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> Ironically (given the business Bill's company is in), I have always heard
> that the objection to "appear" derives from translating the word into
> other
> languages where the local culture might interpret it as "supernatural."
>
Well, for the most part, translators here don't tell us to avoid specific
terms unless the terms are ambiguous or unclear. It's their job to make the
language appropriate for the target locale (and that means they choose
whatever words are necessary to get the meaning across). What they DO say is
to make sure the content is appropriate and clear. I can also say that none
of my translation reviews have come back with a request to change "appears"
to something else. In a machine translation or CE environment, I could see
why "appear" might not be the best choice.
Lisa Higgins points out that users aren't concerned about such prescriptive
grammar issues. And she's right. I follow what sounds right to my ear. When
I become accustomed to "the dialog box displays," then I'll use it, but
right now, it sounds odd; "appears" doesn't.
Bill Burns
ILE Communications/Eccentric Technology Consultant
billdb -at- ile -dot- com
> You can't gouge out your mind's eye.
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