It's 2:30am here and I stuck here translating the documents for hubby's visa, as they've got to be in by Tuesday. Remind me why we thought it would be a good idea to do this by ourselves??

OK, so going through my husbands payslips/pay information, there's a couple of phrases I've translated but that don't sound "natural" in English. for eg,

1) When they pay your train fare etc, do they refer to that as "commuting allowance"? "travel allowance"?

2) Is there a less clumsy way to say "late arrival (in morning) or early finish" or is it ok like that?

3) Does it sound strange to say

"Year end tax adjustment refund"
"Year end tax adjustment shortage" or are they OK as is?

4) Is there a set phrase for "leaving work early/missing time at work because your kids are ill or you have to pick them up from school etc" (basically missing any time at work because of your kids? )


And the last one is driving me up the wall, because it just doesn't sound right

I've got total allowances, total deductions (no problem there, i think) but what do you say for the final amount paid - ie total with allowances but after deductions??

Thanks loads for any help!

One more! Is there a "posh" way to say "days off"?

hey Kat

1) i would say travel allownance
2)possibly, flxible working?
3) ???????
4)i think is refered to again as felxible working if its an arrangement or parental leave if its due to child inless
5)rota'd days off perhaps?

errrm, dunno bout the rest but days off=annual leave??

we have dependants leave when we're off with our kids x

1) When they pay your train fare etc, do they refer to that as "commuting allowance"? "travel allowance"?
Either sound fine - in general any kind of thing like that comes under 'expenses' so Travel Expenses is what I would use

2) Is there a less clumsy way to say "late arrival (in morning) or early finish" or is it ok like that?
Both sound fine

3) Does it sound strange to say

"Year end tax adjustment refund"
"Year end tax adjustment shortage" or are they OK as is?

First sounds ok...but the second - not sure what it means - is it that the tax was underpaid?

4) Is there a set phrase for "leaving work early/missing time at work because your kids are ill or you have to pick them up from school etc" (basically missing any time at work because of your kids? )
AT my work this was called Authorised Absence, and covered anything like kids ill, funerals etc


And the last one is driving me up the wall, because it just doesn't sound right

I've got total allowances, total deductions (no problem there, i think) but what do you say for the final amount paid - ie total with allowances but after deductions??

The normal words we use are
'Gross Pay' (the normal wage he gets),
Less 'Expenses' (that his work pay him)
Less 'Any other pre tax deductions' (here is stuff like childcare payments)
= Taxable Pay
Less Deductions (anything like tax)
= Net Pay (what he takes home)

Hope that helps?

You are all geniuses!!

Parental leave - that's perfect! In the contract it was in specific reference to childcare, so that's a perfect fit.

Lisa - net pay was the one I was looking for! I was in that 3am fug where nothing makes sense anymore. and 3), I think that's what it means - the first where they've taken too much, the second where they haven't taken enough maybe? Either way, it seeems to make sense as it is, so I'll leave it at that.

Thank you all so much! My brain might live to fight another day! Bricking it though as we have to hand the documents in tomorrow, so finishing off everything tonight..argh!