Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
High Rag
English answer:
high rag-content paper
English term
31 years experience with thanks.
Native in: Japanese (Variant: Standard-Japan) 
Works in: Japanese to English, English to Japanese
High Rag
High Rag. P.& S. C.»). SRI LANKA
Thank you for your help.
| 4 +2 | high rag-content paper |
Charles Davis
|
Dec 1, 2015 09:45: Steffen Walter changed "Field (specific)" from "Petroleum Eng/Sci" to "Certificates, Diplomas, Licenses, CVs"
Dec 1, 2015 10:35: Charles Davis changed "Level" from "Non-PRO" to "PRO"
Dec 7, 2015 10:12: Charles Davis Created KOG entry
PRO (3): BrigitteHilgner, Steffen Walter, Charles Davis
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Responses
high rag-content paper
In the recent English-German question, to which Helena has already referred, a useful reference is mentioned (it was cited by Björn Vrooman in another question): a document containing examples of certificates from Sri Lanka (among other Asian countries):
http://www.getinthepicture.org/docs/ST_ESCAP_465_E.pdf
There is a birth certificate, at the top of which is the same phrase you have asked about:
"Registration B
(High Rag P.& S. C.*)"
Then there is a marriage certificate, with the following:
"Registration C
(High Rag P. & S. C.
(S. & E.) 0/77"
And several others with similar combinations. But there is also one with this:
"Registration С 22
(Sep. Sec. Paper
13½" x 8½" S., T. & E.) 9/64"
As Alison MacG remarked in the English-German question, "Paper" here suggests that it refers to the type of paper on which the certificate is printed (13½ by 8½ inches is clearly the size). So it seems quite likely that the same is true of "High Rag".
This makes sense, because "high rag" or "high rag-content" denotes a type of paper, and moreover one that is it is commonly used, in some places, for documents such as certificates. Ordinary paper nowadays is usually made entirely from wood fibre, but there is also a kind of paper known as "cotton paper" or "rag paper", made from cotton:
"High rag content paper: Before the mid-17th century, paper was made of long-fibered high alpha-cellulose cotton and linen rags."
http://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/19-14.p...
"Cotton paper is made from cotton linters or cotton from used cloths (rags) as the primary material source, hence the name rag paper. Cotton paper is superior in both strength and durability to wood pulp-based paper, which may contain high concentrations of acids. [...]
Certain cotton fibre paper is known to last hundreds of years without appreciable fading, discoloration, or deterioration, so it is often used for important documents [...]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_paper
I can't find any information on the Internet about what sort of paper is used for certificates in Sri Lanka, but the following is from India:
"Rag papers are used extensively for bank note and security certificates, life insurance policies and legal documents, for which permanence is of prime importance [...] Khadi paper is an example of high rag content paper."
https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2014/07/page/2/
Discussion
http://www.proz.com/kudoz/english_to_german/certificates_dip...