Common English Mistakes in Memo by Spanish Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Spanish speakers from Mexico when writing a Memos in English.

Mistake Example #1

Misuse of prepositions ('Married with' instead of 'Married to')

To: All Staff Subject: Upcoming Team Building Event Dear Team, I am excited to announce that we are organizing a team building event next month. We will be meeting in the park close witho the office, and it will be a great opportunity to connect with each other outside of work. Please confirm your attendance with Maria by Friday. LI looking forward to seeing you all there!

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"This was very good! Just a few small changes were made to refine the English. "

To: All Staff Subject: Upcoming Team Building Event Dear Team, I am excited to announce that we are organizing a team building event next month. We will be meeting in the park close to the office, and it will be a great opportunity to connect with each other outside of work. Please confirm your attendance with Maria by Friday. I look forward to seeing you all there!

To: All Staff Subject: Upcoming Team Building Event Dear Team, I am excited to announce that we are organizing a team building event next month. We will be meeting in the park close with the office, and it will be a great opportunity to connect with each other outside of work. Please confirm your attendance with Maria by Friday. Looking forward to see you all there!

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of present continuous ('I am going to the school every day' instead of 'I go to school every day')

To: All Staff Subject: Upcoming Project Deadlines I am writing to inform you that we arehavinge thea team meeting every Monday at 10:00 AMa.m. to discuss the progress of our current projects. I am expecting eEveryone is expectedtobe preparinge their updates in advance so we can use the time efficiently. Please ensure thatyouare submitting your weekly reports by Friday afternoon.

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

"I changed some of the present continuous verbs to simple present tense. Otherwise, the ideas in this text are clearly expressed."

To: All Staff Subject: Upcoming Project Deadlines I am writing to inform you that we have a team meeting every Monday at 10:00 a.m. to discuss the progress of our current projects. Everyone is expected to prepare their updates in advance so we can use the time efficiently. Please ensure that you submit your weekly reports by Friday afternoon.

To: All Staff Subject: Upcoming Project Deadlines I am writing to inform you that we are having the team meeting every Monday at 10 AM to discuss the progress of our current projects. I am expecting everyone to be preparing their updates in advance so we can use the time efficiently. Please ensure you are submitting your weekly reports by Friday afternoon.

Mistake Example #3

Direct translation of Spanish expressions ('I have 25 years' instead of 'I am 25 years old')

To: All Staff Subject: Office Renovation Update I want to inform you that tThe renovation works in the office areis progressing well. We have 3 wbeeksn working on the project,for three weeks andwe expect to finish by the end of the month. Please, iIf you have any questions or need more information, pleasedo not dhesitate toubt in contact me. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

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

To: All Staff Subject: Office Renovation Update The renovation work in the office is progressing well. We have been working on the project for three weeks and expect to finish by the end of the month. If you have any questions or need more information, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

To: All Staff Subject: Office Renovation Update I want to inform you that the renovation works in the office are progressing well. We have 3 weeks working on the project, and we expect to finish by the end of the month. Please, if you have any questions or need more information, do not doubt in contact me. Thank you for your patience and understanding.