English Writing: notifying errors. Communicating an error or mistake can be a delicate matter, especially in emails. So, make sure that your language is clear, not aggressive and is focused on the solution.
NOTIFYING AN ERROR
Here are some of the basic rules for making complaints or for telling someone they have made a mistake.
- Don’t use language that accuses someone. Don’t be aggressive. Identify the mistake
- Stay polite by using indirect language.
- Mistake is a broad term that can be applied to anything. Learn the correct terminology for each situation and your message will be clearer, hence you will have better results.
- By doing the first three rules, you have a better opportunity for maintaining a good working relationship with your colleagues
HOW TO SOUND MORE POLITE
STOP SAYING ‘YOU’
- Try to avoid saying ‘you’
- Use ‘we’ to share responsibility
- We should review the numbers again.
- Replace pronouns with There is, there seems to be, It looks like…
- There’s seems to be a problem.
- There is a inconsistancy here.
- It looks like the price was overvalued.
USE POSITIVE STATEMENTS
- Avoid negatives
- Rephrase things in a positive way
- I think we need to rethink the figures.
- Maybe we need to look at the prices again.
USE THE CORRECT VOCABULARY
- Discrepancy – when two numbers are different but should be the same.
- Mix up – a mistake that causes confusion
- Oversight – a mistake because someone didn’t see something.
EXPLAINING THE ERROR
It’s also important to be clear about what the exact error is. Here are some examples:
- There was a discrepancy in the numbers. I noted that we have 4,300 pieces in the wearhouse and your document states that there is 4,200.
- There’s seems to have been a mix-up. We were charged $2,000 this month, but that was last month’s order size. This month we only ordered half, so the price should be $1,000.
- I’m sure it was just as oversight, but I believe the building has been undervalued by 10,000€. Can you please look into it for me?
CLOSING THE EMAIL
Always remember to close your email in a polite manner. Some examples are as follows:
- Hope to hear from you soon,
- Let me know if I can do anything,
- Give me a call if you have any questions.
- Thanks for giving this an extra look.
Writing
Now that you have read English Writing: notifying errors, have a look at our other Writing posts:
Writing: making requests in English
Writing: C1 Advanced Writing
