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Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

home business line

English answer:

(keep in contact with) the (business) office in their home country

Added to glossary by Yvonne Gallagher
Jul 24, 2014 13:46
9 yrs ago
3 viewers *
English term

home business line

English Bus/Financial Human Resources
I'm editing a policy document written by a non-native speaker. It states that during assignments abroad, employees are responsible for maintaining contact with "the home business line" (i.e. in their home country). Is this use of "business line" an established thing? It's not something I'm familiar with, and I'm wondering if it's clear to someone first reading it.
Responses
4 +1 (keep in contact with) the (business) office in their home country
3 +1 keep in (telephone) contact with the national headquarters
4 telephone contact with the home business
2 +1 remain in contact with their base
Change log

Jul 30, 2014 21:30: Yvonne Gallagher Created KOG entry

Discussion

Tony M Jul 24, 2014:
@ David Absolutely! There is clearly something wrong with the source text — but we don't know exactly what.
Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. Jul 24, 2014:
The Asker' s question was whether the term was clear. I think we established that it is not and one of us deserves the points for this astute observation.
David Moore (X) Jul 24, 2014:
"What is... 'your line of business'?"
"Oh, we sell office furniture/prepacked vegetables/second-hand cars/hardware", or anything else you care to suggest. Take care in case THIS is the 'business line' that is meant here - IOW, what goods and services are sold in the company's home country..

It could easily be, and there are so many companies with sales offices abroad these days, I'd say you need to be sure! I am by no means convinced that a "home business line" in this case is a telephone line!!!
Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. Jul 24, 2014:
I think we established the main theme. The rest are variations on the above. Next time I am bringing a lawyer along.
BTW, the line could be a line of communications, for example, by e-mail. We are not translating, over or under, but interpreting a cryptic original.
Emma Rault (X) (asker) Jul 24, 2014:
Not necessarily. If it's a multinational with say, HQ in New York, but the employee works in their own home country in, for instance, the Moscow office, this would not be the case.
Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. Jul 24, 2014:
It stands to reason that the home base, in the sense of headquarters, will be located in the home country. Again, sorry for my answer in a language other than English.
Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. Jul 24, 2014:
Sorry. Someone volunteered me recently for this forum. I am not familiar with this term. I believe it simply means to keep in telephone contact with the headquarters - the home base, a term for which you now have a perfect Polish translation.

Responses

+1
1 hr
Selected

(keep in contact with) the (business) office in their home country

I think this is a far clearer and more natural way to say it.

or
must maintain direct ongoing contact with the office (business) in their home country when abroad

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Note added at 1 hr (2014-07-24 15:27:30 GMT)
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I think "office" is enough and that business is not required but you could say "business office/office of the business/company office"

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Note added at 1 hr (2014-07-24 15:37:40 GMT)
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sorry of course I forgot to put (...contact) BY TELEPHONE above

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Note added at 3 hrs (2014-07-24 16:55:43 GMT)
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so is this line in business or phone line?

Anyway, in either case, when abroad, the Rep. will be keeping in contact with the office in their home country

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Note added at 6 days (2014-07-30 21:19:04 GMT) Post-grading
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Glad to have helped:-)
Peer comment(s):
agree Tony M : I don't think the 'by telephone' is necessary; I think that is the whole thrust of Asker's question: whether in fact 'line is normal if it DOESN'T mean 'by telephone' — and I think this is in fact the non-native error; I'm not quite sure WHAT line means.
53 mins
yes, indeed. It is far more likely"line in business" as David says rather than phone line so best omitted
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "This seemed like by far the most likely and least awkward option, so I went with this in the end. Thanks so much!"
+1
47 mins

keep in (telephone) contact with the national headquarters

Covering all the bases.
Peer comment(s):
neutral writeaway : not necessarily national.
15 mins
Quite possibly.
agree Tina Vonhof (X) : Agree with writeaway. Headquarters maybe for a very large company but I would suggest 'home office'.
39 mins
Thanks for a constructive comment, Tina.
disagree Yvonne Gallagher : HQ isn't mentioned so this is over-translation and "national" is incorrect as well//"national" doesn't mean "home country" and "illegible" is also not correct word here
1 hr
This is not a translation but an interpretation: the original is illegible. The Asker insisted on home, hone country.
agree acetran
2 hrs
Great thanks, acetran.
Something went wrong...
1 hr
English term (edited): contact with the home business line

telephone contact with the home business

If you maintain contact with a line it means you keep in touch by phone (with that number).

I think this is a much clearer phrasing, though you could of course turn it around to say "contact with the home business by phone" or something similar.
Something went wrong...
+1
2 hrs

remain in contact with their base

I think everything hinges around just HOW non-native this is; 'keep in contact with the ... business line' is not at all a normal way of saying 'keep in touch by telephone' — you use a 'telephone line' to keep in touch with someone or something.

So is there any specific intention of telephoning here, or not? I remain unconvinced; in which case, the use of 'business line' to mean (say) the office is definitely weird.
Peer comment(s):
agree Sheri P : This seems the safest bet, considering the ambiguity of the ST
10 hrs
Thanks, Sheri!
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