Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Jul 8, 2010 08:17
13 yrs ago
2 viewers *
English term
Austria
EU, politics, EWCs
Native in: German (Variant: Austrian) 
, Hungarian (Variant: Hungary) 
Works in: English to German, Hungarian to German, German to English, and 3 more.
PC/computer
English
Tech/Engineering
Computers (general)
My proofreader told me that no English native speaker EVER uses PC, that's simply a Germanism. She even wanted to change "tablet PC" into "tablet computer", though in my opinion that's just a term in itself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_PC
I would like to hear your opinion on that - native speakers only please!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_PC
I would like to hear your opinion on that - native speakers only please!
Responses
| 5 +7 | PC |
transgeo
|
| 4 +2 | not usually interchangeable terms |
Stephanie Ezrol
|
| 3 | try personal computer |
Jonathan Crawford
|
Change log
Jul 8, 2010 08:22: Steffen Walter changed "Field (specific)" from "Engineering (general)" to "Computers (general)"
Jul 8, 2010 09:29: casper (X) changed "Language pair" from "German to English" to "English"
Responses
+7
1 hr
Selected
PC
Nonsense. Just refer your proofreader to www.pcmag.com. Wouldn't it be embarrassing if the people working at PC Magazine had to change their name of their mag to Personal Computer Magazine? :)
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Egil Presttun
18 mins
|
| agree |
BdiL
: Attaboy!! Maurizio
1 hr
|
| agree |
Frosty
1 hr
|
| agree |
Tony M
: Still very widely used, though I can't help sensing that it is getting slightly 'old hat' now, since being 'IBM PC compatible' is now no longer the major issue it once was...
3 hrs
|
| agree |
Arabic & More
3 hrs
|
| agree |
Rebecca Garber
: We have 3 computers in the house, 2 pc's, 1 mac, and all laptops. However, the pc vs mac is splitting hairs for anyone not directly using the computers.
3 hrs
|
| agree |
jccantrell
: Proofreader is full of soup. PC as opposed to Mac. But as Stephanie below says, depends on the audience.
7 hrs
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
27 mins
try personal computer
sounds alright to me
+2
2 hrs
Stephanie Ezrol
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
United States
French to English, English to English
Native in: English
Works in: English, French to English, French Middle (ca.1400-1600) to English
not usually interchangeable terms
There are s few elements to consider in deciding to use pc or computer.
For a broad not technical audience you would probably use the term computer, not pc.
For a somewhat technically oriented audience, pc or personal computer is different from a MacIntosh, and also different from a laptop or notebook or other types of computers.
Then there is the question of space available in the text not merely the audience.
I think the following article is useful to your question, and would be useful for the complaining prooreader to see if you think it is relevant. On the question of tablet PC or tablet computer, while tablet pc sounds a bit odd to my ear it does get 12 million google hits. Tablet computer gets 991,000 google hits.
I would suggest looking at the article both for what it says and how they use the terms:
How PCs Work
Today, when someone says PC, chances are they mean a machine running on the Microsoft Windows operating system with an x86-compatible microprocessor. While Apple Macintosh computers are technically personal computers, most people wouldn't call them PCs.
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/pc.htm
For a broad not technical audience you would probably use the term computer, not pc.
For a somewhat technically oriented audience, pc or personal computer is different from a MacIntosh, and also different from a laptop or notebook or other types of computers.
Then there is the question of space available in the text not merely the audience.
I think the following article is useful to your question, and would be useful for the complaining prooreader to see if you think it is relevant. On the question of tablet PC or tablet computer, while tablet pc sounds a bit odd to my ear it does get 12 million google hits. Tablet computer gets 991,000 google hits.
I would suggest looking at the article both for what it says and how they use the terms:
How PCs Work
Today, when someone says PC, chances are they mean a machine running on the Microsoft Windows operating system with an x86-compatible microprocessor. While Apple Macintosh computers are technically personal computers, most people wouldn't call them PCs.
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/pc.htm
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Armorel Young
: I agree - I would only use PC when specifically distinguishing them from Apple Macs; I avoid using it in translations as a generic term for computers in general (whereas many German-speakers do), so to that extent I think the proofreader is right.
9 hrs
|
|
Thanks.
|
|
| agree |
Anna Herbst
: PC as opposed to Mac - as a general term, computer.
16 hrs
|
|
Thanks Anna.
|
Discussion
"PC" is totally acceptable. Maybe not so good in combinations,
such as "tablet PC". "Tablet computer" is better, see below.
Other variations are OK too, such
as "personal computer". In many cases, when it is obvious that
you are not referring to "old big iron" or massive server farms,
just writing "computer" is OK too, and in many cases the best choice.
"My computer has crashed". That's what people say. "I had to buy a
new computer". Etc.
Nils Andersson
2. have a look at the native speaker US dictionary: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pc