As a “Part 2” to last week’s post on the BBC’s coverage of Davos language, I’d like to point you to a whole host of examples of business jargon.
In the title above, “bafflegab” is a word for jargon used in the Pentagon in the 1960s, updated to “globaloney” by a BBC contributor. 🙂
Below are three examples to whet your appetite, and the whole list can be found on the BBC website here.
Learning receptor units
This term, used by university administrators at Warwick for students (yes, really), makes my hackles rise.
Quarterbacking (as a verb)
To direct or organise something. Oh dear.
Variable geometry
UK diplomat John Derrick, via Twitter, recalled this being used in Brussels: “GCSE maths was a long time ago but I’m fairly sure geometry wasn’t variable,” he says. It does, apparently, have an official, and timely, definition. According to an EU glossary, the term is used “to describe a method of differentiated integration in the European Union.” What can you say?
From Words to Deeds: translation & the law 