Common English Mistakes in User Manuals by Arabic Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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

To operatethis washing machine, first ensure that thepower cord is plugged into awall socket. Openthe door and place clothes inside thedrum. AddPut detergent intothe dispenser drawer. Select awash cycle by turning thedial tothe desired setting. Press thestart button to begin thewash. Afterthe cycle is complete, remove theclothes and leave the door open to allowthe drum to dry. If you experience anissue, refer tothe troubleshooting section of themanual.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Great job! Very few changes were needed to put articles before nouns. "

To operate this washing machine, first ensure that the power cord is plugged into a wall socket. Open the door and place clothes inside the drum. Put detergent into the dispenser drawer. Select a wash cycle by turning the dial to the desired setting. Press the start button to begin the wash. After the cycle is complete, remove the clothes and leave the door open to allow the drum to dry. If you experience an issue, refer to the troubleshooting section of the manual.

To operate washing machine, first ensure that power cord is plugged into wall socket. Open door and place clothes inside drum. Add detergent into dispenser drawer. Select wash cycle by turning dial to desired setting. Press start button to begin wash. After cycle is complete, remove clothes and leave door open to allow drum to dry. If you experience issue, refer to troubleshooting section of manual.

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of passive voice

The device is operated by pressing the power button, which is located on the right side. Once the device is turned on, accessthe settings menuis accessed by selecting the gear icon on the main screen. TChoose the desired function is chosen by navigating through the options using the arrow keys. After the selection is made, initiatethe processis initiated by pressing the start button.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"This was written correctly, but I changed some of the passive voice constructions to the active voice to improve readability."

The device is operated by pressing the power button, which is located on the right side. Once the device is turned on, access the settings menu by selecting the gear icon on the main screen. Choose the desired function by navigating through the options using the arrow keys. After the selection is made, initiate the process by pressing the start button.

The device is operated by pressing the power button, which is located on the right side. Once the device is turned on, the settings menu is accessed by selecting the gear icon on the main screen. The desired function is chosen by navigating through the options using the arrow keys. After the selection is made, the process is initiated by pressing the start button.