Case study: Tracking the wily acronym
Aug. 1st, 2005 09:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexpgpI've gotten about halfway through the translation due tomorrow. I decided to call it a night early, because I was feeling tired, and the trigger for packing it in was running across a paragraph that referred to Soyuz flight procedure books designated as "В/С," "О/П," and "С/М."
From my days working the Execute Package, I was immediately certain the first one stood for "выведение/спуск" ("ascent/descent"), which are procedures that are used during the two phases cited. From the context, I had a feeling the second was the abbreviation for "орбитальный полет" ("orbital flight"), though the solidus between the letters bothered me: In "В/С" it makes sense, since it separates two opposites; what purpose does it serve in "О/П"? Several of minutes of staring at "С/М" brought no bright ideas to mind, especially when I found myself coping with the same question ("Why the slash?").
What to do?
Well, recalling my experience with Execute Package translations, I used Sleuthhound Pro to search my fairly extensive archives for references to operations that are associated with the procedures in my translation. In the case of the "О/П," it was an operation involving the removal of a local switching device for thermal sensors, called an ЛКТ. My approach was successful: it turns out that the Soyuz procedure associated with this operation is the orbital flight procedure.
I used the same technique to determine the meaning of "С/М," by tracking down any procedure name associated with the removal of the "Kurs," which is an electronics package package used during Soyuz rendezvous. I hit paydirt again, finding a document that spoke of the Soyuz "reference materials" document, the words for which in Russian are "справочные материалы," which mesh quite nicely with "С/М."
So, not only did I find the information I needed, I did so in what appears to be an indirect manner.
Whatever works, right?
In retrospect, it would appear that my calling it quits for the night is probably a good idea, since under more rested circumstances, I think the right answer to "С/М" would've occurred on me almost immediately. I'm at a good stopping point, at any rate, about 3 paragraphs from the commencement of tables that go to the end of the document. I just need to make sure I get the last 1000 words finished by mid-morning.
Cheers...
From my days working the Execute Package, I was immediately certain the first one stood for "выведение/спуск" ("ascent/descent"), which are procedures that are used during the two phases cited. From the context, I had a feeling the second was the abbreviation for "орбитальный полет" ("orbital flight"), though the solidus between the letters bothered me: In "В/С" it makes sense, since it separates two opposites; what purpose does it serve in "О/П"? Several of minutes of staring at "С/М" brought no bright ideas to mind, especially when I found myself coping with the same question ("Why the slash?").
What to do?
Well, recalling my experience with Execute Package translations, I used Sleuthhound Pro to search my fairly extensive archives for references to operations that are associated with the procedures in my translation. In the case of the "О/П," it was an operation involving the removal of a local switching device for thermal sensors, called an ЛКТ. My approach was successful: it turns out that the Soyuz procedure associated with this operation is the orbital flight procedure.
I used the same technique to determine the meaning of "С/М," by tracking down any procedure name associated with the removal of the "Kurs," which is an electronics package package used during Soyuz rendezvous. I hit paydirt again, finding a document that spoke of the Soyuz "reference materials" document, the words for which in Russian are "справочные материалы," which mesh quite nicely with "С/М."
So, not only did I find the information I needed, I did so in what appears to be an indirect manner.
Whatever works, right?
In retrospect, it would appear that my calling it quits for the night is probably a good idea, since under more rested circumstances, I think the right answer to "С/М" would've occurred on me almost immediately. I'm at a good stopping point, at any rate, about 3 paragraphs from the commencement of tables that go to the end of the document. I just need to make sure I get the last 1000 words finished by mid-morning.
Cheers...
