Ten Misspellings Often Found in Business Content

While most word processors and emailing software do include built-in spell checkers, it’s surprising how many business letters still get sent out with misspellings that a spell checker should have certainly caught. Whether an executive forgot to run the spell check facility, did not notice the marked misspellings or was not sure whether they should be changed, you’ll find misspelled words in a variety of business correspondence including sales letters, official blogs and resumes.

Such misspelt words in business content can downgrade your professional standing in a few moments. To help you zero in on them before they are sent out, our writers have put together a list of the most common misspellings that we have noticed over the years.

Here are ten of the topmost slips with their correct forms:

1. Accepteble: Remember the ‘table’ in ‘acceptable’, and you won’t make this mistake again. 
2. Acommodate: Spelt ‘accommodate’, this word is long enough to accommodate both a double ‘c’ and a double ‘m’. 
3. Arguement: There’s no silent ‘e’ in ‘argument’. Leave the 'e' in the word 'argue' only. 
4. Calender: The right spelling has an ‘a’ in the last syllable of ‘calendar’. 
5. Concensus: Spelt ‘consensus’, this word has nothing to do with carrying out a ‘census’ to find out if people are in agreement. Rather, it comes from the Latin word ‘consensus’ meaning “agreement, sympathy, accord, feeling”.
6. Definate: The correct spelling is ‘definite’. Take a look at the ‘finite’ part of the word. 
7. Independance: Although the feeling of being independent may make you feel like dancing, there’s no ‘dance’ in the spelling of the world. The correct spelling is ‘independence’.
8. Ocurrance: The correct spelling is ‘occurrence’. Not only does this word have a double ‘c’ and a double ‘r’, notice that the suffix is an ‘ence’ rather than an ‘ance’ 
9. Priviledge: The correct spelling is ‘privilege’. Note, there’s no ‘ledge’ in the spelling. Other misspellings of the word are ‘privlege’ without the second ‘i’. 
10. Seperate: The correct spelling is ‘separate’. Think of the ‘par’ scoring system in golf, and you’ll get it right every time.

Of course, there are many more words that can be misspelled in business communication content, and one of these is the word 'misspelled' itself, which is sometimes wrongly spelled as 'mispelled', without the double 's'.

We hope this article helps you. If you require any further help with spellings and copy editing, contact us at info@staredits.com

Tips for Writing for Clients from Other Cultures

If you are writing content for someone from a different culture or country, it is vital to use the correct tone, words and style, particularly with regard to business communications. It is generally prudent to use more formal and conservative language, rather than to risk offending the reader with a casual writing style.

Do some research about the culture and customs of your prospective client, before selecting a tone and style for the copywriting work you are required to do. It doesn't hurt to ask the client about their preferences regarding certain things.

Some online content writing points you should be clear about are:

• Addressing People: In the United States of America, people tend to establish business relationships on a first-name basis, very fast. In most other countries, it would be better to address business contacts by their last names, until the other person indicates that they would prefer using first-names. 
• Professional titles: In some countries, professional and royal titles are not used in business communications. In other cultures, people are very sensitive about adding titles like ‘Prof.’, ‘Dr.’, ‘OBE’, ‘Sir’, ‘Ph.D’, ‘Maharaja’ or ‘Fr.’ to their names. If a client displays their preference for particular professional titles, then consider following it in your copy writing work. 
• Personal Titles: In Spanish speaking countries, people are addressed as Sna. (senora), Sr. (senor), Dna. (dona) or Dn (don); instead of 'Mr.' or 'Ms.'. In Japan, honorifics like ‘San’ are appended to the end of one's first name, for example, John San. When it comes to women, in some countries (like the USA), women are addressed as ‘Ms’ rather than ‘Mrs’ or ‘Miss’. In other countries, married women may wish to be addressed as ‘Mrs’, to display their marital status. So, do careful research before selecting personal name titles. 
• Use of personal pronouns: Some cultures (like the Americans) prefer direct and clear business communication, and often use personal pronouns such as I, we and you. People from other cultures might find this offensive, and prefer using the word ‘one’ in place of you, and the passive voice. For example, instead of saying ‘He did not pick up the phone’, they would say ‘The phone was not answered’. 
• Avoid slang terms: Be careful about using idioms, jargon and slang words that may be popular in your own culture/country. These terms may make no sense to someone from another culture, and in some cases, may even be misunderstood or cause offence. For example, phrases like ‘bottom line’, 'the whole nine yards’ or ‘in a jiffy’. 
• Avoid making generalisations: Do not generalise about all Asian or all South American cultures, just because they have certain common traditions. The business traditions amongst the Japanese, Koreans and Thais may vary as much as the customs used in English-speaking cities like Los Angeles, London and Melbourne.

Before writing content for people of other cultures, consider asking them for a few samples of content with styles they like, so that you can get an idea about their cultural preferences. You can later incorporate this style in the content you are creating. While some cultures may require an indirect flowery style of copy writing, others may need a more direct style. Do your homework, before you begin typing.

If you are too busy to do business copy writing work yourself , you can always outsource it to a professional content writing and editing company like StarEdits.com, and let our experienced content writers create strong result-oriented content for you! To get started, just send us an email at info@staredits.com or fill in our Contact Us form now!

How to Write a Business Proposal that Sells

A good business proposal is vital for bringing in the lucrative projects your company desires, and the resultant huge profits. While writing a project proposal, you need to be clear and professional while communicating company information, to ensure that your client stays impressed, and decides to grant you the deal.

Project Proposal Writing For Your Business

Writing a successful business proposal can be challenging task, if you are new to project proposal writing or are facing a language issue. Then again, project proposal writing can be just like crafting a report or a persuasive essay, with a few useful company details added in the appropriate places.

Tips For Writing A Great Business Project Proposal 

Here are a few tips on how to develop a smashing project proposal, which will successfully deliver the business results you need:

• Define the problem and solution: A business proposal should identify the problems that the project is required for, and prescribe useful solutions to tackle them. These solutions should be smart enough to catch the attention of a busy client manager, who has to examine numerous project proposals. Client managers usually look for something new that saves money while bringing in the required results, so ensure that your project proposal clearly states this.
• Use facts to bolster your statements: When you present your arguments for approval, base them on facts rather than opinions or promises. Conduct research on similar projects, and mention their successes and failures while points in favour of your business proposal. Mention how your project proposal will address the failings of similar plans and projects.
• Make a prototype: If possible, create a small-scale version of the solution you are proposing in your business proposal, and present a report on the results gained from it. Based on the results shown by the prototype, present an estimate of the outcome that the full-scale project will bring about. Show the client different possible results, to give them a range of choices to consider.
• Present a realistic estimate of expenses: Be very careful while mentioning financial and manpower resources. Conduct thorough research before mentioning any figures, and present the client with realistic estimates/totals of any project costs. Also, give your clients an approximate timeline, and split your project into phases.
• Careful language and design: Use screenshots, diagrams, photos and colour schemes to make your project proposal attractive and engaging. Ensure that your completed document is free from spelling, language and grammar errors, or your credibility will be eroded. Structure textual content and images well.
• Revise your proposal: After you finish writing your project proposal, don’t send it off immediately. Take some time and review the proposal, to make it clearer and more concise. Ask a colleague or professional editing company to critique it, and make corrections if necessary.

Your business project proposal is now ready. If you are too busy to write your project proposal yourself, you can always outsource the work to a professional corporate communications company like StarEdits.com, and get our experienced content writers to develop a great business proposal for you.

StarEdits.com has written and edited hundreds of successful project proposals for clients from around the globe. Whatever the plan or project, if you require a well-written business proposal that wows the prospective client, just email us at info@staredits.com or fill in our Contact Us form now!