Common English Mistakes in Government Memos by Italian Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Italian speakers from Italy when writing a Government Memo in English.

Mistake Example #1

Using direct translations from Italian (e.g., 'We see us tomorrow' instead of 'See you tomorrow')

To aAll dDepartment hHeads,I Iam writeing to inform you that the meeting for thebudget review meeting hasbeen postponed to next week. We'll see yous in the conference room at 10 AM on Monday. Please confirm your presence by Friday, so we can organize the necessary materials.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to sound more native and natural, among other fixes."

To All Department Heads, I am writing to inform you that the budget review meeting has been postponed to next week. We'll see you in the conference room at 10 AM on Monday. Please confirm your presence by Friday so we can organize the necessary materials.

To all department heads, I write to inform you that the meeting for the budget review is postponed to next week. We see us in the conference room at 10 AM on Monday. Please confirm your presence by Friday, so we can organize the necessary materials.

Mistake Example #2

Confusing singular and plural nouns

To: All Department Heads Subject: Update on Policy Implementation Dear Colleagues, I am writing to inform you about the new policy regarding the use of office equipment. Each department must ensure that all employees have access to necessary tools for their work. It is important that every team member understands the guidelines and follows them closely. Please distribute this information to your staff and ensure that any questions are addressed promptly. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Text corrected by:
Miss E., Cyprus, Europe

"This is well-written overall - just be aware of your use of singular and plural nouns. For example, "All Department Head" should be "All Department Heads" and "Dear Colleague" should be "Dear Colleagues"."

To: All Department Heads Subject: Update on Policy Implementation Dear Colleagues, I am writing to inform you about the new policy regarding the use of office equipment. Each department must ensure that all employees have access to necessary tools for their work. It is important that every team member understands the guidelines and follows them closely. Please distribute this information to your staff and ensure that any questions are addressed promptly. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

To: All Department Head Subject: Update on Policy Implementation Dear Colleague, I am writing to inform you about the new policy regarding the use of office equipment. Each department must ensure that all employee have access to necessary tool for their work. It is important that every team member understand the guideline and follow them closely. Please distribute this information to your staff and ensure that any question are addressed promptly. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Mistake Example #3

Overuse of passive voice

To: All Department Heads Subject: Implementation of New Policy Procedures It has been decided that the new policy procedures will be implemented starting next month. The gucommidttelines have beens reviewed and approved bythe commguittdelines, and it is expected that all departments will be informed by the end of this week. It isWe requested thatfeedback is provided by the department headsprovide feedback to ensure that any concerns are addressed. The training sessions will be organized, and attendance is required for all staff membersare required to attend.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Good work overall! I just changed some of the passive voice phrases to the active voice to improve the flow of the text."

To: All Department Heads Subject: Implementation of New Policy Procedures It has been decided that the new policy procedures will be implemented starting next month. The committee has reviewed and approved the guidelines, and it is expected that all departments will be informed by the end of this week. We request that the department heads provide feedback to ensure that any concerns are addressed. The training sessions will be organized, and all staff members are required to attend.

To: All Department Heads Subject: Implementation of New Policy Procedures It has been decided that the new policy procedures will be implemented starting next month. The guidelines have been reviewed and approved by the committee, and it is expected that all departments will be informed by the end of this week. It is requested that feedback is provided by the department heads to ensure that any concerns are addressed. The training sessions will be organized, and attendance is required for all staff members.