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zelftest

English translation: self-test

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Dutch term or phrase:zelftest
English translation:self-test
Entered by: adremco

15:04 Aug 27, 2010
Dutch to English translations [Non-PRO]
Medical - Advertising / Public Relations
Dutch term or phrase: zelftest
This is starting to annoy me. Self test or self-test? Van Dale says "self test". Word keeps insisting on "self-test" and throwing annoying green lines all through my nice document. Google is inconclusive. Rules on hyphens, if I understand them correctly, point me back towards the dictionary. I'm opening a poll here. Self-test or self test? Examples below.

Deze websites roepen het publiek op naar de huisarts te gaan, door de aanwezigheid van zelftesten en informatie.

Bijna de helft van de websites bevat een zelftest die de patiënt naar de huisarts verwijst.

Volgens de zelftest heeft iemand mogelijk rusteloze benen als aan twee van de vier diagnostische criteria wordt voldaan
adremco
Local time: 22:10
self-test
Explanation:
Self can be either a noun or an adjective used in combination with a noun or verb. Combinations of adjective-noun or adjective-verb are always hyphenated.

See WordNet:

Noun
S: (n) self, ego (your consciousness of your own identity)
S: (n) self (a person considered as a unique individual) "one's own self"
Adjective
S: (adj) self ((used as a combining form) relating to--of or by or to or from or for--the self) "self-knowledge"; "self-proclaimed"; "self-induced"
http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=self

Compare: self-esteem, self-worth, self-satisfaction, self-harm, etc.

Both Websters and the Shorter Oxford given hundreds of example with hyphens, Websters specifically including 'self-test'.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 days (2010-09-02 08:54:39 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

Van Dale is a translation **aid**, not an authority on the English language! Surely you also have an authentic English (i.e. monolingual) dictionary on your bookshelf?
Selected response from:

Chris Hopley
Netherlands
Local time: 21:10
Grading comment
Wow, so Van Dale isn't always right? Or did Van Dale see it in a different grammatical context?
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +5self-test
Chris Hopley
4 +1self test
Lianne van de Ven


Discussion entries: 4





  

Answers


6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
self test


Explanation:
Without hyphen - and r-click the green grammatical and choose ignore from the menu.

Lianne van de Ven
United States
Local time: 15:10
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch
PRO pts in category: 16
Notes to answerer
Asker: Ha yeah I know, but every time I close and open the Word document, Mac Word 2008 just starts the green business all over again. Thanks.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Barend van Zadelhoff: If you consider "self" as an attributive adjunct, then you refer to a kind of test --> self-test / if you consider "self" as a noun, then you refer to a test for testing (your)self --> self test
1 day 39 mins
  -> thanks Barend. I made a similar comment to Chris' answer but removed it because I am actually not sure about the common use in uk & us Eng. I know that the usage of hyphens in Eng is declining too, hence writeaway's 'real' English comment.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

31 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
self-test


Explanation:
Self can be either a noun or an adjective used in combination with a noun or verb. Combinations of adjective-noun or adjective-verb are always hyphenated.

See WordNet:

Noun
S: (n) self, ego (your consciousness of your own identity)
S: (n) self (a person considered as a unique individual) "one's own self"
Adjective
S: (adj) self ((used as a combining form) relating to--of or by or to or from or for--the self) "self-knowledge"; "self-proclaimed"; "self-induced"
http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=self

Compare: self-esteem, self-worth, self-satisfaction, self-harm, etc.

Both Websters and the Shorter Oxford given hundreds of example with hyphens, Websters specifically including 'self-test'.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 days (2010-09-02 08:54:39 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

Van Dale is a translation **aid**, not an authority on the English language! Surely you also have an authentic English (i.e. monolingual) dictionary on your bookshelf?

Chris Hopley
Netherlands
Local time: 21:10
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Wow, so Van Dale isn't always right? Or did Van Dale see it in a different grammatical context?

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  writeaway: yes, with hyphen (in 'real' English)
1 hr
agree  Marijke Singer
16 hrs
agree  Ron Willems
16 hrs
agree  Tina Vonhof (X)
23 hrs
agree  Frank van Thienen (X)
1 day 5 hrs
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