https://www.proz.com/kudoz/english/medical-instruments/1068022-3-and-36-months.html&phpv_redirected=1
This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
  1. KudoZ™ Top
  2. English
  3. Medical: Instruments

3 and 36 months

English translation: common

07:53 Jun 21, 2005
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Medical - Medical: Instruments / Implantable contact lens
English term or phrase: 3 and 36 months
As outlined above, 0% of eyes experienced worse than 20/40 BSCVA at any point in time during the study follow-up period between 3 and 36 months.
I think here ¡°3 and 36 months¡± means the third and the 36th months, or month 3 and month 36. It has puzzled me why it is written this way. I also see this kind of expression in other medical documents. Is it a regular way to use this kind of jargon in writing medical patents etc.?

TIA!!!
Jianming Sun
Local time: 06:47
Selected answer:common
Explanation:
Probably to avoid having to write "3 months and 3 years", but yes, it's common. As an ENS, I find nothing particularly odd about it, especially as it is from a medical report - medical language can often be relied on to be slightly (!) different from that used by the man in the street.
Selected response from:

David Moore (X)
Local time: 00:47
Grading comment
Thanks!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +9common
David Moore (X)


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +9
common


Explanation:
Probably to avoid having to write "3 months and 3 years", but yes, it's common. As an ENS, I find nothing particularly odd about it, especially as it is from a medical report - medical language can often be relied on to be slightly (!) different from that used by the man in the street.

David Moore (X)
Local time: 00:47
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ken Cox: Yes, very common usage. IMO it is style, not jargon, and 'between 3 and 36 months' is generally considered to be much better style in technical writing than 'between 3 months and 3 years' (because it maintains the same units).
35 mins
agree  Ian M-H (X): Kenneth's right about consistency. It's also to do with precision: 36 months implies less leeway than 3 years. Interestingly, 36 months is usually the upper limit - for a longer period the text would almost certainly have used years.
53 mins
agree  Elizabeth Rudin
1 hr
agree  Vicky Papaprodromou
2 hrs
agree  airmailrpl: - this AENS agrees
2 hrs
agree  Rachel Fell: and agree with Ian's comments (and Kenneth's)
3 hrs
agree  Angela Dickson (X)
7 hrs
agree  Saleh Chowdhury, Ph.D.
8 hrs
agree  Alfa Trans (X)
10 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

See also:
ProZ.com term search
Search millions of term translations