| Pages in topic: [1 2 3] > | Is writing "hard- or software" (shortening the word "hardware") typical in English? Thread poster: Danielle Crouch
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Danielle Crouch 
Germany
Local time: 16:28
Member (2019)
German to English
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I am currently working on a translation of IT security documentation from German to English, and the client has provided existing translations of previous versions as reference material. During alignment I came across the phrase "Manipulation von Hard- oder Software," which was translated as "Manipulation of hard- or software."
Is "hard-" (shortening the word "hardware") in this context typical or even allowed in English? It's common in German, but German also uses hyphens di... See more I am currently working on a translation of IT security documentation from German to English, and the client has provided existing translations of previous versions as reference material. During alignment I came across the phrase "Manipulation von Hard- oder Software," which was translated as "Manipulation of hard- or software."
Is "hard-" (shortening the word "hardware") in this context typical or even allowed in English? It's common in German, but German also uses hyphens differently than English. Whenever I have come across this German wording in a translation project before, I have always translated it as "hardware or software" because "hard-" seems wrong to me. But is this just a personal preference or does English actually require the word "hardware" to be written out in full? (A quick internet search of "hard- or software" brought up almost exclusively German websites, or otherwise content written by non-native English speakers, which strengthens my suspicion that it's not common/correct in English.)
Thanks in advance for your input! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Your suspicion is correct | Jun 25, 2021 |
I've never seen "hard- or software" in an English text, always "hardware or software". I would always correct that if I saw it.
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According to my Google search, in the UK, the long word is much more common than the short one: 7,920 vs 257,000
See more
| | | | Danielle Crouch
Germany
Local time: 16:28
Member (2019)
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks so much for the quick responses and for confirming my gut feeling. I was fairly sure that "hardware" had to be written out, but after having seen the shortened form so many times in German and in English translations from German I was starting to doubt myself (even as a native English speaker)!
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:28
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| The most common error..... | Jun 25, 2021 |
... by non-natives is to say "a" software.
| | | | Danielle Crouch
Germany
Local time: 16:28
Member (2019)
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Definitely seen that before! | Jun 25, 2021 |
Tom in London wrote:
The most common error..... by non-natives is to say "a" software.
Yup, I've definitely corrected that more than once!
| | | | Adieu
Ukrainian to English
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Hard & soft are Eastern Euro geek slang (Russian, Ukrainian, etc.)
Although really it's mostly just soft. They tend to use other slang terms for hardware because hard is also the old slang term for hard disk drive.
[Edited at 2021-06-25 09:53 GMT]
| | | | Sadek_A
Local time: 18:28
English to Arabic
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22/08/2012
"Yes, you can use that construction. It's known as a 'suspended hyphen'"
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/79159/can-i-say-this-in-english-hard-and-software
Suspended hyphens, also called suspensive hyphens, replace repeated words, prefixes, or suffixes in two or more compound modifiers. ... Suspend... See more 22/08/2012
"Yes, you can use that construction. It's known as a 'suspended hyphen'"
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/79159/can-i-say-this-in-english-hard-and-software
Suspended hyphens, also called suspensive hyphens, replace repeated words, prefixes, or suffixes in two or more compound modifiers. ... Suspended hyphens are easy to identify because they are followed by a space (or prefaced by a space), which makes them look like they are “suspended” in air.
https://erinwrightwriting.com/suspended-hyphens/
That said, I side with the 2-hyphens construction, as opposed to the single-hyphen one, as the former clears any confusion, especially to less advanced readers.
Hence: hard- or soft-ware ▲ Collapse
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| "Hardware" doesn't have a hyphen. | Jun 25, 2021 |
Sadek_A wrote: 22/08/2012 "Yes, you can use that construction. It's known as a 'suspended hyphen'" https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/79159/can-i-say-this-in-english-hard-and-software Suspended hyphens, also called suspensive hyphens, replace repeated words, prefixes, or suffixes in two or more compound modifiers. ... Suspended hyphens are easy to identify because they are followed by a space (or prefaced by a space), which makes them look like they are “suspended” in air. https://erinwrightwriting.com/suspended-hyphens/ That said, I side with the 2-hyphens construction, as opposed to the single-hyphen one, as the former clears any confusion, especially to less advanced readers. Hence: hard- or soft-ware
The words are "hardware" and "software", both unhyphenated and, as confirmed above, they would both be written out in full rather than with any hyphen.
| | | | Sadek_A
Local time: 18:28
English to Arabic
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Sarah Lewis-Morgan wrote:
The words are "hardware" and "software", both unhyphenated and, as confirmed above, they would both be written out in full rather than with any hyphen.
Says who? Per what authority, exactly?
Both 'hardware' & 'software' are compound modifiers comprising 2 words. Compound modifiers are hyphenated as per the whims of the author, who holds the only authority on this for all intents and purposes of their own text.
I would like to see some official rules supporting your above claims.
| | | | Danielle Crouch
Germany
Local time: 16:28
Member (2019)
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Dictionaries are good authorities here | Jun 25, 2021 |
Sadek_A wrote: Sarah Lewis-Morgan wrote:
The words are "hardware" and "software", both unhyphenated and, as confirmed above, they would both be written out in full rather than with any hyphen. Says who? Per what authority, exactly?
I would defer to the spellings in reputable dictionaries (I use primarily Merriam-Webster and Collins). The current online versions of both Merriam-Webster and Collins list "hardware" and "software" as the accepted spellings with no spelling variations listed. And even aside from this fairly compelling evidence, I also advocate for using the most commonly accepted form of a word whenever possible, even if spelling variations are accepted. I can't remember ever seeing "hard-ware" or "soft-ware" in serious usage, so even if the dictionaries were not unanimous in this case, I would still lean towards the non-hyphenated versions.
| | | | Sadek_A
Local time: 18:28
English to Arabic
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I'd like to start with an announcement:
For once around here I would like whoever starts an exchange with me to see it through to the end, all on their own without help from others, like I'm all on my own without help from others. Thank you.
That said:
1. Both words are modern coinage (as opposed to established), derived from a non-linguistic domain, i.e. IT.
2. Dictionaries, however repute, are no authority, let alone an official one, but rather an a... See more I'd like to start with an announcement:
For once around here I would like whoever starts an exchange with me to see it through to the end, all on their own without help from others, like I'm all on my own without help from others. Thank you.
That said:
1. Both words are modern coinage (as opposed to established), derived from a non-linguistic domain, i.e. IT.
2. Dictionaries, however repute, are no authority, let alone an official one, but rather an aid, an inofficial one too, developed by humans who are just as impressionable as everyone else. That's why content of the same dictionary keeps evolving by every year passing.
3. Dictionaries are listing term-by-term. They don't deal with context, repetitions, delivery, effect, etc.
4. Your use of "fairly compelling evidence", coupled with Sarah's earlier and FINAL "The words are "hardware" and "software", both unhyphenated", are giving a whiff of self-appointed authority & standard. Am I getting you correctly on this one?
5. As opposed to your one-and-only approach, my school of thought on this particular issue is:
- hardware & software. correct
- hard- & soft-ware. correct. Meant for mere eloquence showcasing, and takes almost just as much time or more for typing as the instance above.
- hard&soft -ware. correct. Again, for mere eloquence showcasing.
- hard- & software. correct, but ambiguous, and in some contexts can deliver a whole lot of confusion.
- hard & software. correct, but way more ambiguous. Hence, possibly way more confusion.
6. We are NOT discussing a formula that can possibly turn poisonous if mixed wrong. We are talking words here, and the basic objective of words is to convey meaning. All above instances convey the meaning. You're free to choose for yourself, but not for others. ▲ Collapse
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:28
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| Sadek_A
Local time: 18:28
English to Arabic
+ ...
Tom in London wrote:
hard- & soft-ware
WRONG.
Per what rule? By whose authority? In what organization?
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Sadek_A wrote:
- hardware & software. correct
- hard- & soft-ware. correct. Meant for mere eloquence showcasing, and takes almost just as much time or more for typing as the instance above.
- hard&soft -ware. correct. Again, for mere eloquence showcasing.
- hard- & software. correct, but ambiguous, and in some contexts can deliver a whole lot of confusion.
- hard & software. correct, but way more ambiguous. Hence, possibly way more confusion.
- hardware & software: correct
- all the other variants on the list: incorrect
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