Common English Mistakes in Technical Reports by Mandarin Chinese Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Mandarin Chinese speakers from Taiwan when writing a Technical Report in English.

Mistake Example #1

Misuse of singular/plural nouns ('There are much people here' instead of 'There are many people here')

In this technical report, we analyze the performance of the new solar panel system installed at the research facility. There is manygreat deal of data collected over the past six months, which shows significant improvement in energy efficiency. However, there isare still several issues with the integration of the panels into the existing grid, wthichat require further investigation to optimize the output.

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

"I corrected the agreement of singular and plural nouns. Otherwise, the ideas in this text are clearly expressed."

In this technical report, we analyze the performance of the new solar panel system installed at the research facility. There is a great deal of data collected over the past six months, which shows significant improvement in energy efficiency. However, there are still several issues with the integration of the panels into the existing grid that require further investigation to optimize the output.

In this technical report, we analyze the performance of the new solar panel system installed at the research facility. There is many data collected over the past six months, which show significant improvement in energy efficiency. However, there is still several issues with the integration of the panels into the existing grid, which require further investigation to optimize the output.

Mistake Example #2

Using overly formal or direct language

The purpose of this technical report is to detailucidate the findings of our recent experiment on semiconductor materials. It is imperative that aAll team membershad to adhere strictly to the outlined procedures to ensure the integrity of the results. The data wasere collected withutmost precision, and any deviation from the protocol will result in significant discrepancies, which is unacceptable.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Well done! I just made a few small changes to improve the flow and polish things up."

The purpose of this technical report is to detail the findings of our recent experiment on semiconductor materials. All team members had to adhere strictly to the outlined procedures to ensure the integrity of the results. The data were collected with precision, and any deviation from the protocol will result in significant discrepancies, which is unacceptable.

The purpose of this technical report is to elucidate the findings of our recent experiment on semiconductor materials. It is imperative that all team members adhere strictly to the outlined procedures to ensure the integrity of the results. The data was collected with utmost precision, and any deviation from the protocol will result in significant discrepancies, which is unacceptable.

Mistake Example #3

Omitting the subject in sentences ('Is important to learn English' instead of 'It is important to learn English')

Ina recent study on renewable energy,researchers discovered that solar power is most efficient in Taiwan due to thehigh levels of sunlight. It is crucial to implement more solar panels in urban areas to reduce thecarbon footprint. Additionally,believe that government support is necessary to encourage local businesses toadoption of green technologiesamong local businesses.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to account for missing sentence subjects, among other fixes."

In a recent study on renewable energy, researchers discovered that solar power is most efficient in Taiwan due to the high levels of sunlight. It is crucial to implement more solar panels in urban areas to reduce the carbon footprint. Additionally, government support is necessary to encourage local businesses to adopt green technologies.

In recent study on renewable energy, discovered that solar power is most efficient in Taiwan due to high levels of sunlight. Is crucial to implement more solar panels in urban areas to reduce carbon footprint. Additionally, believe that government support is necessary to encourage adoption of green technologies among local businesses.