I was talking to a student recently who mentioned how difficult it is to learn agency-specific acronyms; I think it applies to both the public and private sector, as well as our everyday lives.
I thought about a funny scene in the movie Good Morning Vietnam, which then made me wonder how many acronyms I could think of just off the top of my head, that we use in everyday language. (I know, it’s ugly to be inside my brain – sorry about that!)
We even use acronyms for important people – JFK and MLK among them.
We all use RSVP and know it means “please reply” but did you know it’s French for Répondez S'il Vous Plaît?
My friends at Microsoft say they have a reference glossary of approved acronyms, which cracks me up.
The use of acronyms has always puzzled me. Are we lazy or are we being efficient? From another perspective, can you imagine how hard it must be to learn English as a second language?
My friend Wayne, who is one of those guys who contemplates issues of universal concern, said he calculated that there are 17,000 possible combinations of acronyms.
Should we care? Is it important? Well, sometimes it is. In 1912 the wireless operator on the sinking Titanic initially transmitted the old “CQD” distress code until someone suggested he also transmit the new "SOS" code adopted in 1908. Which, just in case you didn't know, stands for Save Our Souls.
A final example of why acronyms are important to know -- I once met a lady who said she was an agent for the Drug Enforcement Agency. Not alarming, right? I meet tons of cops at work. But can you guess how I knew immediately that she was lying?
Because DEA stands for Drug Enforcement ADMINISTRATION.