Common English Mistakes by Cantonese Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Cantonese speakers from Hong Kong when writing in English.

Category:Business Writing
Professional writing used for communication in business environments.
Common Users:Professionals, Executives, Entrepreneurs.
Mistake Example #1

Business Writing / Annual Report

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

InOver the past year, our company has asuchiceved the goassfulofly expandedingthes market share—and we’re thrilled with the results. Sales are up 20%, marking a major milestone, and weare happycommitted litokea dragon gettping the pearl. The sales figures have increased by 20%, which is a big step forward, and we will continue to add oil to maintain this momentumgoing. Looking ahead, we plan to develop new products that will help positionus toas stanleadon thetop of the mountainr in the industry.


Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to sound more native and natural."

Over the past year, our company has successfully expanded its market share—and we’re thrilled with the results. Sales are up 20%, marking a major milestone, and we’re committed to keeping that momentum going. Looking ahead, we plan to develop new products that will help position us as a leader in the industry.

In the past year, our company has achieved the goal of expanding the market share, and we are happy like a dragon getting the pearl. The sales figures have increased by 20%, which is a big step forward, and we will continue to add oil to maintain this momentum. Looking ahead, we plan to develop new products that will help us to stand on the top of the mountain in the industry.

Mistake Example #2

Business Writing / Bio Pages

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

Iam vethry excitlled to introduce myself as a verhighly dedicated and very exaccomperliencshed marketing professional from Hong Kong. With a verystrong background in digital marketing and a veshary keenp eye for detail, Ihave successfully led numany veryous high-importanct campaigns that have drivensulbsted in very significantial growth for my clients. Iam vdereply passionate about helping businesses reachieve their goals and verfully committed to delivering very hxceptigh-quonality results.


Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed tweaking to address overuse of the word "very." "

I’m thrilled to introduce myself as a highly dedicated and accomplished marketing professional from Hong Kong. With a strong background in digital marketing and a sharp eye for detail, I’ve successfully led numerous high-impact campaigns that have driven substantial growth for my clients. I’m deeply passionate about helping businesses reach their goals and fully committed to delivering exceptional results.

I am very excited to introduce myself as a very dedicated and very experienced marketing professional from Hong Kong. With a very strong background in digital marketing and a very keen eye for detail, I have successfully led many very important campaigns that have resulted in very significant growth for my clients. I am very passionate about helping businesses achieve their goals and very committed to delivering very high-quality results.

Mistake Example #3

Business Writing / Business Email

Confusion with countable vs. uncountable nouns ('She has much friends')

Dear Mr. Chan,I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to inform you about the progress of our project. There isare many updates that I would like to share with you. Also, we have received mucha lot of feedback fromour clients, which is very helpful for our improvement. Please let me know if you have any questions or need further informations. Thank you for your attention.


Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I made some small changes, particularly to much/many. Good work!"

Dear Mr. Chan, I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to inform you about the progress of our project. There are many updates that I would like to share with you. Also, we have received a lot of feedback from our clients, which is very helpful for our improvement. Please let me know if you have any questions or need further information. Thank you for your attention.

Dear Mr. Chan, I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to inform you about the progress of our project. There is many updates that I would like to share with you. Also, we have received much feedback from clients, which is very helpful for our improvement. Please let me know if you have any questions or need further informations. Thank you for your attention.

Mistake Example #4

Business Writing / Business Plan

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

Our company plan is to open the new shop in Central, because we want to ctap intcho the big market. We will use the dragon strategy to ensure our success, which means we will focus on the strongand, fast approach. This way, we can egratb the market share quickly and become the leader in the industry.


Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I made a few small changes so the English sounds more natural."

Our company plan is to open the new shop in Central, because we want to tap into the big market. We will use the dragon strategy to ensure our success, which means we will focus on the strong, fast approach. This way, we can grab the market share quickly and become the leader in the industry.

Our company plan is to open the new shop in Central, because we want to catch the big market. We will use the dragon strategy to ensure our success, which means we will focus on the strong and fast approach. This way, we can eat the market share quickly and become the leader in the industry.

Mistake Example #5

Business Writing / Business Report

Confusion with countable vs. uncountable nouns ('She has much friends')

In the recent quarterly report, we observed thalot there is muchof feedback from our clients regarding the new product line. The team has conducted ma significanyt amount of research to understandthe market trends better. It is important that we allocate sufficient resources to address these concerns and improve our service quality.


Text corrected by:
Camille, Maryland, USA

"I have corrected aspects related to countable/uncountable nouns and a few other issues."

In the recent quarterly report, we observed a lot of feedback from our clients regarding the new product line. The team has conducted a significant amount of research to understand market trends better. It is important that we allocate sufficient resources to address these concerns and improve our service quality.

In the recent quarterly report, we observed that there is much feedback from our clients regarding the new product line. The team has conducted many research to understand the market trends better. It is important that we allocate sufficient resource to address these concerns and improve our service quality.

Mistake Example #6

Business Writing / Investor Pitch

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

Honorable Investors, today I want to introduce you toour company, which is like a dragphoenin the sky,x soaring high with innovation. We have a saying in Hong Kong, "Add oil," and this is exactly what we do to keep our projects moving forward with great energy. Our product is not only top quality, but also git will bringves you a lgood reputatiof facen in the market.


Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Your ideas were clear :) I just made a few small changes to refine the message. "

Honorable Investors, today I want to introduce you to our company, which is like a phoenix soaring high with innovation. We have a saying in Hong Kong, "Add oil," and this is exactly what we do to keep our projects moving forward with great energy. Our product is not only top quality but also gives you a good reputation in the market.

Honorable Investors, today I want to introduce you our company, which is like a dragon in the sky, soaring high with innovation. We have a saying in Hong Kong, "Add oil," and this is exactly what we do to keep our projects moving forward with great energy. Our product is not only top quality, but also it will bring you a lot of face in the market.

Mistake Example #7

Business Writing / Letter of Intent

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

Dear Admissions Committee,I am very excited to express my very strong interest in the Master's program at your veryprestigious university. I am veryeager to join yourvery esteemed institution because I believe it will be a very valuable opportunity for my very promising career in business management. Thank you for considering my verysincere application.


Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"The word "very" was not necessary, so I took it out. Otherwise, this sounds great!"

Dear Admissions Committee, I am very excited to express my strong interest in the Master's program at your prestigious university. I am eager to join your esteemed institution because I believe it will be a valuable opportunity for my promising career in business management. Thank you for considering my sincere application.

Dear Admissions Committee, I am very excited to express my very strong interest in the Master's program at your very prestigious university. I am very eager to join your very esteemed institution because I believe it will be a very valuable opportunity for my very promising career in business management. Thank you for considering my very sincere application.

Mistake Example #8

Business Writing / Meeting Minutes

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

Meeting Minutes: Today we havWe discussedabout the project timeline and everyone agreed to move forward with the plan. We also talked about the budget, andit is decided that we willo add more resources to ensure everything goes smoothly. Please remember to follow up with the client bynext week to confirm the details.


Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to sound more native and natural."

Meeting Minutes: We discussed the project timeline and everyone agreed to move forward with the plan. We also talked about the budget and decided to add more resources to ensure everything goes smoothly. Please remember to follow up with the client next week to confirm the details.

Meeting Minutes: Today we have discussed about the project timeline and everyone agree to move forward with the plan. We also talk about the budget, and it is decided that we will add more resources to ensure everything go smoothly. Please remember to follow up with the client by next week to confirm the details.

Mistake Example #9

Business Writing / Memos

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

To: All Staff Subject: Meeting Arrangement for Project Progress We todayhavea meetingtoday at 3 PM inthe conference room. Please bring along your ideas and suggestions for discussion. If you have any questions, you can ask me at anytime. Thank you for your cooperation.


Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"It just needed some small changes to make the English sound more natural. Nice work!"

To: All Staff Subject: Meeting Arrangement for Project Progress We have a meeting today at 3 PM in the conference room. Please bring your ideas and suggestions for discussion. If you have any questions, you can ask me at any time. Thank you for your cooperation.

To: All Staff Subject: Meeting Arrangement for Project Progress We today have meeting at 3 PM in conference room. Please bring along your ideas and suggestions for discuss. If you have any question, you can ask me anytime. Thank you for your cooperation.

Mistake Example #10

Business Writing / Press Release

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

For iImmediate rRelease,: ouWe’re companythris happylled to announce the grand opening of ournew flagship store in Central.! We hopwarmly invite everyone cato join us in comelebrating this exciting milestosupportne and give facetomeet our teamin person. Thise event wpromillses to be a memorabigle succoness,and we willthave many exclusitingve promotions and special offers available tor all cusatomterndees.


Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"I made changes for it to sound a bit more natural, and for readability and flow."

For Immediate Release: We’re thrilled to announce the grand opening of our new flagship store in Central! We warmly invite everyone to join us in celebrating this exciting milestone and to meet our team in person. The event promises to be a memorable one, with exclusive promotions and special offers available to all attendees.

For immediate release, our company is happy to announce the grand opening of new flagship store in Central. We hope everyone can come to support and give face to our team. This event will be a big success, and we will have many exciting promotions for all customers.

Mistake Example #11

Business Writing / Proposal

Confusion with countable vs. uncountable nouns ('She has much friends')

Subject: Proposal for New Marketing Strategy Dear Team, I am writing to propose a new marketing strategy that will help us reach moa widere audience and increase our brand awareness. We have conducted manyuch research and found that social media platforms are very effective for our target market. By allocating more resources to these channels, we can achieve better results and gain much success in the upcoming quarter. Please let me know if you have any feedbacks or suggestions.


Text corrected by:
Miss E., Cyprus, Europe

"This is mostly well-written. However, be mindful of errors such as the following: "reach more audience" should be "a wider audience" and "conducted many research" should be "conducted much research"."

Subject: Proposal for New Marketing Strategy Dear Team, I am writing to propose a new marketing strategy that will help us reach a wider audience and increase our brand awareness. We have conducted much research and found that social media platforms are very effective for our target market. By allocating more resources to these channels, we can achieve better results and gain much success in the upcoming quarter. Please let me know if you have any feedback or suggestions.

Subject: Proposal for New Marketing Strategy Dear Team, I am writing to propose a new marketing strategy that will help us reach more audience and increase our brand awareness. We have conducted many research and found that social media platforms are very effective for our target market. By allocating more resources to these channels, we can achieve better results and gain much success in the upcoming quarter. Please let me know if you have any feedbacks or suggestions.

Mistake Example #12

Business Writing / White Paper

Confusion with countable vs. uncountable nouns ('She has much friends')

In recent years, the technology sector in Hong Kong has seen muchany advancements, with many companies investing in innovative solutions. However, there isare still numerouchs challenges to overcome, particularly in the areas of data privacy and security. As we move forward, it is crucial for businesses to adopt comprehensive strategies thato address these issues and ensure that they have sufficient resources to support their growth.


Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I fixed some issues with much/many and polished up the text. Nice job!"

In recent years, the technology sector in Hong Kong has seen many advancements, with many companies investing in innovative solutions. However, there are still numerous challenges to overcome, particularly in the areas of data privacy and security. As we move forward, it is crucial for businesses to adopt comprehensive strategies to address these issues and ensure that they have sufficient resources to support their growth.

In recent years, the technology sector in Hong Kong has seen much advancements, with many companies investing in innovative solutions. However, there is still much challenges to overcome, particularly in the area of data privacy and security. As we move forward, it is crucial for businesses to adopt comprehensive strategies that address these issues and ensure that they have sufficient resources to support their growth.