Glossary entry (derived from question below)
inglés term or phrase:
fallout technology
español translation:
tecnología secundaria / alternativa
Added to glossary by
Tina Lavrentiadou
Jan 10, 2011 00:52
13 yrs ago
2 viewers *
inglés term
España
Fashion & Clothing, Retail, Tecnical
Native in: griego 
Works in: español al griego, inglés al griego, portugués al griego, and 2 more.
fallout technology
inglés al español
Técnico/Ingeniería
Telecomunicaciones
Frame Relay circuits
Hi all,
Could you please help me with this term? Here is some context:
"Frame Relay connections allow difficult-to-connect retailers access to an advanced and private packet-switched network. Because of long lead times and extremely high costs, frame relay is recommended only in cases where a retailer does not have access to wireless technology. In similar deployments, Frame Relay is required for less than two percent of retailers. While xxx recommends Frame Relay as a fallout technology only, it has a typical availability of 99.9 percent."
Thanks in advance.
Could you please help me with this term? Here is some context:
"Frame Relay connections allow difficult-to-connect retailers access to an advanced and private packet-switched network. Because of long lead times and extremely high costs, frame relay is recommended only in cases where a retailer does not have access to wireless technology. In similar deployments, Frame Relay is required for less than two percent of retailers. While xxx recommends Frame Relay as a fallout technology only, it has a typical availability of 99.9 percent."
Thanks in advance.
Proposed translations
(español)
| 2 | tecnología alternativa |
Charles Davis
|
| 4 | tecnología de último recurso |
Jennifer Levey
|
Proposed translations
59 minutos
Selected
tecnología alternativa
Or perhaps "tecnología de segunda opción" or "tecnología secundaria".
From the context I had come to the same conclusion suggested by Tomasso in the discussion entry: that "fallout" here is a malapropism and that what is intended is "fallback technology". I'm not sure what the standard term for this is, but perhaps something like "tecnología alternativa" would get the point across, though this expression can have other connotations. What I think it must mean is that it is a technology recommended as a fallback or secondary option where the preferred wireless technology is not feasible.
"Fallout technology" does in fact exist; it means a spinoff, a technology developed as an unplanned by-product of another process. See for example:
"The most famous and enduring [proprietary network design] was IBM's 3270 network design. (A trivia point: The 3270 was a fallout technology of the Space Race--IBM was contracted by NASA.)"
http://books.google.es/books?id=_7EgZxP5LW8C&pg=PA155&lpg=PA...
This might be "technología derivada" in Spanish, but I don't think it can be what is meant here.
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Note added at 15 hrs (2011-01-10 16:28:44 GMT)
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An error for "fallback" is the likeliest explanation. Certainly a "fallback" system can mean a backup system which kicks in if a main system fails, but the expression "fallback technology" is also quite frequently used, in the same sense as in this ST, for a technology of second choice used when that of first choice is unavailable. For example:
"Cellular Network positioning is often the “fallback” technology used when GPS, GLONASS and. Wi-Fi signals are unavailable"
http://www.spirent.com/Wireless/~/media/Articles/EE_Times_Ar...
Note the inverted commas; this is a loose use of the word, but such uses exist, and plenty of similar examples of "fallback technology" (not "fallback solution", please note) can readily be found.
I do not see any reason to suppose that the writer sees Frame Relay as a technology of last resort. The context suggests rather that it is an alternative, an acceptable but inferior second choice, on which one can fall back if the first choice is not available.
As I have said, the expression "fallout technology" does exist, with a quite different sense, that of a technology accidentally discovered in the course of doing something else. Here is another example of this usage (from a non-computing field this time):
"The petite 3 mm diameter case (illustrated 15 times life size) demanded use of many new technologies, one among them a technology accidentally discovered in pursuit of the new LSD technology used in the BM BIG. This "fallout" technology--known as Pinch and Squeeze, or PAS for short--is apparent in the strap attachment for the very diminutive The Madame."
http://www.timezone.com/library/horologium/horologium0014
As a personal coinage here, "fallout" seems pretty unconvincing to me.
From the context I had come to the same conclusion suggested by Tomasso in the discussion entry: that "fallout" here is a malapropism and that what is intended is "fallback technology". I'm not sure what the standard term for this is, but perhaps something like "tecnología alternativa" would get the point across, though this expression can have other connotations. What I think it must mean is that it is a technology recommended as a fallback or secondary option where the preferred wireless technology is not feasible.
"Fallout technology" does in fact exist; it means a spinoff, a technology developed as an unplanned by-product of another process. See for example:
"The most famous and enduring [proprietary network design] was IBM's 3270 network design. (A trivia point: The 3270 was a fallout technology of the Space Race--IBM was contracted by NASA.)"
http://books.google.es/books?id=_7EgZxP5LW8C&pg=PA155&lpg=PA...
This might be "technología derivada" in Spanish, but I don't think it can be what is meant here.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 15 hrs (2011-01-10 16:28:44 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
An error for "fallback" is the likeliest explanation. Certainly a "fallback" system can mean a backup system which kicks in if a main system fails, but the expression "fallback technology" is also quite frequently used, in the same sense as in this ST, for a technology of second choice used when that of first choice is unavailable. For example:
"Cellular Network positioning is often the “fallback” technology used when GPS, GLONASS and. Wi-Fi signals are unavailable"
http://www.spirent.com/Wireless/~/media/Articles/EE_Times_Ar...
Note the inverted commas; this is a loose use of the word, but such uses exist, and plenty of similar examples of "fallback technology" (not "fallback solution", please note) can readily be found.
I do not see any reason to suppose that the writer sees Frame Relay as a technology of last resort. The context suggests rather that it is an alternative, an acceptable but inferior second choice, on which one can fall back if the first choice is not available.
As I have said, the expression "fallout technology" does exist, with a quite different sense, that of a technology accidentally discovered in the course of doing something else. Here is another example of this usage (from a non-computing field this time):
"The petite 3 mm diameter case (illustrated 15 times life size) demanded use of many new technologies, one among them a technology accidentally discovered in pursuit of the new LSD technology used in the BM BIG. This "fallout" technology--known as Pinch and Squeeze, or PAS for short--is apparent in the strap attachment for the very diminutive The Madame."
http://www.timezone.com/library/horologium/horologium0014
As a personal coinage here, "fallout" seems pretty unconvincing to me.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Charels, Instead of alternative, I would use "secundaria" because of the "other connotations" you mentinon. Your answer has helped me to interpret this term the best way I could. So thank you for this and for the references too. Thank you all!!"
13 horas
Jennifer Levey
Chile
Chile
Native in inglés
Specializes in field
Chile
Human-scale Globalization
Native in: inglés (Variant: British) 
Works in: español al inglés, francés al inglés, inglés al español, and 2 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
226
tecnología de último recurso
As explained in the ST, 'fallout technology' is used in the small minority of cases where the 'standard' solutions cannot be applied.
It's not a term I've seen used before - it's most likely an invention of the author of the ST - but it clearly refers to cases which fall outside the norm. And of course 'fallout' has an emotive connotation (radioactive fallout) which lends weight to the argument that frame relay is best avoided where possible.
The usual translation of fallout (in the nuclear context: lluvia radiactiva) does not work in this telecoms context, so it will be necessary to paraphrase; I suggest 'tecnología de último recurso'
Note that a 'fallback' solution is a quite different concept - this would be a second system which takes over the task if the main (wireless) system fails.
It's not a term I've seen used before - it's most likely an invention of the author of the ST - but it clearly refers to cases which fall outside the norm. And of course 'fallout' has an emotive connotation (radioactive fallout) which lends weight to the argument that frame relay is best avoided where possible.
The usual translation of fallout (in the nuclear context: lluvia radiactiva) does not work in this telecoms context, so it will be necessary to paraphrase; I suggest 'tecnología de último recurso'
Note that a 'fallback' solution is a quite different concept - this would be a second system which takes over the task if the main (wireless) system fails.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Charles Davis
: If it means "technology for cases that FALL OUTside the norm, perhaps something like "tecnología de uso excepcional" would be appropriate?
2 horas
|
Discussion
Fallback is a mechanism used by ATM networks when rigorous path selection does not generate an acceptable path. The fallback mechanism attempts to determine a path by selectively relaxing certain attributes, such as delay, in order to find a path that meets some minimal set of desired attributes
http://www.networkdictionary.com/networking/f.php
Did not encounter fallout technology but this is not my specialty field