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Oct 8, 2017 22:15
6 yrs ago
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Dutch term

Voorletters en achternaam

Dutch to English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters on a form
This one always puzzles me. Everyone seems to translate this as "Initials and surname", but as far as I know, this is incorrect. In English, the word "initials" means: "The first letter of each word of a person's full name considered as a unit"

For example, my name is Michael Joseph Wdowiak Beijer, so my "Initials and surname" would actually be:

M.J.W.B. + Beijer

However, I assume when reading "Voorletters en achternaam" on a Dutch form, that they want me to enter:

M.J.W. + Beijer

~

some internet context similar to mine: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web...
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Discussion

Michael Beijer (asker) Jan 9:
just ran into it again In a text I am working on, it says:

"Vul minimaal onderstaande gegevens in:
• Voornaam
Initialen
• Achternaam
• Geboortedatum
• Taal
• Gender
• Telefoonnummer
• E-mailadres
• Nationaliteit"

I'd make this:

"Please fill in at least the information below:
• First name
Middle initials
• Last name
• Date of birth
• Language
• Gender
• Phone number
• Email address
• Nationality"
Natasha Ziada (X) Oct 10, 2017:
Plus, I thought being a translator was synonymous with being pedantic ;)
Natasha Ziada (X) Oct 10, 2017:
Justified question FWIW - I don't think it's a silly question at all. There *is* a difference between voorletters in Dutch and initials in English. As far as I know there is no equivalence for voorletters in English, where usually the full name is required.

You'd probably have to go by context - sometimes, an example is given on the form that will tell you which letters should be initialised, in which case you could probably say 'Initials and last name'. if the context isn't clear, you could use Lianne's option or provide an example yourself.
Michael Beijer (asker) Oct 9, 2017:
ha ha Sadly, I fall down wormholes all the time. It was a joke. I like to take phrases that people are familiar with, and change them. To make people laugh.

Anyway, I asked this question, certainly not because I am bored with my life, but because it is just something that annoys me. It's something I comes across quite often, in various contexts and forms, as Dutch people often have way too many middle names, compared to say Brits or Americans.

For example, Dutch companies often have a field on their forms, between the first name and last name field, which they refer to as "initials", which can confuse English speakers, as "initials" usually means all of the first letters, not just the middle name initials.

see e..: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/15122/why-do-man...

Textpertise Oct 9, 2017:
Of rabbit holes and initials Hi, Michael. I've never heard any English-speaking person speak of falling down a wormhole. If you say surname and initials, everyone will know what you mean. Although technically speaking, Lianne is correct, nobody would ever put that on a form. The only reason I am guessing you have posted something like this is that you are a bit bored with your life at present and want to have a bit of fun on Kudoz by pulling a few chains because you can't really be serious about not knowing how to translate this, can you? The Holy Grail of translation is context and in this context, it cannot mean all your initials.
Michael Beijer (asker) Oct 9, 2017:
ha ha no, I don't mind. I know I am. that's what happens when you try to translate at this hour, on a Sunday: you risk falling down the wormhole
philgoddard Oct 9, 2017:
Hope you won't mind my saying this, but I think you're being a bit pedantic :-)
Lianne van de Ven Oct 8, 2017:
That would be first and middle initials + last name to me
Michael Beijer (asker) Oct 8, 2017:
Therefore, technically speaking, … ... I'd say this is how it should be translated:


Voorletters en achternaam =
First initial and any middle initials + surname
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