Common English Mistakes in Court Documents by Arabic Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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

To Honorable Judge, I am writing to present acase regardinga dispute over property ownership. My client, who is aresident of Dubai, claims rightful ownership of theland in question. We request thecourt to considerthe evidence provided and grant us afair hearing. Thank you for yourattention to this matter.

Text corrected by:
Miss E., Cyprus, Europe

"This is fairly well-written. However, don't forget to use articles in your sentences: for example, "I am writing to present case regarding dispute" should be "I am writing to present a case regarding a dispute" and "who is resident of Dubai" should be "who is a resident of Dubai"."

To Honorable Judge, I am writing to present a case regarding a dispute over property ownership. My client, who is a resident of Dubai, claims rightful ownership of the land in question. We request the court to consider the evidence provided and grant us a fair hearing. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

To Honorable Judge, I am writing to present case regarding dispute over property ownership. My client, who is resident of Dubai, claims rightful ownership of land in question. We request court to consider evidence provided and grant us fair hearing. Thank you for attention to this matter.

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of passive voice

The contract was reviewed by the legal team, and it was decided bythe courtdecided that the terms were not violated. The evidence was presented by the defense, and it was argued bythe prosecutionargued that further investigation was required. The judge issued thefinal judgmentwas issued by the judge, and it was concluded that the case should be dismissed.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Great job. I changed some of the passive voice constructions to the active voice, but all of them since the passive voice is frequently used in legal texts."

The contract was reviewed by the legal team, and the court decided that the terms were not violated. The evidence was presented by the defense, and the prosecution argued that further investigation was required. The judge issued the final judgment, and it was concluded that the case should be dismissed.

The contract was reviewed by the legal team, and it was decided by the court that the terms were not violated. The evidence was presented by the defense, and it was argued by the prosecution that further investigation was required. The final judgment was issued by the judge, and it was concluded that the case should be dismissed.