Language Overflow

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CowperKettle

02:04

AIQ

02:27

That lonely King!

1 hour later…

CowperKettle

03:39

Q: How to avoid the use of the word "exceedance"?

From my translation from Russian: The following safety information that may suggest changes in the benefit-risk ratio of the drug product is subject to expedited reporting to the regulatory bodies within 15 calendar days: imposition of restrictions on the drug product’s distribution;...

2 hours later…

Anonymous

05:33

@CowperKettle But they don't ask for the check, they call it the bill!

AIQ

06:24

@snailcar Can I ask you a question, please? We use a comma after introductory phrases like this: "In the beginning, ..." // "During the recession, ...". Do we still use a comma when the sentence starts like this: "The authors argue that during the recession, it is ..."

CowperKettle

07:10

@snailcar Really?

Too bad, they spoil a good joke

Q: How should I ask for a bill in a restaurant politely?

I used to say check please, but my English teacher said that it's wrong, and the proper way is to say something like bill please. What's the truth?

word-choice nouns politeness

CowperKettle

08:07

> The name of the archive folder includes the exact name of the documents to be archived and the year(s) for which the documents are archived in that folder, as well as the number of the folder in the shared directory.

This phrase seems awkward but I can't come up with an alternative.

The meaning is, if the document being archived was in use from 2015-2017, the name of the folder must include this year range.

CowperKettle

08:23

I'm not sure which word to use for Russian папка - binder or folder.

Maybe folder, because binders require making holes in documents (probably)

2 hours later…

CowperKettle

10:27

> Gangway: a passageway through which to enter or leave, such as one between seating areas in an auditorium, or between two buildings

I thought it was aisle

Q: Difference between "gangway" and "aisle" in an auditorium

From Wiktionary: Gangway: a passageway through which to enter or leave, such as one between seating areas in an auditorium, or between two buildings. Aisle: a clear path through rows of seating. Is the key difference here that a gangway leads to an exit door, while an aisle can just l...

difference

CowperKettle

10:59

Can we use the term wet cleaning to refer to cleaning of rooms and premises, or is it only used with reference to clothes?

Or should it be mopping in relation to premises?

1 hour later…

G Warner

12:14

@CowperKettle I have never heard the phrase wet cleaning before. For premises cleaning mopping is the catch-all word to use. mop up (floors), wipe down (walls), (and this distinction is itself a puzzle (because generally you don't think of mopping as something that isnt a floor)

@CowperKettle okay so I checked this out en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wet_cleaning.

It defines it as a term for garment cleaning.

CowperKettle

@GWarner Thank you! In Russian мокрая уборка (literally wet cleaning) describes the whole process of first mopping the floors and then wiping the walls and everything that should be wiped. But it could be limited to just mopping in many cases.

So I think translators routinely make the mistake of translating it literally.

G Warner

@CowperKettle I suspected the term would mean different meanings based on location.

I have seen that when a language can't name something specific it falls on known wording to decribe it

And I think that is the case in logograms used in China and SE Asia. When they can't come up with a translation they just use the English word.

so you get asian texts with english words interspersed

@CowperKettle Is this hard copy or computer based?

Binders are strictly hard copy. Computer archives would use folders

3 hours later…

CowperKettle