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Susan Gallagher wonders: <<Does anyone know of a good list of standard
abbreviations, preferably online. My web
search yields all kinds of specialized acronym and abbreviation lists... But
I'm looking for something more general -- something for a programming team
to use when naming variables to standardize abbreviations for "number",
"package",
"manager", etc. I'm trying to keep a multi-lingual team from getting too
creative. ;-)>>
I'm not aware of anything specific online, but this is a good job for a
dictionary or printed style guide, most of which list common abbreviations.
If you're already using a specific dictionary or style book, I'd recommend
using that as the basis for your list, then create an online version of the
most frequently used abbreviations on your intranet. (fwiw, if you can't
find an abbreviation in a small standard office dictionary, that's a strong
hint that you should reconsider using it; many of your audience won't be
word geeks like we are and thus won't recognize the abbreviation; if they
must consult the Oxford English Dictionary or any other unabridged
dictionary to find out what the abbreviation means, you've failed to
communicate.)
If you're in a senior position in this team, it might be worthwhile
volunteering to be the terminology coordinator. (Or assign this task to the
editor who's currently ensuring consistency.) Then ask the team to work with
the coordinator each time a new word must be added to the list so they can
research the best bet and add it to the online reference.
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