Common English Mistakes in Technical Reports by Arabic Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

Overuse of passive voice

The system was designed to improve the efficiency of the solar panels. IAccordingtwaso observed thations, the energy outputwas increased by 15% after the new technology was implemented. The rdesults wigneres analyzed,the results andit was concluded that further testing is required to optimize the performance.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I changed some (not all) of the passive voice constructions to the active voice to improve the flow of the text."

The system was designed to improve the efficiency of the solar panels. According to observations, the energy output increased by 15% after the new technology was implemented. The designers analyzed the results and concluded that further testing is required to optimize the performance.

The system was designed to improve the efficiency of the solar panels. It was observed that the energy output was increased by 15% after the new technology was implemented. The results were analyzed, and it was concluded that further testing is required to optimize the performance.

Mistake Example #2

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

The purpose of this technical report is to analyze theperformance of solar panels installed in thedesert region ofthe United Arab Emirates. We have collected data over aperiod of six months to evaluate theefficiency ofthe panels under extreme weather conditions. Results indicate that thepanels have showna significant decrease in output duringthe summer months due to high temperature and dust accumulation.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

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

The purpose of this technical report is to analyze the performance of solar panels installed in the desert region of the United Arab Emirates. We have collected data over a period of six months to evaluate the efficiency of the panels under extreme weather conditions. Results indicate that the panels have shown a significant decrease in output during the summer months due to high temperature and dust accumulation.

The purpose of this technical report is to analyze performance of solar panels installed in desert region of United Arab Emirates. We have collected data over period of six months to evaluate efficiency of panels under extreme weather conditions. Results indicate that panels have shown significant decrease in output during summer months due to high temperature and dust accumulation.