Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Has anyone had any experience in sitting an English / aptitude test with a Canadian employer?

My question is in regards to the spelling differences in the UK vs Canada.

As an applicant, did you have to adapt your 'way' of spelling certain words to the Canadian way? Which would require a bit of pre-study, and a conscious effort to remind yourself of the Canadian way.

An extreme long shot, but by any chance did the employer take into account your UK education and let you away with spelling it the 'right' way in the test? lol

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Hi


1. You realize that the Canadian spellings are the same as the UK? Even though some people do use the American spellings.
2. Note that this form accepts the American spellings only.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Hi. Appreciate your reply. As much as I would love to take what you say as true, I would happily shut my trap if you are correct and i am wrong, but....

In my experience in the past, the spelling used by a Canadian employer / test books are different. Canadian / American spelling techniques are used.

British, Canadian and American Spelling

A text I found on a website...
While, in general, it is closer to the English, the American variant is sometimes preferred, and often either would be considered acceptable (although the English is still usually considered “more correct”).

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

How very charming !
PMM is one of the more knowledgeable contributors to this board. As a newbie you might be well advised to wind your own neck in if you want further help from folks here.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Eh. You read my post wrong mate. I said I (me) would shoosh if i was wrong. Lol

Edited to make that a little clearer... I come in peace internet friend lol

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

From the above:

either would be considered acceptable (although the English is still usually considered “more correct”).

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Also from the above:

the American variant is sometimes preferred...

More from the text found :
It can even be argued that there is a regional bias within Canada: in general terms, Ontario, British Columbia and Newfoundland are usually closer to the British usage, and Albert and the Prairie provinces closer to the American.

So we can conclude that it is clear as mud. lol :rofl:

That aside then, the thread is to find anyone who has any first hand experience with sitting exams/tests with a Canadian employer or any other kind of establishment, and what they did when they encountered this spelling dilemma! :thumbsup:

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

It does not really matter which you use, provided you are consistent.

The one time I worked, briefly, for a Canadian company the rule was to use US spelling because most of its clients were in the USA.

Even the Globe & Mail mixes US and Brit spelling in the same article.

Here is a radical idea. Why not just phone the company and ask if it uses US or Brit spelling? Or look at the company website?

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

What kind of aptitude tests/spelling tests are you pondering over?:unsure:

My husband has just sat a Canadian medical exam- he didn't give spelling a second thought and mentions he carries on to spell medical words as he was taught rather than the "Americanised" version e.g Oesphagus vs Esophagus.... he will also have to sit the IELTS for an application for PR- again though why worry? If you are a fluent English speaker and can at least spell correctly in English it will be recognized. I suppose problems might arise if your grammar, punctuation and spelling leaves little to be desired.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

You have just awoken my inner pedant.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Well hullo ther "bored housewife". lol

Im thinkin of going for a career as a Ice cream taster. Think id be great at that.

Aye, my inglish is pure dead magic by the way, ah dae no bad at that spellin carry on..
Cheers :thumbup:

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Ha ha I spotted one and changed it. The other must have slipped through on the iPhone spelling!

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Does putting lol after everything automatically mean that you're funny? Or just that you think you are?

Maybe I should have waived a disclaimer by your spelling I didn't mean specifically yours the op, more a generalised your.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Just think I am I suppose. Only havin a joke with ye. That's what BE is all about is it not? Light hearted banter! . . LOL

But in all seriousness, I think your spelling differences with the 2 words in your above post kind of proves my point in regards to the topic of the thread.

But you know what. Its not that important. I can see we (people on BE ) will not come to an agreement. The spelling differences between the UK + Canada/America are different. And there are variations in usage / enforcement depending on a variety of factors.
As pointed out above it'll be a good idea to consult with any prospective employers or test organisers to determine what can be accepted.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Well I think the Maple Leaf is light hearted, but if you're going to ask what appear to be serious questions as if you actually want to hear the answers then I wouldn't expect the funnies.

What the spelling shows is that Souvy is a bit pedantic (me too actually) and that the iPhone (Canadian) auto corrected and I picked up on one spelling and not the other. Given that nobody will be using a phone to complete an English test that is a non issue as well an s or a z being that important.

Anyway haven't you got the federal skilled application in already and have already had to complete the IELTS or equivalent for it?

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Junior schools my kids went to used American spelling and pronunciation, as most of the downloaded work the teachers use s from American sites. The high schools used Canadian (mostly British) English.

We deliberately use American spelling on our products as we ship to the US. We use Canadian in house.

American spelling or Canadian English is accepted in Canada, in the US only American is accepted (because they seem to think it is the only one and anything else is misspelled).

If you research it enough, you'll find any answer you want. The only one who can definitively answer your question, is the organisation setting the test.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

You are wrong. And you are worrying about it way too much.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Yes I am asking 'serious' / straightforward questions. Clearly directed towards people who may have experience with that particular query, and hoping for a simple response? I'm not expecting 'funnies' as you say?

You have confirmed (with your Canadian Iphone) that I am right in my thinking that giving consideration to a spelling test is at least worth enquiring about.

The fact that when spelling is being checked, using an s or a z is actually important. And it is not just that 'rule'.

If you or I were to spell 'neighbor' in our higher English exam, it would be marked down as incorrect would it not? It would have been in my school anyway.

So again my query still stands, if a Canadian person marking a test on spelling, would they be strict or lenient and understand that someone from the UK has been taught differently. Just wondering if anyone on this forum has any experience of this.. I feel not, but no harm in asking LOL :p

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

What exactly am I wrong about ? Infact, doesnt matter.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

I agree.
Thank you

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

In fact you might want to brush up on either. ;)

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

15000........:crown::drinkingbeer:

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

What sort of job would you be going for? I don't think you've said.

I think you may need to focus on bigger things than swapping driving licenses, whether CPR certifications are transferrable, whether Newmarket is commutable (to where?) and about spelling on some hypothetical test that some hypothetical employer might want you to write in some hypothetical future.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

I think you're worrying about this too much. A generic English spelling test isn't going to test you on American/Canadian/British English differences, unless that was specifically expressed. They're going to test your spelling capabilities to see whether you can spell anything in English at all, to confirm you have a grasp of the English language. Based on your typing skills above, I wouldn't be worrying about this. When in doubt, keep the U and use the Z.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Wrong in not listening to PMM. Just use English spelling. Any test an adult is taking is far more interested in how you think or how well you will fit their business culture. Spelling is the least of your worries. They have smell chequers to take care of that now.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Many years ago I was given an English aptitude test in the US and I was in a bad mood so I used British spellings, for which I was marked down. I then got into an argument with the examiner, because it does list the British spellings in Webster's.

Canada uses the OED, so what the "common" spelling is doesn't really matter for an English test, it's still in the dictionary.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Nevermind your other pedants, this is backwards, innit? If something leaves little to be desired, then it's very good.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Nooooo....my understanding of the saying is little to be desired would be pretty dire but since the poster's grasp of English is clearly fine the comment was still a generic one about testing anyone's skills in English language.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

I think that's "leave's a little to be desired" i.e short of being divine, or even adequate. "leaves little to be desired" otoh, is almost heaven.

All this is, of course, irrelevant to any employer's English test, that's just about finding native speakers.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

"I was in a bad mood" lol I like your style. Stick to the correct way!

Great example. And pretty much case in point.

Thanks for your reply.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

It is a fair question to ask what line of work this is for.
When I was office temping I was given a very rudimentary English test. More about usage (correct usage of there, their, they're) for example and less about spelling.
Whereas a friend who was going for what was basically a copy editing/proof reading job had to sit a far more vigorous test where your concerns would be quite valid.

If you do suspect that you will end up with the latter kind of test then ask for a copy of the house style guide. This will tell you exactly what you need to know.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Wot Zoe sed ;).

+ 1 too, to the "be consistent" advice; both US & UK spelling is acceptable here. I've learned (or learnt) over the years to write/edit "for my audience". This sometimes involves going over to the Dark Side & AmericaniZing ;)! Depends on the job, IMO. I have, however, never manage to bring myself to use "gotten" ... :).

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

And if they haven't got a clue what you are on about, this tells you an awful lot as well... and if they do, showing awareness of what they are gets your foot in the door nicely. Better yet, if you've had to use one in anger (but you're in to prior experience there, and it maybe tricky to bluff this one).

If you're interested in this kind of thing, the Economist Style Guide is a great start. There's also a Canadian Press Style Guide - but from what I understand these days, you're only talking about old school print journos that will really be tight on that. A former colleague had her own copy, and it's a much weightier and more expensive tome than the Economist one!

Also, there *is* an Oxford Dictionary of Canadian English. In my experience, hardly anyone seems to have even heard of it, let alone adhere to it...

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Not exactly. Mostly the same. In the case of s vs z they go with the yanks though. And for the clueless I'm talking about CiviliSed vs CiviliZed

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

How very Canadian of you.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

No it's to let Canadians know they should laugh.

Re: Sitting an 'English' test in Canada... dealing with the differences
 

Just after I moved over here at the back end of 2013, I was tasked by my employer to proof read a large tender submission for part of a (now on hold) big waste water treatment project on Vancouver Island.

As part of my review, I converted the entire document to English English, including terminology, alternative spellings and different words, much to the disgust of our Submissions team.

Much discussion followed and I was deemed to have done the right thing, the original drafts having been in mixed English and American English, due to having been produced by about six companies in our bid consortium.

We got through to the next bid stage, so I must have dome something right :eek:

Then the project got shelved.