Louise Etheridge (asker) Aug 8, 2019:

Yes, that is true Charles (you're not butting in, don't worry, you were part of the discussion). For some reason, I thought that the post had been resolved but I can now see it's not. Would you like to post your answer to this one too Alison? Then I can award those points that you surely deserve! Thank you again, that's twice you've managed to solve my acronym conundrums in recent weeks.

Charles Davis Aug 8, 2019:

Pardon me for butting in... Points can't be awarded unless an answer is posted. Can Alison be persuaded to post one? It's not just a matter of points; if an answer is posted and chosen it can go in the glossary, which is to everyone's advantage.

Louise Etheridge (asker) Aug 8, 2019:

Hello again Alison, were you awarded the points for this discussion too? I don't think I ever got a notification about it. Maybe one of the moderators finalised it? You are surely the queen of acronyms and deserve some points for this. Please let me know and I will see what I can do if that didn't happen.

Lorraine Dubuc Jul 18, 2019:

@Alison Makes perfect sense in the context.

Louise Etheridge (asker) Jul 18, 2019:

Dear Alison, I think it's "the one"! got to be! Thank you so much. I had to submit the file, but I'll be sure to update the client.

Charles Davis Jul 18, 2019:

@Alison Brilliant! Surely a strong candidate: established expression, fits the context perfectly.

Alison MacG Jul 18, 2019:

Could this previous question be relevant?
https://www.proz.com/kudoz/french-to-english/bus-financial/1...

Louise Etheridge (asker) Jul 18, 2019:

I just mentioned because some people thought that the text was in English. However, its just the way it was written in the presentation.

But you raise an interesting point about use of accents (or not) on caps.

Charles Davis Jul 18, 2019:

@Louise Do you mean why the accent was missing? That's normal practice; French people are still accustomed to not accenting capitals (Canadians do). However, it's not correct: the Academy has issued a stern statement to this effect:

"On ne peut que déplorer que l’usage des accents sur les majuscules soit flottant. On observe dans les textes manuscrits une tendance certaine à l’omission des accents. En typographie, parfois, certains suppriment tous les accents sur les capitales sous prétexte de modernisme, en fait pour réduire les frais de composition.

Il convient cependant d’observer qu’en français, l’accent a pleine valeur orthographique. Son absence ralentit la lecture, fait hésiter sur la prononciation, et peut même induire en erreur. Il en va de même pour le tréma et la cédille.

On veille donc, en bonne typographie, à utiliser systématiquement les capitales accentuées [...]"
http://www.academie-francaise.fr/questions-de-langue#5_stron...

I think it's worth quoting this, because there is a widespread misconception that omitting accents on capitals is correct. Someone asked me about this recently and I checked.

Louise Etheridge (asker) Jul 18, 2019:

Thanks for all your contributions.

To David: thanks for the spelling update. I don't know why it was like that in the source.

I agree, I think the first "D" stands for "date" (bearing in mind the entire document and the fact it is about various summer/autumn campaigns).

Charles Davis Jul 18, 2019:

DDU is an incoterm, so it would be no surprise to find it used in a French text even though it's English. If fact, if they mean delivered duty unpaid, DDU is what they would almost certainly use. But I am not convinced that's what it means here.

The point that strikes me is "DDU: IMMÉDIATE" (supplying the missing accent). Not "DDU IMMÉDIAT". Why feminine? It makes me wonder whether the first D might stand for a feminine noun, the most obvious possibility being "DATE...".

Louise Etheridge (asker) Jul 18, 2019:

Sorry, just to clarify again, the "DATE in AUGUST" bit is my words, the "immediate" bit is how it appears in the text. The accent could have been missed off because it's in caps. It's obviously something to do with a delivery or delivery dates (either immediate or a date in Aug/Sep).

Lorraine Dubuc Jul 18, 2019:

@philgoddard Those would be shipping conditions, nothing to do with duty paid on material on hand.

philgoddard Jul 18, 2019:

Sorry, but that doesn't seem likely in this context. It's for sales staff - why would they be interested in whether duty has been paid? And why use English?

Lorraine Dubuc Jul 18, 2019:

I think your first guess Delivered Duty unpaid is the right one in this particular case. It is not uncommon to use English expressions like COD, PPD etc. as shipping terms even in some French documents like this one : http://www.mbrassard.com/liste-de-prix-26-blanc/blanc_comman...

philgoddard Jul 18, 2019:

In that case it could be "date" something. Dû? But if it were me, I'd just put "unknown abbreviation".

Louise Etheridge (asker) Jul 18, 2019:

The source is in French, that's the way it's written in the text. "Date in August" is just an example of the types of dates that follow DDU. Aplologies if this was a little unclear. Just seen Phil's comment come in. This is all I have to go on I'm afraid. The preceding text is about various products you can order and then the "DDU" bit just comes at the bottom of the page (in most cases with "immediate" next to it, or a date in August.

philgoddard Jul 18, 2019:

As well as clarifying which language this is, please could you provide the surrounding text. Otherwise we're just guessing.

Victoria Britten Jul 18, 2019:

@Asker Shouldn't this be in EN-FR? Or indeed just plain EN?

Lorraine Dubuc Jul 18, 2019:

https://www.acronymfinder.com/DDU.html