Use of English
COSY |
Cooler Synchrotron, Germany Acronym doesn’t need spelling out for the CERN Courier Read more |
Courier |
councillor |
member of a council Read more |
translation |
counsellor, senior counsellor |
someone who provides guidance Legal counsel Read more |
translation |
countermeasure |
translation | |
counterproductive |
translation | |
CP |
Charge and parity (as in CP violation) Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
Cracow |
Courier, translation | |
criterion (pl. criteria) |
translation | |
cross-border (adj.) |
translation | |
cross-reference (noun and verb) |
translation | |
cross-section |
use hyphen, not cross section or crosssection Read more |
Courier, style, translation |
crossing-angle |
use hyphen Read more |
Courier |
CtC |
Cost-to-completion Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
CTF3 |
CLIC Test Facility Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
currencies |
Give figures in Swiss francs, then euros in brackets. "Five grams of enriched lead for the accelerator costs 12 000 CHF (9700 EUR)," says Kuchler. In official documents, three-letter ISO codes for currencies are preferable to symbols e.g. EUR, GBP, USD. The ISO code comes after the figure, preceded by a non-breaking space e.g. 25 CHF. Add lower case "k" for thousands, e.g. 25 kEUR, upper case "M" or "B" for millions or billions e.g. 25 MUSD. Read more |
style |
currency conversions |
Amounts quoted in sterling, US dollars and euros do not normally need to be converted. The only exception might be if you want readers to be able to make direct comparisons between countries: if that applies you should choose one as the standard. Any other currency should be converted the first time it is mentioned to the equivalent in US dollars. There are a number of currency converters on the net: xe.com covers any currency you are likely to encounter. Read more |
style |
curriculum vitae |
no italics Read more |
translation |
curriculum, curricula (pl.) |
translation | |
cut-off (adj. and noun), cut off (verb) |
translation | |
cutback (noun), cut back (verb) |
translation | |
CVI |
Cost-Variation Index Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
cyber |
No hyphen: cyberattack, cybercafé, cybersecurity, cyberterrorism, cyberthreat Read more |
translation |
cyclotron |
A cyclotron is an apparatus in which charged atomic and subatomic particles are accelerated by an alternating electric field while following an outward spiral or circular path in a magnetic field. Perhaps the most important improvement has been the replacement of an electrical magnet with a series of permanent magnets to generate the cyclotron's magnetic field. Read more |
physics |
DAI |
Demande d'Achat Interne (Internal Purchase Order) Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
DAMA |
Dark matter experiment at Gran Sasso National Laboratory Acronym doesn’t need spelling out for the CERN Courier Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, Courier |
DANTE |
Organisation that operates advanced networks for research and education, including GÉANT Acronym doesn’t need spelling out for the CERN Courier Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, Courier |
DAO |
Departmental Administrative Officer Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
DAPNIA |
Département d'Astrophysique, de physique des Particules, de physique Nucléaire et de l'Instrumentation Associée (Department of Astrophysics, Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics and Associated Instrumentation), CEA Acronym doesn’t need spelling out for the CERN Courier Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, Courier |
dark energy |
lower case Read more |
translation |
dark matter |
lower case Read more |
physics, style, translation |
data |
"Data" can mean two rather different things, and this poses a style problem. Read more |
style |
data centre |
Two words. Initial capital letters if talking about the CERN Data Centre. Read more |
translation |
data processing (noun); data-processing (adj.) |
translation | |
data set |
Not dataset or data-set. Read more |
Courier |
data-taking |
use hyphen Read more |
Courier |
databank |
translation | |
database |
translation | |
dates |
Dates should be written Saturday, 24 April 2010 (not 24th). Use the following construction for spans of time: Willibald Karl Jentschke was the Council delegate for the Federal Republic of Germany from 1964 to 1967. Though this often reads better if reworded: From 1964 to 1967, Willibald Karl Jentschke was the Council delegate for the Federal Republic of Germany. Read more |
style, translation |
daytime |
translation | |
DAΦNE |
Double Annular Φ Factory for Nice Experiments, an electron–positron collider at the Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (LNF) Acronym doesn’t need spelling out for the CERN Courier Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, Courier |
DCal |
Di-jet Calorimeter (ALICE) Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
DDU |
Delivered Duty Unpaid Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
de facto |
no italics Read more |
translation |
de jure |
no italics Read more |
translation |
deadline |
translation | |
debug, debugging, debugged |
translation | |
début |
translation | |
decades |
Use digits: the 1950s, 1960s, etc. the roaring 20s a man in his 60s Note that no apostrophe is needed before the "s" Read more |
style |
decay |
Most often used in the context of particle decay. The kaon decayed into a pion and a neutrino-antineutrino pair. Read more |
physics |
decimals |
Decimals and percentages use the number, not the word: 2% and 50% and 2.6 kilometres. Read more |
style |