I agree to some extent. It makes me cringe when I go to answer a question and a native has already answered incorrectly. However, I don't really feel it's my place to correct another native speaker (or actually anyone who hasn't requested it). I simply give the answer a thumbs down and provide the correct answer, or give a thumbs up to any correct answer that's already there.

The only members whose language should be checked and approved are teachers and tutors.

As for any damage caused to learners' progress, I really wouldn't worry about it too much. Learners are exposed to so much English from so many sources, good and bad, that any answer on here is really a drop in the ocean. If it were so easy to affect a learner's language, my job would be so much simpler. I also think that the students get a feel quite quickly for which members give good answers, and providers of poor answers seem to lose their enthusiasm for it quite quickly.

Hello Su.Ki

I think it is hard to maintain standards since making italki accounts and setting native language English is a piece of cake and can be done by anyone even if the person is not an English native speaker. No way to check without italki asking for proof (personal information/identification) and I do not see this happening for every member. It is too restrictive for a casual "everyone can come here and learn a language" site.

Unless of course you mean the person is actually a native English speaker that somehow fails in English. Again I do not see a practical solution (for example test taking) to verify the skills of every possible italki member. Too restrictive to make the site friendly and casual for everyone. In addition testing online does not mean much since you could possible have others take the test for you. (There are complicated online testing methods that can overcome this issue, but this is not going to happen here on italki). So if a simple test is devised to verify native speakers it would not mean much.

In other words it is up to us. Common sense and self regulation.

Thank you, everyone, for your answers so far.

I think you're right, Karl Franz, that any form of regulation would probably be uninforceable  and/or meaningless.

I also feel the same as you, Adrian, about our responsibility to learners. I feel bad whenever I see a learner has been told something by a native speaker that is clearly wrong, or when they've gratefully and trustingly accepted an inaccurate correction.

And yes, I agree absolutely with what you say, Claire. It does make you cringe, but there isn't a lot we can do about it. It isn't our place to intervene. Simply voting down is about all we can do. By the way, on the topic of voting: I've often tried to give an approving vote to your invariably excellent answers, but am told that I'm not allowed to. Have you blocked me? I'm not a nuisance, honestly. All I wanted to do was click on the thumbs-up :(

Given the context (a langauge learning website), I think correcting an error of any magnitude/seriousness is completely appropriate.  In my opinion, this is done in the interest of the learner and not wanting to flaunt our superior grasp of English.  I would hate for an English-learner to unknowingly adopt mistakes and then have to unlearn them!

You are right, Camilo.

If a native English speaker can't distinguish between 'you're' and 'your', at the end of the day, it's their business. Likewise, if a person who claims to be a native French speaker doesn't know or care whether the verb they hear in their head should be written 'aller', 'allé' or 'allés' - that's their problem. If they think it's acceptable to go through life displaying their ignorance every time they pick up a keyboard, so be it.

However, these people have no right to come to a serious language site and answer questions on language. If they do, it is a breach of trust. Learners ask questions and post entries for correction in good faith, and deserve to receive reliable responses.