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#68068 04/29/02 09:53 PM
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I'm reviewing a document at work, which lays out the structure for a much larger document, and am looking for some better words to suggest to the author.

Section I is to be called "Background and Diagnosis" and Section II simply "Prognosis." However, the document has nothing to do with a medical condition. I recognize that these words have some currency outside the medical world, but this will be a fairly major public document (I work for the Environmental Protection Agency, who will be publishing this beast in English and Spanish) and I think they'll just sound ridiculous to most people reading it.

In this context, diagnosis is used to mean a description of the situation today, probably going into a fair bit of detail. Prognosis is used to mean what's going to come down the pike and what actions will be needed to address that traffic.

Please help with some better words, so I can say something other than "These words sound silly here."

Thanks.


#68069 04/29/02 11:30 PM
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Hiya, Sweet Hyla!

Possibles: problem development, problem outline, history and current status, situation development, state of affairs, for Section 1.

For 2, possibly: plan of action, action plan, planned outcome, projected outcome, projected course of events, forecast, expected development.

Zis any help?


#68070 04/29/02 11:31 PM
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I agree that the conceit of using medical terms for the non-medical works sounds a bit silly. Perhaps "outlook" would be a good substitution for "prognosis." As for "diagnosis," I don't know.


#68071 04/29/02 11:33 PM
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Hey, Alex--beat ya by one second! <eg> (But I like outlook better!)


#68072 04/30/02 01:47 AM
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What happened to past, present and future?


#68073 04/30/02 04:45 AM
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I agree, Hyla, these sound wanky! (Coming from me, working in a Bank... tee hee!)

"Background and Diagnosis"

I would probably use something like "Background and Identification (of the issues)" or "Preliminary research".

"Prognosis."

I guess this depends on what kind of information is in the section thus entitled. In documents I've produced this would be called something like "Implementation" or "Projection".

Hope that helps!


#68074 04/30/02 07:35 AM
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Background and Analysis?
Situation analysis?

Outlook is a great word for the future, but seems to suggest what will happen in the big wide world, rather than what you / your organisation can do about those events. From your original post I suspect you want to cover both. So maybe you need to add something - 'Outlook and Action Plan' 'Future scenarios and responses.'

(Totally BTW - Hyla, I assume you know what the collective noun for bankers is???)


#68075 04/30/02 02:34 PM
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Hyla, I assume you know what the collective noun for bankers is???

Do you mean the term of venery for a group of bankers? I don't recall it exactly, but it's something like "an interest of bankers," but cleverer.

What is it?


#68076 04/30/02 04:35 PM
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something like "an interest of bankers," but cleverer.

What is it?


No, no, HoneyBunch, it's a wunch. (Thanks, manis.)
Yow, just realized what spoonerizing honeybunch would be!!)





#68077 04/30/02 05:04 PM
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So, in this case, a bunch of wankers might be a wunch of bankers? At least, that's been my experience with them (remember, I'm a student and I get shafted).


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