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English translation: Telegram Address

23:38 Mar 29, 2016
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Telecom(munications) / type of communication
English term or phrase: see picture
I am translating a letter from an organization in South Africa from 1995. Below the phone and fax number appears another type of communication. The symbol looks like a telephone pole and the "number" is not a number but letters (like a Twitter username).
I thought about Telex, but didn't find any confirmation.
Did anyone encounter this type of communication?

http://postimg.org/image/4i153rbgl/
Sabine Akabayov, PhD
Israel
Local time: 14:18
Selected answer:Telegram Address
Explanation:
http://s18.postimg.org/6mli4ud3d/Capture.png

the first symbol is a telephone landline

the second symbol is most likely a teleprinter, so it should be followed by a TELEX address
TELEX transmissions are slow but reliable over very poor quality lines, and in the '90s a TELEX was a must have for any company to be taken seriously
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telex (widely used at the time for long-distance communication)
A fax machine looks similar, but it would be a far too advanced technology for that time and place

the last symbol is a telegraph pole, holding wires used for transmitting telegrams from post office to post office (the term "wire" meaning news is today's relic of this technology - news used to be transmitted using telegrams)

about the format of telegram addresses:

Telegram Address
Telegram Address
the address designated on a telegram dispatched over a general public telegraph network. A telegram address contains the name of the destination point, the number of the communications agency, the postal address where the telegram is to be delivered, and the correct name of the addressee in full.
A telegram address may be a coded address assigned to the addressee and registered by a communications agency. A coded address consists of one easy-to-read word of no more than ten letters and a reference to the number of the city communications agency responsible for delivery. For example, instead of the full address and company name Minsk 125 ulitsa Karla Marksa 95 Metalloobrabatyvaiushchii zavod mestproma (Minsk 125, Karl Marx Street no. 95, Local Industry Metalworking Plant), the coded address Minsk 125 Metall may be registered. Coded addresses composed of proper names, such as the names of cities, workers’ settlements, railroad stations, or rivers, are not permitted.

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Note added at 8 hrs (2016-03-30 08:23:55 GMT)
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in brief:

you can phone the company

if you have your own TELEX machine and connection you can send them directly a TELEX

you can go at a post office and send them a telegram

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs (2016-03-30 08:28:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Telegram Address
Selected response from:

Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:18
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
5 +3Telegram Address
Daryo
4 +2telegraphic address
Sheila Wilson
Summary of reference entries provided
semaphore
Shera Lyn Parpia

Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Telegram Address


Explanation:
http://s18.postimg.org/6mli4ud3d/Capture.png

the first symbol is a telephone landline

the second symbol is most likely a teleprinter, so it should be followed by a TELEX address
TELEX transmissions are slow but reliable over very poor quality lines, and in the '90s a TELEX was a must have for any company to be taken seriously
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telex (widely used at the time for long-distance communication)
A fax machine looks similar, but it would be a far too advanced technology for that time and place

the last symbol is a telegraph pole, holding wires used for transmitting telegrams from post office to post office (the term "wire" meaning news is today's relic of this technology - news used to be transmitted using telegrams)

about the format of telegram addresses:

Telegram Address
Telegram Address
the address designated on a telegram dispatched over a general public telegraph network. A telegram address contains the name of the destination point, the number of the communications agency, the postal address where the telegram is to be delivered, and the correct name of the addressee in full.
A telegram address may be a coded address assigned to the addressee and registered by a communications agency. A coded address consists of one easy-to-read word of no more than ten letters and a reference to the number of the city communications agency responsible for delivery. For example, instead of the full address and company name Minsk 125 ulitsa Karla Marksa 95 Metalloobrabatyvaiushchii zavod mestproma (Minsk 125, Karl Marx Street no. 95, Local Industry Metalworking Plant), the coded address Minsk 125 Metall may be registered. Coded addresses composed of proper names, such as the names of cities, workers’ settlements, railroad stations, or rivers, are not permitted.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs (2016-03-30 08:23:55 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

in brief:

you can phone the company

if you have your own TELEX machine and connection you can send them directly a TELEX

you can go at a post office and send them a telegram

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs (2016-03-30 08:28:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Telegram Address

Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:18
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in SerbianSerbian, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sheila Wilson: But "telegraphic address" would be a more suitable wording, IMO
2 hrs
  -> nowadays you can hear of "telegraphic" style, to mean extremely abbreviated text/speech [like it was used when sending telegrams] // this is about the address used for sending telegrams - you won't hear it much used today. Thanks!
agree  BdiL: With Sheila Wilson.
5 hrs
  -> all the references I could find use "Telegram Address" = address used for sending telegrams ... I remember all this hi-tech stuff [hi-tech for that time] from when it was widely used ... Thanks!
agree  Yasutomo Kanazawa
23 hrs
  -> Thanks!
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17 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
telegraphic address


Explanation:
Very many valid references, including many from South Africa

https://glosbe.com/en/en/telegraphic address
Name, address, telegraphic address, electronic address, telephone number, telex and fax number of the contracting entity or the service from which additional information may be obtained

https://books.google.es/books?id=A7JaI2XsTn4C&pg=PA2&lpg=PA2...
Connecting the Nineteenth-Century World: The Telegraph and Globalization (so dating from an earlier time)

http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/89293.pdf
The PLAD is the telegraphic address name for U.S. Government
transmission facilities. (US Dept of State text)

http://reference.sabinet.co.za/webx/access/journal_archive/0...
Telegraphic Address: "Lilley Limbe". (Listing of South African lawyers)

https://books.google.es/books?id=xAF2K_xc8CIC&pg=PA92&lpg=PA...
(New Scientist advertisement giving South African contact details)

http://info.goldavenue.com/info_site/in_mine/in_min_sa_cham....
Web www.bullion.org.za (The web address reflects its historic telegraphic address: bullion johannesburg)

http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID...
The telegraphic address of the University is: UNISA Pretoria (University of South Africa)

Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 12:18
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Daryo: convinced me
47 mins
  -> Thanks, Daryo
agree  BdiL: Maurizio.
14 hrs
  -> Thanks, Maurizio
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Reference comments


4 hrs peer agreement (net): +1
Reference: semaphore

Reference information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegraphy

see the illustration "demonstration of the semaphore" about a fifth of the way down on the left

Shera Lyn Parpia
Italy
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  acetran
6 hrs
neutral  Sheila Wilson: But this is 1995 and I think that technology had been replaced by then
7 hrs
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