Common English Mistakes in Memo by Arabic Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Arabic speakers from United Arab Emirates when writing a Memos in English.

Mistake Example #1

Overuse of passive voice

To: All Staff It has bWeen decided that the meeting will be held on Thursday at 10 AM. The agenda has been prepared and will be shared with everyone by the end of the day. It isWe requested that all team members arbe present, and please submitany questionsshould be submitted in advance. Your cooperation is appreciated, and further updates will be provided as necessary.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Nice work! I changed some (not all) of the passive voice constructions to the active voice. "

To: All Staff We decided that the meeting will be held on Thursday at 10 AM. The agenda has been prepared and will be shared with everyone by the end of the day. We request that all team members be present, and please submit any questions in advance. Your cooperation is appreciated, and further updates will be provided as necessary.

To: All Staff It has been decided that the meeting will be held on Thursday at 10 AM. The agenda has been prepared and will be shared with everyone by the end of the day. It is requested that all team members are present, and any questions should be submitted in advance. Your cooperation is appreciated, and further updates will be provided as necessary.

Mistake Example #2

Misuse of articles ('I have car' instead of 'I have a car')

Subject: Meeting Schedule for Project Update Dear Team, I am writing to inform you about theupcoming meeting regarding project statusmeeting. We will hold themeeting inthe conference room on Thursday at 2 PM. Please ensure you bring anupdated report and any necessary documents. Let me know if you have anyquestions or need further clarification. Thank you for your cooperation.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to add missing articles, among other changes."

Subject: Meeting Schedule for Project Update Dear Team, I am writing to inform you about the upcoming project status meeting. We will hold the meeting in the conference room on Thursday at 2 PM. Please ensure you bring an updated report and any necessary documents. Let me know if you have any questions or need further clarification. Thank you for your cooperation.

Subject: Meeting Schedule for Project Update Dear Team, I am writing to inform you about upcoming meeting regarding project status. We will hold meeting in conference room on Thursday at 2 PM. Please ensure you bring updated report and any necessary documents. Let me know if you have question or need further clarification. Thank you for your cooperation.