Computers & Information Technology

N.B. The British spelling 'programme' is no longer used to refer to a computer program, although it is still correct in other phrases e.g. 'television programme'.
Word	Meaning
adware	A software application which displays unwanted pop-up advertisements on your computer while in use.  Adware is often installed at the same time as free software or shareware.
application	Any program designed to perform a specific function directly for the user.  Microsoft Word, Outlook or Adobe Photoshop are examples of application programs.
bloatware/fatware	Pre-installed software that occupies a lot of space, leaving little memory for storing personal data.
browser	A program or tool such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or Google that enables you to browse or surf the World Wide Web and view internet sites.
bug	A defect or fault in a program that prevents it from working correctly.  Bugs are caused by mistakes or errors made by those who write the program.
cache	A sort of fast memory used for temporary storage of recently accessed web pages, which enables the browser to display them more quickly on the next visit.
cookies	Small piece of information on the times and dates you have visited web sites.  A web server can temporarily store this information within your browser.  The main purpose is to identify users and possibly prepare customized web pages for them.
crash	What happens when a program or the entire operating system, unexpectedly stops working.
cursor	A blinking symbol on the screen that shows where any new text will next be entered.
driver	A special program which enables a computer to work with a particular piece of hardware such as a printer.
e-business	Business done over the internet or any internet-based network.
e-mail	Electronic mail : messages sent from one computer to another over the internet.
FAQ	Frequently Asked Questions.
firewall	Specialized hardware or software designed to prevent unauthorized access into or out of a computer or network.
font	A particular kind of lettering (e.g. Arial, Verdana, etc.)
hardware	The physical equipment or touchable parts of a computer system (the CPU (central processing unit), monitor, keyboard,  mouse, external speakers, scanner the printer, etc.)
hit	A visit to a website.
home page	The main page or opening page of a website.  It usually contains links to other pages.
login	Process by which a user enters a name and password to access a computer.

Business English resources

Apologising (US: Apologizing)	We are sorry for the delay in replying to ... I regret any inconvenience caused (by) ... I would like to apologise for the (delay, inconvenience)... Once again, please accept my apologies for ...
Orders	Thank you for your quotation of ... We are pleased to place an order with your company for.. We would like to cancel our order n° ..... Please confirm receipt of our order. I am pleased to acknowledge receipt of your order n° ..... Your order will be processed as quickly as possible. It will take about (two/three) weeks to process your order. We can guarantee you delivery before ...(date) Unfortunately these articles are no longer available / are out of stock.
Prices	Please send us your price list. You will find enclosed our most recent catalogue and price list. Please note that our prices are subject to change without notice. We have pleasure in enclosing a detailed quotation. We can make you a firm offer of ...
Referring to payment	Our terms of payment are as follows  ... Our records show that we have not yet received payment of ... According to our records ... Please send payment as soon as possible. You will receive a credit note for the sum of ...
Enclosing documents	I am enclosing ... Please find enclosed ... You will find enclosed ...
Closing remarks	If we can be of any further assistance, please let us know. If I can help in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me. If you require more information ... For further details ... Thank you for taking this into consideration. Thank you for your help. We hope you are happy with this arrangement. We hope you can settle this matter to our satisfaction.
Referring to future business	We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future. We would be (very) pleased to do business with your company. I would be happy to have an opportunity to work with your firm.
Referring to future contact	I look forward to seeing you next week. Looking forward to hearing from you, ... Looking forward to receiving your comments, I look forward to meeting you on the (date). I would appreciate a reply at your earliest convenience. An early reply would be appreciated.
Ending business letters	◊ Sincerely,    } ◊ Yours sincerely,}  for all customers / clients ◊ Sincerely yours,} ◊ Yours faithfully, in more formal letters ◊ Regards, for those you already know and/or with whom you have a working relationship

Useful phrases for writing business letters

Salutation	• Dear Mr. Brown • Dear Ms. White • Dear Sir • Dear Madam • Dear Sir or Madam • Gentlemen
Starting	•  We are writing - to inform you that ... - to confirm ... - to request ... - to enquire about ... • I am contacting you for the following reason... • I recently read/heard about ..... and would like to know .... • Having seen your advertisement in ..., I would like to ... • I would be interested in (obtaining / receiving) ... • I received your address from ----- and would like to ...
Referring to previous contact	• Thank you for your letter of March 15. • Thank you for contacting us. • In reply to your request, ... • Thank you for your letter regarding ... • With reference to our telephone conversation yesterday... • Further to our meeting last week ... • It was a pleasure meeting you in London last month. • I enjoyed having lunch with you last week in Tokyo. • I would just like to confirm the main points we discussed  on Tuesday.
Making a request	• We would appreciate it if you would ... • I would be grateful if you could ...  • Could you please send me ...  • Could you possibly tell us / let us have ...  • In addition, I would like to receive ... • It would be helpful if you could send us ... • I am interested in (obtaining / receiving) ... • I would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter. • Please let me know what action you propose to take.
Offering help	• Would you like us to ...? • We would be happy to ... • We are quite willing to ... • Our company would be pleased to ...
Giving good news	• We are pleased to announce that ... • I am delighted to inform you that .. • You will be pleased to learn that ...
Giving bad news	• We regret to inform you that ... • I'm afraid it would not be possible to ... • Unfortunately we cannot / we are unable to ... • After careful consideration we have decided (not) to ...
Complaining	• I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with ... • I am writing to complain about ... • Please note that the goods we ordered on ( date )  have not yet arrived. • We regret to inform you that our order n° ----- is now  considerably overdue. • I would like to query the transport charges which seem  unusually high.

Writing Business Letters

If writing a business letter takes you much longer than in your own language,here are a few guidelines that you may find helpful.

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Plan before you write. Look up words you need before you start. Note the points you want to make, and order them into logical paragraphs. Tone Write as you would speak in a business conversation. The tone should be friendly and polite. Names Make sure you check the gender of the addressee (the recipient), as well as the correct spelling of the person's name and title. Use Ms. for women and Mr. for men. You can use Mrs. for a woman if you are 100% sure that she is married. Dates To avoid any confusion, write the month instead of using numbers (e.g. January 15th, 2012  or 15 January 2012). Be concise and clear. The easier it is to read a letter the better. Keep sentences and paragraphs short and simple. Use straightforward vocabulary to avoid any misunderstanding. Ask direct questions. Rewrite any sentence that does not seem perfectly clear. If the recipient is not a native English-speaker, it is preferable to avoid  words or expressions that are too technical or complicated. Remember this word order principle Subject Verb Object Manner Place Time   Who Does  What   How Where  When Example :  Mr. Brown will travel by plane to London on Monday, June 5th. A technician will install the equipment in your office on Tuesday. Avoid old-fashioned words Although they are used in legal documents and contracts, words like  'herewith', 'herein', 'aforementioned', etc. are rarely used in letters. The following style of sentence is preferable : "You will find more information on our products in the enclosed brochure."

Advertising

Word	Meaning
advertisement	Item of publicity to promote a product or service in newspapers, magazines, on TV, etc.
advertising agency	Marketing services firm that assists companies in planning advertisements.
AIDA	Attention, Interest, Desire, Action - the aim of all advertising.
benefit	Advantage of a product or service.
billboard	Signboard for advertising posters.
broadsheet	Newspaper printed in a large format.
campaign	organised course or plan of action.
circulation	Average number of copies of newspapers or magazines sold over a period of time.
classified ads	Small advertisements in newspapers or magazines, divided into categories.
commercial	Advertisement on radio or television.
coupon	Part of a printed advertisement to be used to order goods or samples.
direct mail	Advertisement sent by post to prospective customers.
double-page spread	Advertisement printed across two pages in a newspaper or magazine.
editing	Reviewing or rewriting in order to make suitable for publication.
eye-catcher	Something that particularly attracts one's attention.
features	Special characteristics of a product.
generic advertising	Advertising for a whole sector, such as tourism, rather than a specific product.
hoarding	Wooden structure or signboard, used to carry advertisements.
hype	Excessive or intensive publicity;  exaggerated claims made inadvertising.
jingle	Catchy tune, with a short simple rhyme, used to promote a product.
key words	Informative words chosen to indicate the content of a document.
launch	To start an action in order to introduce something (e.g. a new proeduct).
mailshot	Piece of advertising material sent to potential customers by post.
mass media	The main means of mass communication (newspapers, TV and radio).
plug	Favourable publicity in the media for a commercial product (e.g. a book).
poster	Large sheet of paper used in advertising.
prime time	Hours on radio and TV with the largest audience, usually the evening.
promote	Use advertising and publicity to try to increase sales of a product.
roadside signs	Large panels along roads and motorways used for outdooradvertising.
slogan	Phrase used to advertise a product, or to identify a company or organisation.
slot	Specific time in a broadcasting schedule allotted for a commercial.
soundbite	Short extract from a recorded interview or speech.
spam	Unsolicited advertising sent through the internet as an email message.
spot	Position of a commercial in a radio programme or TV schedule.
tabloid	Newspaper printed in small format, usually with a lot of photographs.
target	Objective;  what is aimed at.
U.S.P.	Unique Selling Proposition;  a declaration of what makes a product different.
write copy	Write a text to be printed or spoken in an advertisement or a commercial.

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Word	Meaning
Ltd	limited
mo	month
N/A	not applicable
NB	Nota Bene  (it is important to note)
no	number
PA	personal assistant
p.a.	per annum  (per year)
Plc	public limited company
pls	please
p.m.	post meridiem  (after noon)
p.p.	per pro  (used before signing in a person's absence)
PR	public relations
p.s.	post scriptum
PTO	please turn over
p.w.	per week
qty	quantity
R & D	research and development
re	with reference to
ROI	return on investment
RSVP	repondez s'il vous plait  (please reply)
s.a.e.	stamped addressed envelope
VAT	value added tax
VIP	very important person

BUSINESS ENGLISH VOCABULARY

Word	Meaning
@	at
a/c	account
AGM	annual general meeting
a.m.	ante meridiem  (before  noon)
a/o	account of  (on behalf of)
AOB	any other business
ASAP	as soon as possible
ATM	automated teller machine (cash dispenser)
attn	for the attention of
approx	approximately
cc	copy to
CEO	chief executive officer
c/o	care of  (on letters:  at the address of)
Co	company
cm	centimetre
COD	cash on delivery
dept	department
e.g.	exempli gratia (for example)
EGM	extraordinary general meeting
ETA	estimated time of arrival
etc	et caetera  (and so on)
GDP	gross domestic product
GNP	gross national product
GMT	Greenwich mean time  (time in London)
i.e.	id est  (meaning : 'that is')
Inc	incorporated
IOU	I owe you
IPO	initial public offer
Jr	junior
K	thousand
lb	pound (weight)
£	pound (money/currency)

words and expressions

Word	Meaning
Cage sandals	A type of sandal with a lot of thin straps.
Captcha	Completely Automated Public Turing Test To Tell Computers and Humans Apart. A distorted image of letters and numbers used to ensure that a response is not generated by a computer, in order to prevent spamming.
Carjacking	Blend of 'car' and 'hijacking'. When a car driver is forced to give up his vehicle or drive to a destination designated by the attacker.
Carnapper	A person who steals a car.
Catfish	A person who sets up a false profile on a social networking site in order to deceive others or for fraudulent purposes.
Charticle	Blend of ‘chart’ and ‘article’. A news article that is composed primarily of a chart, image or graphics with just a brief text for additional information.
Chatroom	Areas on the internet where people can communicate by exchanging typed messages
Chick lit	Books, usually featuring female characters, written by women on contemporary themes and issues that appeal more to women than to men.
Chillaxing	Blend of 'chilling' and relaxing'. Taking a break from stressful activities to rest or relax.
Citizen journalism	News collected and reported by ordinary people, especially through the use of blog software.
Click and collect	A shopping facility which enables customers to order and pay for goods online, then collect them from a local branch of the store.
Click bait	Put something on a website that will encourage visitors to click on a link.
Clickjack Clickjacking	Tricking Internet users into clicking on hidden links.
Cloud computing	A computing service which enables access to a shared pool of resources (servers, data storage, applications, etc.) over the Internet. Users can access and use tools or applications through a web browser without having to install them on their computers.
Coatigan	Blend of 'coat' and 'cardigan'. A long cardigan or knitted jacket which from a distance looks more like a coat. Designed as transitional wear for autumn weather before a heavier coat is necessary.
Content farm	A website that publishes large amounts of low-quality content, or content copied from elsewhere, in order to attract visitors and improve its search-engine rankings.