Common English Mistakes in Reference Letters by Arabic Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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

To Whom It May Concern,I am writing to recommend Mr. Ahmed forthe position of software engineer at your esteemed company. He has demonstrated exceptional skills in programming and has been avaluable asset to our team. I am confident he will contribute greatly to thesuccess of your organization.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Very good! I just needed to add some missing articles."

To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to recommend Mr. Ahmed for the position of software engineer at your esteemed company. He has demonstrated exceptional skills in programming and has been a valuable asset to our team. I am confident he will contribute greatly to the success of your organization.

To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to recommend Mr. Ahmed for position of software engineer at your esteemed company. He has demonstrated exceptional skills in programming and has been valuable asset to our team. I am confident he will contribute greatly to success of your organization.

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of passive voice

To Whom It May Concern, iIt is with great pleasure that I writethis letteris being written to recommend Mr. Ahmed Al Mansoori for the position of Marketing Manager. His skills and dedication were consistently demonstrated during his time at our company, and he ledmany successful projectswere led by him. It is believed that his contributions will be valuable to your team, and his leadership qualities are highly regarded.

Text corrected by:
Miss E., Cyprus, Europe

"I toned down on your use of passive voice. For example, I changed "It is with great pleasure that this letter is being written to recommend Mr. Ahmed Al Mansoori for the position of Marketing Manager." to "It is with great pleasure that I write this letter to recommend Mr. Ahmed Al Mansoori for the position of Marketing Manager." and "many successful projects were led by him" to "he led many successful projects"."

To Whom It May Concern, It is with great pleasure that I write this letter to recommend Mr. Ahmed Al Mansoori for the position of Marketing Manager. His skills and dedication were consistently demonstrated during his time at our company, and he led many successful projects. I believe that his contributions will be valuable to your team, and his leadership qualities are highly regarded.

To Whom It May Concern, it is with great pleasure that this letter is being written to recommend Mr. Ahmed Al Mansoori for the position of Marketing Manager. His skills and dedication were consistently demonstrated during his time at our company, and many successful projects were led by him. It is believed that his contributions will be valuable to your team, and his leadership qualities are highly regarded.