How much value is there in editing poor English?

Question

I was editing this question trying to just have it make sense, and I stopped because I think I fixed it enough and its actually kind of funny: ("I suffered for 15 days but I will run properly").

So I started to wonder which is more valuable, preserving the integrity of the OP's quirks and broken English (I commend everyone so much for their amazing explanations of complex topics in a foreign language) or preserving a valuable question (with proper grammar and spelling) as a data source for archival/data mining purposes?

Answer 1

As you can see in my answer here, I am in general a minimalist when it comes to editing others' posts. However, when it comes editing questions to improve grammar, spelling and punctuation -- and especially when these mistakes seem to stem from the OP not having a native level proficiency with the language in which they are writing -- I think it is much more valuable to make the edits.

Some advantages:

1. It makes the post easier for others to read and understand.
2. It elevates the level of discourse on the site, which contributes to a learned and professional atmosphere. [Anecdote: yesterday, while waiting to get blood drawn, I couldn't stop staring at a sign that contained the phrase "furthur precautions". I finally realized that it was actually freaking me out a little: it eroded my confidence in the competence of the lab. And despite the fact that everything went smoothly, in the back of my mind there is still the idea of going somewhere else where the spelling is always comfortingly correct!]
3. It may in fact teach the OP something. In my experience on math.SE, most regular users who are not writing in their native language are well aware of the pitfalls of this and thankful to have others looking out for them. [This may be the most site-specific part of my answer. The mathematical community is truly worldwide, but there are not yet many high quality non-Anglophone math Q&A websites.]

Possible disadvantages:

1. You are losing the distinctive character and/or humor of imperfectly written language.
2. You are messing with what are not mistakes but in fact intentional stylistic choices on the part of the OP.

As for #1, I don't personally view this as much of a disadvantage at all, since as above, in my experience most serious users who write imperfectly wish they wrote better. In particular, they probably don't want to be laughed at or taken less seriously because of their writing. I do take #2 very seriously though.

How do you know when your edits are actually cramping someone's style? Ask. If there is any doubt in your mind, you can leave a comment describing your edit and asking if the user is okay with it. Conversely, if someone edits your answer to fix a "typo" that was actually intentional on your part, you can leave a comment explaining that what you wrote was not a mistake. As usual, maintaining a polite and collegial tone in such matters goes a long way to keeping everyone happy.

Answer 2

At all times, preserving a question in a matter that's readable and understandable by all should be the priority. The edit revisions are always available for your other purposes.

Answer 3

Definitely try to make it proper English.

Questions asked in broken English and terrible grammar are difficult to read, and that will discourage users from answering the question as they could just give up trying to understand the question.

If you understand the question, then, correct it as much as will preserves the original question.

Personally, for me, good English is a must.

Answer 4

It's worth noting that, if you can't decipher the OP's intent, it's an unsalvageable question and should be voted to close or flagged as "Low Quality," rather than trying to clean up the question.