Friday, December 9, 2011

Usage of the definite article with the abbreviated name of an equipment in a user's manual

As part of my translation studies, I have to detect anomalies in a user's manual. This manual refers to an equipment whose full name is Compuwash Commander Controller - Model CC-64. Lack of coherence is considered an anomaly in technical writing. My problem is that the manual is not constant in the use of the definite article.

It sometimes refers to "the controller CC-64", sometimes to "CC-64 Controller" only:




  • The CONTROLLER CC-64 is the brains of the system and contains the following major components: [...]

  • The ROC-16 Relay Centers
    communicate with CC-64 Controller via a 4 twisted pair shielded
    wire [...]



Similarly, it sometimes refers to "the CC-64" and other times to "CC-64" with no article, such a in the examples below:





  • The memory and clock/calendar that is resident in the CC-64 has battery backup [...]


  • Position the DT-32 Dumb Terminal on a table top next to CC-64 or office [...].




Which of these sentences are faulty? Should I just find out which usage is more frequent in the manual and consider it the correct form?



Thank you for your help.

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