CELPIP Writing Task 1: Writing an Email

CELPIP Writing Task 1 Sample Answer: Bakery Brochure Translation Errors

This prompt asks you to complain to a translation company whose French version of your bakery menu came back full of errors and a broken layout. The tricky part is giving concrete examples of the mistakes and linking them to a real business cost before asking for a fair remedy.

Time

27 minutes

Length

150–200 words

Tone

Formal or semi-formal, depending on the reader

The question

You own a small bakery in Moncton, New Brunswick. You paid an online company $180 to translate your menu and catering brochure from English into French. When you received the files, you found many mistakes in the French text, and the layout of the pages had been changed. You had already printed copies for a local food festival.

Write an email to the translation company in about 150-200 words. Your email should do the following things:

Describe the mistakes in the translation and the layout.

Explain how these problems have affected your business.

Tell the company what you would like them to do.

How to plan your answer

What they want

A formal, polite but firm email to the translation company about your bakery's menu and brochure.
Cover: translation and layout mistakes, the effect on your business, and what you want them to do.

Plan (27 min)

Greeting: "Dear Customer Support Team," with your order number, the date and the $180 you paid.
Mistakes: give two clear examples, like a wrong word for a pastry or an ingredient, and say the layout changed (prices moved, photos covering text).
Effect: you printed copies for the food festival; French-speaking customers were confused, you had to reprint at your own cost.
Request: a corrected translation checked by a native speaker by a date, plus a refund or covering the printing cost.
Closing: thank them, full name, bakery name.

Useful vocabulary

mistranslated, proofread, native speaker, layout
reprint, misleading, corrected version, reimburse

Phrases

Unfortunately, the translation contained several errors, such as...
This caused serious problems because...
Could you please... by...?

Avoid

Saying "the translation was bad" with no examples.
Forgetting a deadline and a clear remedy.

Excellent answer: around CLB 11–12

Dear Customer Support Team, I am writing about order 4471, a French translation of my bakery's menu and catering brochure, for which I paid $180 on September 12. Unfortunately, the finished files contained numerous errors. Several product names were translated word for word, so "date squares" appeared as "carrés de rendez-vous", meaning appointment squares. Allergy notes were also incomplete, which is a serious concern. On top of this, the layout was altered: prices shifted away from their items and two photos overlapped the text. Since I trusted your service, I printed 250 brochures for the Moncton Food Festival before noticing the problems. Many French-speaking visitors were puzzled, a few were amused, and I ended up reprinting everything at a cost of $160. It was an embarrassing start to an event that usually brings in new catering clients. I would therefore ask you to provide a corrected translation, proofread by a native French speaker, within five business days, and to refund the original $180. Given the reprinting costs, I believe this is a fair solution. Thank you for your prompt attention. Sincerely, Daniel Thibault

183 words

Why it scores high

Content/Coherence: Adding the incomplete "Allergy notes" raises the stakes beyond embarrassment, making the request for a native-speaker proofread feel essential.
Vocabulary: Precise choices like "translated word for word," "overlapped the text" and "puzzled, a few were amused" add colour while staying professional.
Task Fulfillment: The closing request names a remedy, a checker and a deadline: "proofread by a native French speaker, within five business days."

Good answer: around CLB 7–8

Dear Customer Support Team, My name is Daniel Thibault, and I own Rise and Shine Bakery in Moncton. On September 12, I paid $180 for a French translation of my menu and catering brochure (order 4471). Unfortunately, the files I received had serious problems. Several items were translated incorrectly. For example, "date squares" became "carrés de rendez-vous", which means appointment squares. In addition, the layout was changed, so prices no longer lined up with the right items and two photos covered part of the text. These errors have hurt my business. I had already printed 250 brochures for the Moncton Food Festival, and many French-speaking visitors found them confusing. I had to reprint everything, which cost me $160. I would like you to send a corrected translation, checked by a native French speaker, within five business days. I would also like a full refund of the $180 to help cover the reprinting. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Daniel Thibault

163 words

What works, and what's missing

Content/Coherence: The "carrés de rendez-vous" example, explained as "appointment squares," proves the problem instead of just claiming the translation was poor.
Readability: Each paragraph matches one point and opens with a clear signal, such as "Several items" and "These errors have hurt my business."
Vocabulary: Clear and correct, but phrases like "translated incorrectly" and "had serious problems" are general; more precise words would sharpen the complaint.

Basic answer: around CLB 4–5

Dear Support Team, My name is Lina Haddad and I have a small bakery in Moncton. Last month I pay $180 to your company for translate my menu and catering brochure to French. But there is many mistakes. For example, "butter tart" become "tarte de beurre", and some sentence don't make sense. Also the layout is changed. The prices is not beside the right items and one photo cover the text. I didn't check before and I printed 200 brochures for the food festival. French customers was confused and some of them laughed. One lady ask me if croissant have meat because of wrong word. I had to print again and it cost me $150. Please fix the translation and the layout fast. Also I want my money back or pay for my printing. Thank you, Lina Haddad

138 words

What holds it back

Content/Coherence: The "butter tart" example and the $150 reprint cost are strong, but the email jumps quickly from the festival to the request with little linking.
Vocabulary: Errors such as "I pay $180 to your company for translate," "there is many mistakes" and "The prices is" show weak verb and agreement control.
Task Fulfillment: "Please fix the translation and the layout fast" gives no deadline, so the request is less clear than the rest of the email.

The CLBs are estimates of the level each sample was written at, not official CELPIP scores. How we estimate CLB