Does anyone know an English word for that handy thread in some plastic wrapping, such as on a CD, that you can pull at to conveniently open the packaging?

In German its Aufreißfaden = pull-open thread.

Thanks.

Ilka

Quite difficult to find this. The packaging industry appears to refer to is most frequently as an "opening strip", particularly in connection with cellophane wrapping.

Of course, in the case of CDs, it’s more like a NON-opening strip.   ;D

- PW

LOL Palewriter, they don’t work for me either. "Opening strip" I shall use. Thanks.

Ilka

Here’s another one. I’m not going to bother starting another thread.

"When transported through the vertical conveyor, the product is rotated by 90° at the first trip edge and set upright."

Would you say "set upright", "upended", "placed on end", or something else? The German word is hochkant aufrichten and means that the product is positioned so that the long side is vertical.

Thanks.

Ilka

Set Upright implies (to me) to place in a normal position, without any bias as to where the longest edge might be.

If you set a box of breakfast cereal upright, the long side will be vertical. With a box of cigars, the long side would be horizontal.

DJ

I’d go with ‘set on end’ or ‘placed on end’.

[quote author=Ilka link=board=what;num=1051794559;start=0#0 date=05/01/03 at 09:09:19]Does anyone know an English word for that handy thread in some plastic wrapping, such as on a CD, that you can pull at to conveniently open the packaging?

Pull-thread.

Agoraphile, do you know this is what it’s called, or do you think so?

Ilka

It’s a term I would use, and may have.

Here’s another one. What is the formal way of saying "time is up" in English?

"After the sealing time is up, the package clamp is released."

Thanks.

After the sealing time has elapsed, the package clamp is released.

But perhaps the sentence should be recast:

Release the package clamp after the (appropriate / correct) sealing time has elapsed.

Elapsed! That’s it. It slipped my mind. Unfortunately, I have to keep the sentence passive though.

Ilka

Does it really have to be in the passive voice?

Couldn’t you say (and my English teachers would recommend this):

After the sealing time has elapsed, the package clamp will be released.

Or should that rather be shall...

-Tim

No reason I couldn’t use your suggestion, Tim, except that the thing went out the eMail box yesterday. Too bad. I like it and will use it in the future. (Isn’t that still passive, though, and just a different tense?)

Here’s another question. I have both Hauptmenü "main menu" and Hauptbild "main screen"  in the same text. There are several main screens within a main menu that can be leafed through. Now, the customer objected to my use of "screen". Does he have a leg to stand on and if so, what would you use?

Ilka

Does he have a leg to stand on and if so, what would you use?

I’d probably use the other leg.  :)

Seriously, there’s a difference between a screen and a menu. The screen may contain a menu. Hauptmenu to me would be Main Menu. Hauptbild sounds more to me like Main Page, Home Page, Navigation Page or Initial Page. Just my 2 cents, as usual. I don’t like Main Screen much. The screen, to me, is the monitor.

Call me crazy, call me iresponsible, just don’t call me late for dinner.

- PW

Your two cents is what I wanted. Thanks.

Ilka