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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2010Usage of "offshore"
One of my friend wrote the following sentence on a online forum. I appreciate if colleagues in offshore could assist me to find some information on following..... Using the words "colleagues in offshore" he meant colleagues living in foreign countries. Is this a correct usage of the word "offshore"? > One of my friend wrote the following sentence on a online forum. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Using the words "colleagues in offshore" he meant colleagues living in > foreign countries. Is this a correct usage of the word "offshore"? That sentence doesn't appear to have been written by a native English speaker.  SignatureDavid >> One of my friend wrote the following sentence on a online forum. >> [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >That sentence doesn't appear to have been written by a native English >speaker. Agreed. However that unfamiliar use of the noun "offshore" to mean "abroad" or "in a another country" could be seen as a development from the verb "offshore" and the related noun "offshoring". OED: offshore, v. trans. To move or base (a business operation) abroad, usually to take advantage of lower costs. 1985 ... offshoring, n. The action or practice of moving or basing a business operation abroad. 1987 ... And then: offshore, adv., adj., and prep. 3. In or to another country; in a territory outside one's own country. Used esp. with reference to economic or financial activities undertaken abroad in order to take advantage of tax benefits, lower costs, or less stringent regulations. 1961 Webster's 3rd New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang., Offshore, outside the country: abroad. The phrase that the OP asked about, "in offshore", could be changed by omitting "in" giving: I appreciate if colleagues offshore could assist me to find some information on following..... Or it could be reworded as "in offshore locations": I appreciate if colleagues in offshore locations could assist me to find some information on following..... SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) > One of my friend wrote the following sentence on a online forum. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Using the words "colleagues in offshore" he meant colleagues living in > foreign countries. Is this a correct usage of the word "offshore"? Your problem is the role of fashion in the adoption of specialist jargon into everyday English . . . 1. Offshore began as a geographical term, cf. the difference between inshore fishing (near land) and offshore (far from land.) 2. "Offshore banking" is an artifact of the last 25 years, for the convenience of rich people who want to avoid taxation in the countries where they live. Formerly, in order to conceal wealth, people had to travel to places like Switzerland to leave there suitcases full of money that they were sure Swiss bankers would protect from the tax collectors in other countries. Modern electronic banking allows any bank to do this, viz. to open an account that is nominally based in the Cayman Islands or some similar tax haven. (Within the UK, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands offer such advantages.) The depositor is nowadays not obliged to carry his money there in a suitcase: electronic transfer suffices. 3. "Colleagues in offshore" looks like plausible jargon within the financial industries (or among their groupies), meaning colleagues employed in offshore banking. (But jargon is not bound by the general rules of the everyday language.) SignatureDon Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada) To make it convenient for customers to avoid personal tax banks created special accounts Learner set the following eddies spiralling through the space-time continuum: > One of my friend wrote the following sentence on a online forum. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Using the words "colleagues in offshore" he meant colleagues living in > foreign countries. Is this a correct usage of the word "offshore"? If "offshore" were the name of a department (in particular, the department dealing with offshore banking) it would be correct usage. If he just means "abroad" (from the UK) then "overseas" is the more usual expression. And please note that the IOM and the Channel Islands are *not* part of the UK - or the EU. While UK citizens are not required to hold a passport to visit these territories, they do have home rule and their own tax laws (and so can issue their own currency), so returning passengers can be required to pass through UK Customs. Signatureξ:) Proud to be curly Interchange the alphabetic letter groups to reply Prai Jei wrote, in <hhdm3l$er9$1@news.eternal-september.org> on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:42:49 +0000: > Learner set the following eddies spiralling through the space-time > continuum: [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > dealing with offshore banking) it would be correct usage. If he just > means "abroad" (from the UK) then "overseas" is the more usual expression. Agreed, but it is the 'in' that makes it really look wrong. > And please note that the IOM and the Channel Islands are *not* part of the > UK - or the EU. While UK citizens are not required to hold a passport to > visit these territories, they do have home rule and their own tax laws (and > so can issue their own currency), so returning passengers can be required > to pass through UK Customs. SignatureNick Spalding BrE/IrE >>That sentence doesn't appear to have been written by a native English speaker. No. He is not. >> 3. "Colleagues in offshore" looks like plausible jargon within the financial industries (or among their groupies), meaning colleagues employed in offshore banking. (But jargon is not bound by the general rules of the everyday language.) No. He didn't use it in a technical manner. He generally referred to anyone living overseas. >>>That sentence doesn't appear to have been written by a native English >speaker. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >No. He didn't use it in a technical manner. He generally referred to >anyone living overseas. "Colleagues overseas" is more likely. SignatureRegards, Chuck Riggs, An American who lives near Dublin, Ireland and usually spells in BrE >>>>That sentence doesn't appear to have been written by a native English >>speaker. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > >"Colleagues overseas" is more likely. Or even more likely, "overseas colleagues". "Colleagues overseas" suggests to me that they have travelled overseas and will be returning. "Overseas colleagues" suggests that they have always been on the other side of the pond from me, and don't plan to join me in Cispondia. . SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk >>>>>That sentence doesn't appear to have been written by a native English >>>speaker. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] >"Overseas colleagues" suggests that they have always been on the other side of >the pond from me, and don't plan to join me in Cispondia. I make the same distinction. SignatureRegards, Chuck Riggs, An American who lives near Dublin, Ireland and usually spells in BrE >>>>>>That sentence doesn't appear to have been written by a native English >>>>speaker. [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > >I make the same distinction. If that is so sing derry down derry it's evident very our tastes are one. SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk >>>>>>>That sentence doesn't appear to have been written by a native English >>>>>speaker. [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] >it's evident very >our tastes are one. If you say so, Mr Gilbert. SignatureRegards, Chuck Riggs, An American who lives near Dublin, Ireland and usually spells in BrE >One of my friend wrote the following sentence on a online forum. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >Using the words "colleagues in offshore" he meant colleagues living in >foreign countries. Is this a correct usage of the word "offshore"? "Offshore" seems often to be used to mean "overseas" nowadays, though to me it suggests a ship moored just outside the limits of the territorial waters, often housing a pirate radio station. SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk Steve Hayes wrote, in <j7tlj5djja1iha2b7th96sskkiehht8e6f@4ax.com> on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:38:38 +0200: > >One of my friend wrote the following sentence on a online forum. > > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > suggests a ship moored just outside the limits of the territorial waters, > often housing a pirate radio station. Or an oil or gas field. SignatureNick Spalding BrE/IrE On 30 Dec 2009, Nick Spalding wrote > Steve Hayes wrote, in > <j7tlj5djja1iha2b7th96sskkiehht8e6f@4ax.com> [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Or an oil or gas field. Not to mention financial tax havens (which is what I think of first). SignatureCheers, Harvey CanEng and BrEng, indiscriminately mixed >Steve Hayes wrote, in <j7tlj5djja1iha2b7th96sskkiehht8e6f@4ax.com> > on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:38:38 +0200: [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > >Or an oil or gas field. Well, yes. As in an offshore oil rig. SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk > One of my friend wrote the following sentence on a online forum. You should write 'an' offline forum. >> One of my friend wrote the following sentence on a online forum. > >You should write 'an' offline forum. "An online forum" seems more likely. SignatureRegards, Chuck Riggs, An American who lives near Dublin, Ireland and usually spells in BrE >>> One of my friend wrote the following sentence on a online forum. >> >> You should write 'an' offline forum. > > "An online forum" seems more likely. Or an offline againstum. SignaturePeter Moylan, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. http://www.pmoylan.org For an e-mail address, see my web page. >>> "Learner" <pamuditha99@gmail.com> wrote in message news:a550708d-d4a9-4aac-a303-98c085a89d25@a32g2000yqm.googlegroups.com... >>>> One of my friend wrote the following sentence on a online forum. >>> [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Or an offline againstum. Hie thee to a groanary! SignatureLes (BrE) |
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