Yo,
on Tue, 21 Dec 1999 18:56:16 -0800, Mike Butler wrote:
>life is is heavily dependent on these abbreviations as a major time
>saver. I'm sorry this may put non native "American" speakers at a
>disadvantage.
It doesn't, IMHO :-). Most of these acronyms have become common internet
jargon (or just computer jargon, like VGA, OEM, etc.); you'll find many of
them used on a regular basis in non-English newsgroups (at least in German
ones). So I think the problem is more one of having to learn the common
jargon when being new to the internet (or to computers) than not being a
native speaker of English. Also, the problem is not specific to the
computer/internet field - for instance, when I took on a big construction
company as a customer in my translation business I had to learn lots of
expressions and abbreviations that a speaker of either of the two languages
would not know (in his/her own language) unless he/she worked or was
knowledgeable in the field of construction. In this field, however, they are
as common as "IMHO" or "AFAIK" are here. You'd find same to be true for any
other special field you'd care to look at. They all have their own special,
commonly accepted jargons. So why shouldn't the internet?
MtFbwy,
Volkhart
--
Volkhart Baumgaertner email: kyu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
MausNet: @MGN
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