Common English Mistakes in Reference Letters by Italian Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

Confusing singular and plural nouns

To Whom It May Concern,I am writing to recommend Maria Rossi for the position of marketing manager. Her skill in developing strategyies and executing campaigns have been invaluable to our company. Maria's dedication and attention to detail is unmatched, and I am confident she will be a great asset to your team.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I just changed a couple of singular nouns to plural to make the text read more naturally."

To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to recommend Maria Rossi for the position of marketing manager. Her skill in developing strategies and executing campaigns have been invaluable to our company. Maria's dedication and attention to detail is unmatched, and I am confident she will be a great asset to your team.

To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to recommend Maria Rossi for the position of marketing manager. Her skill in developing strategy and executing campaign have been invaluable to our company. Maria's dedication and attention to detail is unmatched, and I am confident she will be a great asset to your team.

Mistake Example #2

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

To wWhom iIt mMay cConcern,I am writing this letter to recommend my colleague, Marco Rossi, for the position of project manager. Marco is a very capable person, and I have had the pleasure tof working with him for many years. We haveknown useach other since university, and I can assure you that he is a hard worker and always givdoes his best ion every task.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Well done! I just made some small stylistic changes so the English reads more naturally."

To Whom It May Concern, I am writing this letter to recommend my colleague, Marco Rossi, for the position of project manager. Marco is a very capable person, and I have had the pleasure of working with him for many years. We have known each other since university, and I can assure you that he is a hard worker and always does his best on every task.

To whom it may concern, I am writing this letter to recommend my colleague, Marco Rossi, for the position of project manager. Marco is a very capable person, and I have had the pleasure to work with him for many years. We know us since university, and I can assure you that he is a hard worker and always gives his best in every task.

Mistake Example #3

Overuse of passive voice

To Whom It May Concern, iIt is with great pleasure that I writethis letteris written to recommend Maria Rossi for the position. Her skills and dedication werShe consistently demonstratedher skills and dedication during her time at our company. It is believed by mManyof her colleagues agree that her contributions will be greatly valued in any organization she joins.

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

"I changed some of the phrases from active voice to passive voice. Overall, the ideas in this text are clearly expressed."

To Whom It May Concern, It is with great pleasure that I write this letter to recommend Maria Rossi for the position. She consistently demonstrated her skills and dedication during her time at our company. Many of her colleagues agree that her contributions will be greatly valued in any organization she joins.

To Whom It May Concern, it is with great pleasure that this letter is written to recommend Maria Rossi for the position. Her skills and dedication were consistently demonstrated during her time at our company. It is believed by many that her contributions will be greatly valued in any organization she joins.