[Gretl-users] translations

Thanks Artur, interesting issue for a brief intellectually-oriented after-lunch break. IMHO the (in)consistency problems pointed out by Artur are not specific to Gretl, but depend upon the peculiar  way in which scientific terms and they acronyms are sometimes ported in non-english jargons from English. For instance, in italian OLS is referred to verbally as such, with the English acronym, or with the full Italian name "Minimi Quadrati Ordinari" (possibly in the short version "Minimi Quadrati" which takes for granted "Ordinari"). Nobody dreams of saying or writing the acronym MQO(*). So in italian texts you read things like "OLS, ovvero (=or) Minimi Quadrati Ordinari..." which at first sight do not make any sense. However, they do if you consider those acronyms not as such but like short, hence particularly convenient, synonims of the full names borrowed from English. This happen in other disciplines as well. For instance Covid-19 tests are made using "Polymerase Chain Reaction", PCR, which in Italian is "Reazione a catena della polimerasi"... PCR. Bottom line: in Italian full names should be translated but acronyms should not. How about other languages? bye, Stefano (*) the only example I know is a translation of Hamilton's book with all the acronyms translated - reading it drives you crazy. -- ________________________________________________________________________ Stefano Fachin Professore Ordinario di Statistica Economica Dip. di Scienze Statistiche "Sapienza" Università di Roma P.le A. Moro 5 - 00185 Roma - Italia Tel. +39-06-49910834 fax +39-06-49910072 web http://stefanofachin.site.uniroma1.it/ -- ________________________________________________________ Le informazioni contenute in questo messaggio di posta elettronica sono strettamente riservate e indirizzate esclusivamente al destinatario. Si prega di non leggere, fare copia, inoltrare a terzi o conservare tale messaggio se non si è il legittimo destinatario dello stesso. Qualora tale messaggio sia stato ricevuto per errore, si prega di restituirlo al mittente e di cancellarlo permanentemente dal proprio computer. The information contained in this e mail message is strictly confidential and intended for the use of the addressee only.  If you are not the intended recipient, please do not read, copy, forward or store it on your computer. If you have received the message in error, please forward it back to the sender and delete it permanently from your computer system. --