, I am looking for someone who I don't know him/her, so I may need to pay." "But maybe I can find find someone I know and make them work for free because once I bought them a 3 kuai bowl of rice noodles so they owe me."

aiyaryarr:

In my view, you are misleading our local friend when you, whom I guess to be a native speaker, state that ""to revise", which carry the connotation of "to re-write"". At which academic institution has your professors assumed revising meant rewriting? Also, let's note that revising may be pointers on what is erred that the writer himself can then fix.

Also, although I don't believe Spring catches it, your use of more extensive vocabulary and degrading prose is what I truly do not appreciate of English speakers. Asserting dominance in discussions through mastery of one's own language is disappointing. It is clear that Spring has basic grasp of English, yet you capitalize on your position and clearly choose to use a deprecating tone. And the follow up post of a more conciliatory stance is only a move to pretentious humility.

I've seen this a few times not only on web boards but in important joint meetings. The "I'm superior in some way to you" mindset of either party always has negative implications and hinders progress to the actual goal. Take this thread: if readers interpreted it correctly, Spring would have found and paid for a native speaker to revise his essay. Done. Instead it has become what it has become.

However, everyone has his or her bad days. It is just the more mature thing to be positive and helpful rather than arrogant and scornful.

For my part I feel my last post was a bit over the top and apologize for the tone. I have the flu and returned from a week long school related trip to some remote regions of Yunnan (not a holiday by any stretch) and was worn out and sick. Even if, the worst case scenario, it is low level cheating I do not have to make some personal attack out it against someone I do not even know.

丹丹