Letters: French abbreviations are not always what they seem

To the Editor,

Thanks for your recent article about abbreviations. 

I came to France in 1983 as a computer engineer servicing/installing large mainframe computers. 

My French was very limited at the time, however in and around Paris most people in the computer world spoke some English or could quickly find someone to translate. 

This was not always the case in the provinces. I recall going to the Périgord to convert a computer to operate with high-speed communication channels. This meant replacing all the interconnecting cables with new higher-grade cables. 

I arrived on site and quickly looked round to identify the new cables. In the computer room were two large piles of cables – one of the piles had a large notice on it saying “HS”. The other was not identified.

Well, it was obvious to me that the pile marked “HS” was the pile of new high-speed cables. I quickly got to work installing them, and then came the system tests. Imagine my horror when one test after the other failed. 

After much head scratching and apologising to the staff for the delayed handover of their super high-speed computer, one person asked why I had not used the new cables. I quickly learned that “HS” does not mean “high-speed” at all but “defective”.

Malgwyn Elmer, Vendée

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