Common English Mistakes in Technical Reports by Cantonese Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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

In this technical report, we analyze the data collected from the recent survey on energy consumption in Hong Kong. There is manygreat deal of information that needs to be processed to understand the trends. The report highlights that there are muchany factors influencing the energy usage, including the increase in electronic devices and the changes in weather patterns.

Text corrected by:
Michele A., Boston, Massachusetts; United States

"I just replaced a word or two to make the English sound more natural. Otherwise, the ideas in this text are clearly expressed."

In this technical report, we analyze the data collected from the recent survey on energy consumption in Hong Kong. There is a great deal of information that needs to be processed to understand the trends. The report highlights that there are many factors influencing the energy usage, including the increase in electronic devices and the changes in weather patterns.

In this technical report, we analyze the data collected from the recent survey on energy consumption in Hong Kong. There is many information that needs to be processed to understand the trends. The report highlights that there are much factors influencing the energy usage, including the increase in electronic devices and the changes in weather patterns.

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of direct translations from Cantonese

In this technical report, we will discuss the machine's performance under different conditions. Theis machine is very powerful, but it eats electricity like it's candrink watery. When we test the machine, we find that it runs fastvery fast, but sometimes it will stop suddenly, like a car without oil. This problem needs to be fixed as soon as possible, or else itwie'll seeadomino effectin the production linelike a domino effect.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I changed some of the phrasing to make the English read more naturally."

In this technical report, we will discuss the machine's performance under different conditions. This machine is very powerful, but it eats electricity like it's candy. When we test the machine, we find that it runs very fast, but sometimes it will stop suddenly, like a car without oil. This problem needs to be fixed as soon as possible, or else we'll see a domino effect in the production line.

In this technical report, we will discuss the machine performance under different conditions. The machine is very powerful, but it eats electricity like drink water. When we test the machine, we find that it runs fast fast, but sometimes it will stop suddenly, like a car without oil. This problem needs to be fix as soon as possible, or else it will affect the production line like a domino effect.

Mistake Example #3

Overuse of 'very' to emphasize adjectives

The recent experiment conducted in our laboratory was very successful, and the results were vextremely promising. The data collected was verycomprehensive, providing a verhighly detailed insight into the process. However, it is veryimportant to note that further research isvery necessary to confirm these findings and ensure the results are vcomplertely reliable.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to reduce overuse of "very.""

The recent experiment conducted in our laboratory was very successful, and the results were extremely promising. The data collected was comprehensive, providing a highly detailed insight into the process. However, it is important to note that further research is necessary to confirm these findings and ensure the results are completely reliable.

The recent experiment conducted in our laboratory was very successful, and the results were very promising. The data collected was very comprehensive, providing a very detailed insight into the process. However, it is very important to note that further research is very necessary to confirm these findings and ensure the results are very reliable.