At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter if you write 3 < 5 or 5 > 3, nor does it matter if you say "3 is less than 5" or "5 is greater than 3." Read it however you want, provided you convey accurate information.

However, if you don't know the meaning of the symbol (i.e. if you see x < y and aren't sure whether x or y is bigger), then we have a problem.