Common English Mistakes in Meeting Minutess by German Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native German speakers from Germany when writing a Meeting Minutes in English.

Mistake Example #1

Capitalizing all nouns (following German grammar rules)

Meeting Minutes: On Monday, the Tteam discussed the Pprogress of the Pproject and the Aallocation of Rresources. The Mmanager emphasized the Iimportance of Ccommunication and the Nneed for regular Uupdates. IThetweasm agreed that the next Mmeeting will be held on Friday to evaluate the Ooutcomes and Pplan the next Ssteps.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I changed some of the capital letters to lower case, in keeping with English grammar rules."

Meeting Minutes: On Monday, the team discussed the progress of the project and the allocation of resources. The manager emphasized the importance of communication and the need for regular updates. The team agreed that the next meeting will be held on Friday to evaluate the outcomes and plan the next steps.

Meeting Minutes: On Monday, the Team discussed the Progress of the Project and the Allocation of Resources. The Manager emphasized the Importance of Communication and the Need for regular Updates. It was agreed that the next Meeting will be held on Friday to evaluate the Outcomes and Plan the next Steps.

Mistake Example #2

Incorrect word order in subordinate clauses

During the meeting onOctober 10meeting,th,e itweasm discussedthat the project deadline,—whichwas originally set for November 15—and decided ith was, needs to be extended. Theteamy agreed that, because the resources arenot yet fully allocatedare, the timeline should be adjusted. IThetweasm also decided that, ifthe client feedback isreceivedis,the changes will be implemented by the end of the month.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking for word order problems, among other fixes."

During the October 10 meeting, the team discussed the project deadline—which was originally set for November 15—and decided it needs to be extended. They agreed that, because the resources are not yet fully allocated, the timeline should be adjusted. The team also decided that if client feedback is received, changes will be implemented by the end of the month.

During the meeting on October 10th, it was discussed that the project deadline, which originally set for November 15th was, needs to be extended. The team agreed that, because the resources not yet fully allocated are, the timeline should be adjusted. It was also decided that, if the client feedback received is, the changes will be implemented by the end of the month.

Mistake Example #3

Overuse of passive voice

MA meeting was held on October 10th, 2023, and was attended byall department headsattended. They discussed project updates were discussed,andit was agreed that the deadline will be extended by two weeks. The bBudget concerns were raised, and it was decided that a follow-up meeting will be scheduled to address these issues in detail.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Just a few minor tweaks to make the writing more active :) Well done! "

A meeting was held on October 10th, 2023, and all department heads attended. They discussed project updates and agreed that the deadline will be extended by two weeks. Budget concerns were raised, and it was decided that a follow-up meeting will be scheduled to address these issues in detail.

Meeting was held on October 10th, 2023, and was attended by all department heads. The project updates were discussed, and it was agreed that the deadline will be extended by two weeks. The budget concerns were raised, and it was decided that a follow-up meeting will be scheduled to address these issues in detail.