Writing in a second language is hardest where dictionaries do not help: tone, formality, how direct you can be, and the set phrases every email and letter needs. A practical way around that: say what you mean in your own language first, get an English draft, and then check it carefully before you send it. AI tools can write the draft, but they cannot guarantee it sounds exactly like a native speaker, so read every result and check names, dates and numbers yourself.
The mistakes that matter most
Grammar mistakes rarely cause problems. Tone mistakes do. These are the ones worth watching:
| Problem | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Too direct | "Send me the document." sounds rude in an English email | Soften requests: "Could you please send me the document?" |
| Too formal | Very long, stiff sentences sound distant | Short sentences, plain words, one idea per sentence |
| Greetings and closings | "Dear Sir" to a colleague, or "Hi" to an official office | "Hi Anna," for colleagues; "Dear Sir or Madam," for unknown officials |
| Translated idioms | An idiom from your language makes no sense in English | Say what you mean in plain words instead |
| False friends | A word looks the same but means something else | Check words that look like your own language |
| No clear ask | The reader does not know what you want | Put the request in the first or last paragraph, as one sentence |
Tips for writing in a second language
- Decide what you want first. One sentence: "I want the landlord to fix the heating by Friday." Everything else supports that.
- Start from a pattern. Emails and letters follow fixed structures: greeting, reason, request, thanks, closing. Our guides on dictating an email and writing to a government office have patterns you can copy.
- Keep sentences short. Short sentences are easier to get right and easier to read.
- Read it out loud. If a sentence is hard to say, it is probably hard to read.
- Check the facts yourself. Names, dates, amounts, reference numbers. A translation tool will not know if a number is wrong.
- Ask for a second pair of eyes for texts that matter: a job application, a complaint, a letter to an office.
- Keep a phrase list. Every time you find a good phrase ("I am writing to ask whether..."), save it. You will use it again.
Speak in your language, get English text
Thinking in your own language is faster and more precise. Retexta, a cloud voice to text and AI writing app for Android, lets you speak in your language and get the finished text in English, or in any of its 50+ output languages. A step-by-step walkthrough of speaking in one language and getting text in another is in our guide on voice to text in another language; this page focuses on getting the tone right.
For an email or message:
- Open Retexta, tap New task and choose Write a message.
- Tap Record audio and say, in your own language, what the message should say, to whom, and in what tone.
- On the result, set the Result language to English. You can also change the writing style, for example to Formal or Friendly, and the length.
For a text you already have (your own draft, a message, a screenshot or a PDF):
- Tap New task, open More templates and choose Translate.
- Add your input and pick the target language.
- Under How close to the original?, choose Literal (keeps wording, structure and length), Faithful (idiomatic, keeps structure and intent; the app calls it the best choice for most translations) or Adaptive (writes the optimized version of what you mean).
For letters to offices and institutions: Write to an institution (under More templates) writes formal drafts for public offices. Its description in the app lists "Translate & formalize from any language".
These goals are part of Retexta Pro. Retexta is free to try: new users get a few free Pro results to view in the app. Copying, sharing and exporting need Retexta Pro or credits, and so does everything after the free results.
Example: from Spanish speech to an English email
We wrote this example ourselves to show the idea. It is not real app output, and your results will look different.
What you say (in Spanish):
Correo para el casero, el señor Miller. La calefacción no funciona desde el lunes, hace mucho frío en el piso.
Quiero que venga alguien a repararla esta semana, puedo estar en casa el jueves o el viernes por la mañana.
Educado pero claro.
What you might get (result language: English, style: Professional):
Subject: Heating not working since Monday
Dear Mr. Miller,
The heating in my apartment has not been working since Monday, and it is very cold.
Could you please arrange for someone to repair it this week? I can be at home on Thursday or Friday morning.
Thank you for your help.
Best regards,
[Your name]
[Apartment number]
Notice what changed besides the language: the request became a polite question, the dates were grouped, and the email got a subject, a greeting and a closing.
Check before you send
- Is the meaning right? Compare the result with what you said. If a detail changed, fix it.
- Is the tone right? A Friendly email to a colleague and a Formal letter to an office sound very different. Change the writing style if needed.
- Are the facts right? Names, dates, amounts and reference numbers.
- Is it you? If a phrase does not sound like something you would say, change it. People who know you will notice.
Retexta marks every AI result with "AI-generated. Check important details." That applies to translations too.
Use the results to learn
Put your own sentence next to the English result and compare them. Which phrases would you not have known? Add them to your phrase list. Over time you will need the help less, and your own drafts will get closer to the result.
Keep reading
Writing emails by voice: how to dictate an email on Android. Formal letters to offices: how to write a letter to a government agency. Studying in English: voice to text for students. More about the app: Retexta, voice to text for Android.
Sources
Checked by FLAME Apps on September 25, 2026.
- Retexta: goal names, translation options and their descriptions, writing styles and plans as shown in the app strings; output languages (50+) and app languages as stated on its Google Play listings.
