Cyprus Copywriters - Top 10 Mistakes

Cyprus Copywriters; as stated elsewhere in this site, there is a shortage of skilled professionals in the Republic.

The results are sales materials such as brochures, leaflets, catalogues and even storefront signs misusing English to comic effect, and all too often the annoyance of British visitors and expatriates.

In this article, we bring you the top 10 mistakes made by Cyprus copywriters in alphabetical order:

1. Accept/Except – We except credit cards
   Many Cypriot businesses do indeed accept credit cards, except of course when they don’t.
2. Boarder/Border – Restrictions on the boarder of North Cyprus have eased up in recent years.
   We always thought there were a large number people living in the north, not just one boarder.
3. Finish/Finnish – Our entertainment will finnish around midnight
   So around midnight your entertainment becomes a bit more Scandinavian then?
4. Hanger/Hangar – All fitted wardrobes come with coat hangars
   How big are your coats?
5. Lose/Loose – Try our service; what have you got to loose?
   Well, anything not fixed down properly I suppose.
6. Plane/Plain – This includes transfers from your plain to your hotel
   The flight wasn’t very exciting then?
7. Stationery/Stationary – Visit our stationary shop.
   Although there are of course some mobile shops, on the whole they do not tend to move around much.

Cyprus Copywriters - Mistakes Continued

1. Taut/Taught – English is taut in many Cyprus schools
   Sounds like a pretty tense environment then.
2. There/Their – Customers should check there change…
   To be fair though, there are more than a few British people who regularly make this error.
3. Weather/Whether – Cyprus Whether is hot and sunny.
   There is not really a lot you can say to this.

Although these mistakes by Cyprus copywriters may seem trivial and often humorous, they will serve to upset a large proportion of potential British clients who automatically associate bad spelling, grammar and context with a lack of professionalism and a sloppy attitude towards business.

The fact that your business may provide a far better product or service than your competitors is largely immaterial to this group of people which naturally connects good spelling and grammar with overall professionalism and expertise.

Cyprus copywriters need to brush up their act if they are to succeed in selling to the ever-growing British population.
If you are primarily trying to attract English speaking clients to your business, we cannot overemphasise the need for properly written sales materials, since these are often your company’s only means of making a first impression on potential clients and prompting them into establishing contact with you.

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