Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
a mainframe partially developed with a graphical user interface
English answer:
helping users with their daily work on custom programs with a graphical user interface. As these mainframe programs are still un
Added to glossary by
Kim Metzger
Jun 24, 2002 21:12
21 yrs ago
English term
Mexico
Committed to Quality and Service
Native in: English (Variant: US) 
Works in: German to English
a mainframe partially developed with a graphical user interface
English
Tech/Engineering
IT (Information Technology)
IT
This is from a text I'm proofreading and since IT is not my specialty, I'm having trouble finding the right words for the above sentence. Help much appreciated.
We are looking for a User Support to begin work at the earliest possible date. In this position you will be in charge helping users with their daily work on special designed programs on a mainframe partially
developed with graphical user interface and passing forward qualified information to the developers in Germany and as well to the organisational department at our location. Your job encompasses the testing of new programs, help desk, problem reporting and also developing small applications using MS-Offices products.
We are looking for a User Support to begin work at the earliest possible date. In this position you will be in charge helping users with their daily work on special designed programs on a mainframe partially
developed with graphical user interface and passing forward qualified information to the developers in Germany and as well to the organisational department at our location. Your job encompasses the testing of new programs, help desk, problem reporting and also developing small applications using MS-Offices products.
Responses
Responses
37 mins
Klaus Herrmann
Germany
Germany
Works in field
Germany
Best TCO in Technical Translations
Native in: German
Works in: English to German, German
Related KudoZ points
:
8
Selected
Trying to apply some logic...
on special designed programs: custom programs or non-standard programs.
on a mainframe - The concept of a mainframe is one huge machine with vast computing power somewhere in a basement and lots of user connceting to it via terminals.
partially developed with graphical user interface - Either the software is completely graphics-based and there are some program functions missing. Or there used to be a (completely functional) text-based program which is going to be shifted out. For some functions, the user still has to work on the old (text-based) program, while for some functions, the new (graphics-based) program is available.
Conclusion:
A program switching back and forth between text and graphics modes doesn't make to much sense. Based on the use of a mainframe, and the (assumed) use of terminals, I would think the users need to work on two programs. One program is text-based, and with this program, the users don't need suppord. They are accustomed to it. The second (new) program is still under development, and the users need support for the functions they already use.
Hence, this is my approach:
...helping users with their daily work on custom programs with a graphical user interface. As these mainframe programs are still under development, you will be in charge of passing forward qualified information to the developers...
on a mainframe - The concept of a mainframe is one huge machine with vast computing power somewhere in a basement and lots of user connceting to it via terminals.
partially developed with graphical user interface - Either the software is completely graphics-based and there are some program functions missing. Or there used to be a (completely functional) text-based program which is going to be shifted out. For some functions, the user still has to work on the old (text-based) program, while for some functions, the new (graphics-based) program is available.
Conclusion:
A program switching back and forth between text and graphics modes doesn't make to much sense. Based on the use of a mainframe, and the (assumed) use of terminals, I would think the users need to work on two programs. One program is text-based, and with this program, the users don't need suppord. They are accustomed to it. The second (new) program is still under development, and the users need support for the functions they already use.
Hence, this is my approach:
...helping users with their daily work on custom programs with a graphical user interface. As these mainframe programs are still under development, you will be in charge of passing forward qualified information to the developers...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you Klaus, for the nice explanation. My thanks to everyone else as well. Luckily, it was a very short text and after I had reworded the questionable phrasing, the customer informed me that he wanted everything to stay the way it was, that he only wanted spelling errors corrected. The customer is king!"
+4
9 mins
partially developed graphical user interface
There is no such thing as a partially developed mainframe, at least if it works. A Mainframe is just a large computer. The graphical interface for users is, apparently, under development.
Thus, the visual aspect of seeing data and entering data through the computer terminal and screen is being modified, and is not totally functional.
Thus, the visual aspect of seeing data and entering data through the computer terminal and screen is being modified, and is not totally functional.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Patricia Fierro, M. Sc.
3 mins
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many thanks
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| agree |
modilingua
1 hr
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many thanks
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| agree |
Chris Rowson (X)
: Yes, probably there is a part-developed GUI, the rest is done with the old character displays. "A mainframe [system] partially provided with a ..."
1 hr
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many thanks
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| agree |
John Kinory (X)
: You should have seen some of the mainframes on which I was playing Adventure in the 1970s, though :-)
1 hr
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I had the same experience, actually, but I think my point still holds. Especially these days.
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13 mins
Endre Both
Germany
Germany
Specializes in field
Germany
Seasoned IT expert
Native in: German (Variant: Germany) 
, Hungarian (Variant: Hungary)
Works in: English to German
users work on a mainframe with programs which have a partially graphical user interface
...is what seems most logical (some parts of the program are text- or command-line-based, some have a graphical interface), in which case however your text is pretty garbled. Is there no original (source) text?
"mainframes developed with a graphical interface" doesn't make much sense to me.
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Note added at 2002-06-24 21:30:43 (GMT)
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Jerryk\'s version above doesn\'t stretch the grammar of the sentence any more than mine, but I have some trouble imagining users doing daily work with a partially developed program. Depends on who the users are :-)
"mainframes developed with a graphical interface" doesn't make much sense to me.
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Note added at 2002-06-24 21:30:43 (GMT)
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Jerryk\'s version above doesn\'t stretch the grammar of the sentence any more than mine, but I have some trouble imagining users doing daily work with a partially developed program. Depends on who the users are :-)
+1
38 mins
jccantrell
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
United States
Was nicht ist, kann noch werden.
Native in: English (Variant: US)
Works in: German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
16
no help
Kim, if this is a representative sample of what you are proofing, you have my sympathy!
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Note added at 2002-06-24 21:51:37 (GMT)
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And, you are probably not charging enough!
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Note added at 2002-06-24 21:51:43 (GMT)
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And, you are probably not charging enough!
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Note added at 2002-06-24 21:51:37 (GMT)
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And, you are probably not charging enough!
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Note added at 2002-06-24 21:51:43 (GMT)
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And, you are probably not charging enough!
41 mins
a mainframe that was partially developed with a GUI
part of the mainframe is accessible from a GUI while the rest would be accessible using Unix or some other program to write commands to get the thing to work. It sounds to me like the person needs to know how to write commands in Unix
+1
1 hr
mainframe programs, some of which were developed with a GUI
I'd say Jane's on the right track; it seems they are trying to differentiate between the user interfaces of the various programs.
Trying to translate back into German, I get the impression that we have speziell entwickelte Programme (die auf einem Mainframe laufen), teilweise mit einer grafischen Benutzeroberfläche, und die Weitergabe von qualifizierten Informationen an die Entwickler....
IOW, it's not the mainframe that was partially developed with a GUI, but rather (at least that's how I would interpret it) some of the programs that were developed with a graphical user interface and/or are accessed via a GUI, while others are text/command-based (such as UNIX and others).
Actually, IMHO, the entire text sounds like proofreading might not be enough, but that a major re-write is required.
Trying to translate back into German, I get the impression that we have speziell entwickelte Programme (die auf einem Mainframe laufen), teilweise mit einer grafischen Benutzeroberfläche, und die Weitergabe von qualifizierten Informationen an die Entwickler....
IOW, it's not the mainframe that was partially developed with a GUI, but rather (at least that's how I would interpret it) some of the programs that were developed with a graphical user interface and/or are accessed via a GUI, while others are text/command-based (such as UNIX and others).
Actually, IMHO, the entire text sounds like proofreading might not be enough, but that a major re-write is required.
Discussion