diploma di contabilità

[Sybilla]

Hello everybody,
I am translating a Curriculum vitae and I was wondering if there is any difference between accounting and accountancy, and which one is the most correct to translate diploma di contabilità. Certificate of accounting or accountancy?
Maybe one refers to the discipline taught at school and the other to the practical activity/profession?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Sybilla

 

[uinni]

Ciao.
Son sinonimi (e li trovo con egual frequenza so google -accounting/accountancy certificate).

Uinni.

 

[Sybilla]

Thank you very much uinni
Sybilla

 

[carrickp]

Hello everybody,
I am translating a Curriculum vitae and I was wondering if there is any difference between accounting and accountancy, and which one is the most correct to translate diploma di contabilità. Certificate of accounting or accountancy?
Maybe one refers to the discipline taught at school and the other to the practical activity/profession?

As I understand it your thought is correct -- "accounting" is the discipline and "accountancy" is the practicing of it.

In AE you'll rarely see "accountancy," though: Most accountants would say "I practice accounting with a small firm in my home town;" "My degree in accounting is from Northwestern University."

 

[uinni]

Hi, carrickp.

Oxford Dictionary mantains that accounting is not only the discipline but also the practice...

What about the fact that you can easily find both "accounting/accountancy degree"? (see for example the Univeristy of Alabama).

Thank you for your further explanations.

Uinni

 

[silvietta]

Hi, carrickp.

Oxford Dictionary mantains that accounting is not only the discipline but also the practice...

What about the fact that you can easily find both "accounting/accountancy degree"? (see for example the Univeristy of Alabama).

Thank you for your further explanations.

Uinni

Hi guys,
my "Corripondenza Commerciale Inglese" - Hoepli translates contabilità with 3 words: bookkeping, accountancy and accounting. You explained the second and the third, what about the first? Can we use also that one or not?
Thanks
Silvia

 

[uinni]

Bookkeeping would be "tenuta dei libri (contabili) in that context. Ma in altri contesti è sinonimo di "logging", which is not that specific!

Uinni.

 

[carrickp]

Hi, carrickp.

Oxford Dictionary mantains that accounting is not only the discipline but also the practice...

What about the fact that you can easily find both "accounting/accountancy degree"? (see for example the Univeristy of Alabama).

Thank you for your further explanations.

Uinni

Maybe we're looking at a difference between AE and BE here.

Merriam-Webster says:

ac·coun·tan·cy
Pronunciation: tns, -tn-, -si
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -es
1 : the profession of accounting
2 : the practice of accounting

accounting
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -s
Etymology: Middle English, from gerund of accounten to account
1 a : the system of classifying, recording, and summarizing business and financial transactions in books of account and analyzing, verifying, and reporting the results b : the body of principles, conventions, and procedures underlying accounting -- distinguished from bookkeeping
2 a : practical application of accounting -- see COST ACCOUNTING, PUBLIC ACCOUNTING b : an instance of applying the principles, conventions, and procedures of accounting to the financial condition of an individual or individual organization
3 : the presenting or stating of accounts <the treasurer rendered his annual accounting>
4 : the process of devising and installing systems of accounts​

As I said earlier, I believe as a practical matter "accounting" is used for both meanings in AE and "accountancy" only used in formal or legal contexts. My son-in-law is a Certified Public Accountant and I can ask him for the true information if anyone is that interested.

 

[Sybilla]

Yas, please Carrickp, I would like to know the difference. As far as my piece of translation is concerned, I think we could say that accounting is the form to be used. that is "accounting certificate" as uinni said, is it right?
But, all the same I would really like to know the exact difference between these terms. I'd also like to thank everybody for this really helpful amd stimulating discussion!
Sybilla

 

[shamblesuk]

Mi sembra abbastanza simplice:

I work in accounting
I am an accountant
I have a degree (diploma or whatever) in accountancy (the profession of accounting)

 

[carrickp]

My son-in-law is a Certified Public Accountant and I can ask him for the true information if anyone is that interested.

My son-in-law says "accountancy" is BE; the word exists in AE but is never used. He confirms the formal definitions I gave above, but, again, "accountancy" is rare in AE.