Common English Mistakes in Government Memos by Arabic Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

Overuse of passive voice

To: All Department Heads Subject: Implementation of New Policy Procedures ItWe haswill bimplemendecided that the new policy procedures will be implementedstarting next month. The committee reviewed theguidelines were reviewed by the committee,and witll was aginforeed thatm all departmentheadswill be informed about the changes. ITo ensure compliance, each department imust makexpected that the necessary adjustments. We will be made by each department to ensurecomplianlece. Thet feedback fromthe department heads will be collected,andaddress any concernswill be addressed in the upcoming meeting.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to reduce the use of passive voice, among other fixes."

To: All Department Heads Subject: Implementation of New Policy Procedures We will implement the new policy procedures starting next month. The committee reviewed the guidelines and will inform all department heads about the changes. To ensure compliance, each department must make the necessary adjustments. We will collect feedback from the department heads and address any concerns in the upcoming meeting.

To: All Department Heads Subject: Implementation of New Policy Procedures It has been decided that the new policy procedures will be implemented starting next month. The guidelines were reviewed by the committee, and it was agreed that all departments will be informed about the changes. It is expected that the necessary adjustments will be made by each department to ensure compliance. The feedback from department heads will be collected, and any concerns will be addressed in the upcoming meeting.

Mistake Example #2

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

Subject: Implementation of New Policy To all department heads, I am writing to inform you about theimplementation ofa new policy regarding employee attendance. PThe policy will be effective from next month and aims to improve punctuality across departments. Please ensure that all staff members are aware of thechange and adhere to theguidelines. If there are any questions, feel free to contact theoffice for further clarification.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to correct or add missing articles ("the," "an," etc.)."

Subject: Implementation of New Policy To all department heads, I am writing to inform you about the implementation of a new policy regarding employee attendance. The policy will be effective from next month and aims to improve punctuality across departments. Please ensure that all staff members are aware of the change and adhere to the guidelines. If there are any questions, feel free to contact the office for further clarification.

Subject: Implementation of New Policy To all department heads, I am writing to inform you about implementation of new policy regarding employee attendance. Policy will be effective from next month and aims to improve punctuality across departments. Please ensure that all staff members are aware of change and adhere to guidelines. If there are any questions, feel free to contact office for further clarification.