Common English Mistakes in Interview Transcripts by Spanish Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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

**Interview Transcript:** Interviewer: Thank you for joining us today, Maria. Can you tell us a little about your background? Maria: Yes, of course. I am originally from Mexico City, and I am married witho a wonderful man who is also from Mexico. We moved to the United States five years ago, and I have been working withfor a local newspaper since then.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some corrections for improper prepositional phrasing."

**Interview Transcript:** Interviewer: Thank you for joining us today, Maria. Can you tell us a little about your background? Maria: Yes, of course. I am originally from Mexico City, and I am married to a wonderful man who is also from Mexico. We moved to the United States five years ago, and I have been working for a local newspaper since then.

**Interview Transcript:** Interviewer: Thank you for joining us today, Maria. Can you tell us a little about your background? Maria: Yes, of course. I am originally from Mexico City, and I am married with a wonderful man who is also from Mexico. We moved to the United States five years ago, and I have been working with a local newspaper since then.

Mistake Example #2

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

**Document Type**: Interview Transcript **Writing Category**: Journalism & Media **Error Type**: Overuse of present continuous **Country**: Mexico **Language**: Spanish --- Interviewer: Can you tell us about your daily routine as a journalist in Mexico City? Interviewee: Yes, of course. I amwakinge up at 6:00 AMa.m. every day, and then I amgoing to the office, where I amworking on my articles. After that, I ammeeting with my team to discuss the stories we are covering.

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

"I changed some of the verb tenses from present continuous to simple present."

**Document Type**: Interview Transcript **Writing Category**: Journalism & Media **Error Type**: Overuse of present continuous **Country**: Mexico **Language**: Spanish --- Interviewer: Can you tell us about your daily routine as a journalist in Mexico City? Interviewee: Yes, of course. I wake up at 6:00 a.m. every day, and then I go to the office, where I work on my articles. After that, I meet with my team to discuss the stories we are covering.

**Document Type**: Interview Transcript **Writing Category**: Journalism & Media **Error Type**: Overuse of present continuous **Country**: Mexico **Language**: Spanish --- Interviewer: Can you tell us about your daily routine as a journalist in Mexico City? Interviewee: Yes, of course. I am waking up at 6 AM every day, and then I am going to the office where I am working on my articles. After that, I am meeting with my team to discuss the stories we are covering.

Mistake Example #3

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

**Document Type**: Interview Transcript **Writing Category**: Journalism & Media **Error Type**: Direct translation of Spanish expressions **Country**: Mexico **Language**: Spanish Interviewer: Can you tell us a little about your background and how you started in journalism? Interviewee: Yes, of course. I have 10 ybearsen working in this fieldfor 10 years. I started when I was inat the university, and I always had a passion for telling stories. My family is very supportive, and they always say that I have a way with words.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Good work! I just made a few changes to give it a more natural tone."

**Document Type**: Interview Transcript **Writing Category**: Journalism & Media **Error Type**: Direct translation of Spanish expressions **Country**: Mexico **Language**: Spanish Interviewer: Can you tell us a little about your background and how you started in journalism? Interviewee: Yes, of course. I have been working in this field for 10 years. I started when I was at the university, and I always had a passion for telling stories. My family is very supportive, and they always say that I have a way with words.

**Document Type**: Interview Transcript **Writing Category**: Journalism & Media **Error Type**: Direct translation of Spanish expressions **Country**: Mexico **Language**: Spanish Interviewer: Can you tell us a little about your background and how you started in journalism? Interviewee: Yes, of course. I have 10 years working in this field. I started when I was in the university, and I always had a passion for telling stories. My family is very supportive, and they always say that I have a way with words.