Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
Engineers Forum
English answer:
formally correct
English term
Engineers Forum
Engineers Forum
Engineer's Forum (with an apostrophe after engineer), or
Engineers' Forum (with an apostrophe after engineers)
5 +2 | formally correct | Fuad Yahya |
5 +11 | Engineers' forum | Attila Piróth |
4 +4 | engineers' forum | Dave Calderhead |
5 +1 | the third one: Engineers' Forum | lafresita (X) |
4 +1 | Engineer's Forum / Engineers' Forum | flipendo |
4 +1 | engineers forum OR engineers' forum | Ken Cox |
4 +1 | all three are possible!! | William [Bill] Gray |
4 | The second one | Anna Maria Augustine (X) |
Non-PRO (1): Oana Apetrei
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Responses
formally correct
The word "forum" is your main noun. You can modify it with a possessive:
- the engineer's forum (the singular "engineer" can be understood to mean the generic engineer, not one particular engineer); or
- the engineers' forum (the forum being attributed to engineers at large).
Or you can modify the noun "forum" with a noun-modifier. Noun-modifiers are very commonly used in English:
health insurance, tax evasion, biology professor, computer virus, birth control, diet pills, etc.
The general rule, typically taught with unwarranted rigidity to grade-school students, is that noun-modifiers are usually used in the singular form, even if the reference is clearly to a plurality:
a four-star general, a five-star hotel, a seven-course dinner, etc.
However, there are noted examples:
arms control, sales division, weapons violations charges, etc.
These examples are from the following page:
http://www.link.cs.cmu.edu/link/dict/section-AN.html
As I said, I do not wish to cast a vote on a "preferred" choice or to address the specific nuances of each choice, but to specifically address the formal correctness of these choices, and in particular to correct the notion that "Translators Workplace" is incorrect.
agree |
Michael Barnett
: Wow.
4 hrs
|
agree |
Heidi C
: your explanation is clear and your examples speak for themselves!!!
5 hrs
|
The second one
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Note added at 3 mins (2006-02-20 11:50:41 GMT)
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Or you can simply say: a forum for engineers which is less complicated.
Engineer's Forum / Engineers' Forum
Engineers' forum
agree |
Dave Calderhead
2 mins
|
agree |
Jack Doughty
: Yes. ProZ is not setting a good example here.
3 mins
|
agree |
Alison Jenner
5 mins
|
agree |
Oana Apetrei
10 mins
|
agree |
Stefanie Sendelbach
24 mins
|
agree |
RHELLER
: this is the standard correct response :-)
3 hrs
|
agree |
Alfa Trans (X)
6 hrs
|
agree |
conejo
: This is right. As an editor I often feel the same way as the Asker... thinking am I missing something here?
6 hrs
|
agree |
Premium✍️
10 hrs
|
agree |
Seema Ugrankar
12 hrs
|
agree |
Romanian Translator (X)
2 days 7 hrs
|
engineers' forum
agree |
Oana Apetrei
9 mins
|
Thanks, Oana (:-{)>
|
|
agree |
RHELLER
: quite right, sir :-)
3 hrs
|
Thanks, Rita (:-{)> - or should I say "Thank you Ma'am"?
|
|
agree |
Premium✍️
10 hrs
|
Thanks (:-{)>
|
|
agree |
Maria Karra
13 hrs
|
Thanks, Maria (:-{)>
|
engineers forum OR engineers' forum
However, a google scan using 'engineers forum' and similar terms (such as 'artists forum', 'users forum', etc.) indicates the possisive and non-possessive forms are both common.
You could also call it 'engineering forum' if that suits the context.
agree |
RHELLER
: you should know :-) but Engineering Forum solves the problem as does Proz Translation Workplace
3 hrs
|
Thanks -- good suggestions
|
all three are possible!!
If you are thinking of engineers as a profession ("The Engineer") then you may wish to write (especially, but not exclusively, if you are referring to their monthly journal/magazine):
THE ENGINEER'S FORUM
http://bsnldeforum.tripod.com/
If you are thinking of all engineers from an area who are coming to a conference/forum, you may write:
THE ENGINEERS' FORUM
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/forum/about.htm
If you are thinking purely generically, as with The Translators Workplace (mentioned by another answerer), you may dispense with the apostrophe altogether, because here it is a forum FOR engineers and not possessed by them, you may write:
THE ENGINEERS FORUM
http://www.asme.org/communities/EarlyCareer/Young_Engineers_...
In other words, the eventual usage will depend on the context, which we do not have here. You may choose yourself from the proffered alternatives.
Hope this helps.
Discussion
http://www.proz.com/topic/42823
Grading this is impossible, but I am doing it anyway and hope that you will understand. I thank you all for taking the time and trouble to explain the nuances of this question to me.
Kenneth, is "engineers forum" now acceptable usage?