You’ve probably heard of the word Plagiarism since early education. The definition of plagiarism is the act of copying and claiming that you own the content when in fact it’s just been copied from another source. Plagiarism can be applied even if the words are not copied to the letter; you can still be accused of plagiarism as long as the content is very much the same.
Plagiarism can also happen when you translate content from one language to another without changing anything. It’s not only limited to the English language, what you did was just translate it. If you think you can get away by translating text and source it as yours, then you are so wrong. You can look up the definition of plagiarism in a dictionary and it includes all scopes of written or even audio work.
Plagiarism has been a big issue both in online and real life. When you are writing your thesis in college, your professors would always ask you to check your sources and not plagiarize since it will definitely affect your grade and even your privileges if you are proven to be guilty of doing the crime. Don’t copy others who thought they have gotten away by plagiarizing content since they will be found out sooner or later.
Yes, plagiarism is a crime, there is no subtle way to put it and the punishment can be heavy too! From the usual warning to big lawsuits to criminal charges, plagiarism can put you in the hot seat. Don’t risk your reputation when you can always state the original author, link your sources and of course write your own content. If you are writing about a certain topic then write what you have understood from it, in your own words, tone and voice. Use quotation marks when quoting text as well.
