A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

B2B: Business-to-business marketing and commerce.

B2C: Business-to-consumer marketing and commerce.

Back benches: Parlamentare senza incarichi di governo.
The back benches are seats in the House of commons on either side of the chamber that are not occupied by the Government or Opposition spokesmen (who usually sit on the front rows of the House nearest the Speaker).

Background: Sfondo.
The scenery or space behind the main object or people in a view, a picture or a photography; the conditions that exists when something happens and explains it.

Balance: Equilibrio, stabilità, saldo.
A state in which all weights and forces are evenly spread so as to produce a condition of steadiness, equilibrium; a state in which opposite or conflicting influences are evenly matched or are given an equal importance; steadiness, equilibrium of the mind or feeling.
In accounting, the equality of debits and credits in an account or an expression of the difference between the debits and credits. When used as a verb, "to balance" means to bring both sides into equality, that is, to make debits and credits equal. A common expression is "to balance the checkbook," meaning to verify that your record reconciles with the statement received from the bank.

Balance sheet: Bilancio patrimoniale.
A reckoning of a company's financial health at a given time. Lists assets, liabilities and equities.

Ballot: Voto a scrutinio segreto.
A ballot is the term often used in connection with parliamentary elections. It simply means a vote. In the UK ballots are secret - no one knows who votes for whom. At an election voters put a cross next to the candidate they have chosen on a ballot paper. They then fold the paper and put it into a ballot box. The ballot box is not opened until all the voters are counted.

Bandwidth: Larghezza di banda.
Capacity (range) of transmission frequencies on a network as expressed in cycles per second (hertz) or bits per second that determines the amount of data, audio, and video that can flow over the network. The higher the frequency, the higher the bandwidth.

Bank account: Conto bancario.
Money deposited in a bank and subject to withdrawal by the depositor.

Bank card: Carta di credito.
A document issued to a customer of a bank that allows the customer to perform some banking transactions with automated tellers rather than with a human attendant (teller). Not to be confused with a credit card.

Bank charge: Spese bancarie.
A fee for services performed by a bank; a bank service fee. Also, to purchase an item charged to a credit card issued by a bank.

Bank check: Assegno bancario.
Any of several checks issued by a bank, such as a cashier's check, certified check or bank draft.

Bank credit: Credito bancario.
The approval by a bank that a customer can borrow from the bank; a good credit standing with a bank.

Bank draft: Assegno circolare.
A bill of exchange (draft) drawn by a bank on another bank.

Bank loan: Prestito bancario.
Money borrowed from a bank. See also loan, debit.

Bankruptcy: Fallimento.
A word you don't want to hear if a company or person owes you a lot of money. The person or company is considered bankrupt if they're unable to pay their debts. The u.s. bankruptcy court tries to sort out the financial troubles and get creditors paid. Companies filing for protection under chapter 7 of the bankruptcy code are shut down and their assets handed over to the creditors. Under chapter 11, companies try to rework their debts and stay in business.

Banner: A component of a Web page containing an advertisement that is usually an inch or less tall and spans the width of the Web page. The banner contains a link to the advertiser's own Web site.

Batch processing: Operazione automatizzata senza intervento utente.
A system that takes a set (a "batch") of commands or jobs, executes them and returns the results, all without human intervention. A batch system typically takes its commands from a disk file and returns the results to a file. Often there is a queue of jobs, which the system processes, as resources become available. Since the advent of the PC, the term "batch" has come to mean automating frequently performed tasks by storing those commands in a "batch file ".

Baud: A unit of speed in data transmission, or the maximum speed at which data can be sent down a channel. Baud is often equivalent to bits per second.

(To) Be aware: Essere consapevoli.
To have knowledge and understanding.

(To) Be busy: Essere occupato. Linea, telefono occupato.
Of telephone, especially in American English, in use, engaged.

(To) Be cut off: Interrompere.
To be disconnected when having a telephone conversation. To have the phone disconnected.

(To) Be efficient: Essere efficiente.
To work well, quickly and without waste.

(To) Be engaged: Essere occupato. Linea, telefono occupato.
British English, of a telephone line, be in use.

(To) Be on the telephone: Avere un abbonamento telefonico. Essere al telefono.
To have got a telephone; call someone by telephone, be engaged in a telephone conversation.

(To) Be polite: Essere cortese.
To have or show good manners, sensitivity to other people's feelings, and /or correct social behaviour.

(To) Bear: Portare.
To carry from one place to another; to support, hold up; to have or show a mark or characteristic.

Behaviour: Comportamento.
Way of acting, but also acting in a socially acceptable and polite way.

Benchmark: Riferimento.
A control source against which you compare the area you're studying. For example, you may compare the results of a study in one state to the results of the nation as a whole.

Beta Software: Software versione Beta.
Software companies often release test, or beta, versions of their software before the final commercial release. Some vendors release beta software only to select users, others make it available to the general public. Beta software may include serious flaws, and most vendors don't provide technical support for beta releases.

Bicameral: Bicamerale.
Two separate legislative chambers.

Bicameral government: Sistema bicamerale.
A government that consists of two legislative bodies rather than one. The U.S. has a bicameral system, since both the House of Representatives and the Senate have to approve a bill before it can become law. All U.S. states have bicameral legislatures, with the exception of Nebraska, which has a unicameral system.

Bid: Licitazione, offerta in un'asta.
To offer (a particular amount of money) for something when competing against other people to buy it.

Bidder: Offerente.
A person who offers money for goods or property when competing with other people to buy it, or someone who offers to do a job for a particular price.

Bilateral: Bilaterale.
Involving two parties; as in a bilateral trade agreement between the U.S. and Japan.

Bill: Cambiale, conto, nota.
In small business, bill most often means invoice; a notification of an amount to be paid for goods or services performed. Also a due bill; a document stating a debtor's obligation to a creditor. Other definitions include: 1) paper currency such as a $20 bill; 2) short for a bill of sale, a document used to transfer assets from seller to buyer; 3) short for due bill; 4) short for treasury bill; 5) short for bill of exchange; 6) proposal for a new law which is debated by Parliament. In the UK a Bill becomes an Act when it has received the Royal assent. A Bill may be introduced into either House, with the exception of Money Bills which the Lords cannot initiate or amend.

Bill of rights: Dichiarazione dei diritti.
Any bill that lays out the rights of individuals vis a vis the state. The Bill of Rights refers to the first 10 amendments to the U.S. constitution, which lay out individual liberties. Thomas Jefferson wrote to James Madison in 1787 that "A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth, general or particular; and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference."

Billboard: Quadro per le affissioni, tabellone.
A very large board on which advertisements are shown, esp. at the side of a road.

Bishops: Vescovi.
As senior members of the Church of England, which is the established church, some Bishops are entitled to sit in the House of Lords. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York, the Bishops of London, Durham and Winchester and twenty one other Bishops in order of seniority together form the Lords Spiritual.

Bit: Binary digit (0,1) but also the smallest unit of data in binary notation.

(To) Blame: Incolpare.
To consider someone or something responsible for something bad; to find fault with.

Block style: Stile a blocchi.
It is a business letter format which has all entries tight against the left-hand margin.

Blue chip: Azione industriale di prim'ordine.
A stock regarded as an especially good investment.

Board of directors: Consiglio di amministrazione.
A group of people chosen by stockholders to watch over a company and its executives, and to set overall corporate policy. Their job is to try to keep the company healthy and ensure stockholders get a good return on their money.

Board: Scheda.
A hardware component that fits into the expansion slot of a computer unit and expands the capabilities of the computer. A board can enable the computer to communicate with an external hardware device. Alternate terms are card, expansion card, interface card, interface board.

Body: Corpo di una lettera commerciale.
The body of a business letter is typically single-spaced and has three paragraphs: introductory paragraph, one or more body paragraphs, concluding paragraph. A business letter introduces one main idea and then supports this idea. At the end of the letter, always include a way for your readers to contact you.

Body language: Linguaggio gestuale.
Body language, or kinesics is one of the most powerful ways that humans can communicate non-verbally. Body language is very important when in an interview. There are various different types of body movement one can do to come across as being too strong or too weak.

Bold print: Grassetto.
Printing characters more marked in colour than plain ones.

Bond: Obbligazione, titolo a reddito fisso.
A written promise to repay a loan plus interest, usually more than one year after the bond is issued. Investors buy bonds from a company or government entity, essentially loaning the company or government that money.

Bookkeeping: Contabilità, tenuta dei libri.
The act of maintaining written documentation of the financial information in a business. The work of keeping a systematic record of business transactions.

Bookmark: Segnalibro.
A user-defined place mark that enables the user to return to a particular screen or starting point after accessing related information. Bookmarks may also be used to locate sections on related topics. Books (of accounts): Libro contabile.
The financial records of a business. Usually refers to the lowest level of recorded data, before summaries are made.

(To) Boost: Aumentare, gonfiare.
To increase, raise; to help to advance or improve, encourage.

(To) Boot: Avviare.
To load system software. A computer boots up when you turn it on. You "reboot" the computer when you restart it.

(To) Borrow: Prendere in prestito, mutuare.
To take or use something that belongs to another with the understanding it will be returned; especially in finance, to obtain a loan of money from another with the promise to repay.

(To) Browse: Sfogliare, scorrere, scartabellare.
To look through or read part of a book or magazine, etc., without any clear purpose, especially for enjoyment; to go from Internet site to the other using hyperlinks.

Bottom line: Profitto netto.
(1) The essential or salient point, the primary or most important consideration; (2) the line at the bottom of a financial report that shows the net profit or (3) the final result.

Boundary: Confine, limite.
The dividing line, especially between two areas or land; the outer limit of anything.

Bps (Bits per second): This is a measure of transfer speed that is commonly used in modems.

Brand: Marca.
A name or symbol chosen by a company to uniquely identify a set of products and/or services that the company has established or hopes to establish in the minds of its customers as an indication of certain levels of quality and trustworthiness. A brand name is usually legally registered as a trademark with a governmental organization to prevent other companies from using it. A brand is usually established in customer's minds through marketing, particularly advertising, and by satisfying customer experiences with the product or service. A brand is valuable to a company in encouraging repeat purchases and in extending the brand, with its aura of quality and trustworthiness, to new products and services.

Brand identity: Identità della marca.
How you want the consumer to perceive your product or your brand. Companies try to bridge the gap between the brand image and the brand identity.

Brand name: Marca, nome commerciale.
The name of a single product, a line of products or a company that produces many products. Usually, brand name is highly recognizable by consumers as having high quality and distinctive packaging.

Branding: Pubblicità alla marca.
It is the messaging work a company does to encourage consumers to feel a certain way about their product. From touchy-feely character attributes to laundry lists of product features, it's a marketer's job to help you assimilate these ideas.

Breadth: Ampiezza.
The distance from one side of something to the other; the fact of including many things or people; wide range.

Breakdown: Guasto, interruzione, scomposizione, analisi stratificata.
A sudden failure in operation or effectiveness; a division by types or into smaller groups for the purpose of explanation.

Bricks-and-mortar: Punto vendita fisico, (di mattoni).
A traditional business operation that commonly deals with its customers face-to-face in an office or store that the business owns or rents (e.g. a retail store or a bank branch). Web-based businesses usually have lower costs and greater flexibility than bricks-and-mortar operations.

Broadband: Banda larga.
A transmission medium capable of supporting a wide range of frequencies, typically from audio up to video frequencies. It can carry multiple signals by dividing the total capacity of the medium into multiple, independent bandwidth channels, where each channel operates only on a specific range of frequencies.

Broadband Web: Web a banda larga.
A vision of the future World Wide Web with high speed broadband connections to the home and desktop. The Broadband Web is expected to favor high quality small independent multimedia developers who can afford to offer their products on the Web.

Broadcast: Trasmissione.
A transmission to multiple, unspecified recipients. On Ethernet, a broadcast packet is a special type of multicast packet which all nodes on the network are always willing to receive.

Brochure: Opuscolo.
Pamphlet, booklet especially one containing descriptive or advertising material.

Browser: A type of software that allows you to navigate information databases; examples are Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer.

Budget: Bilancio preventivo, piano economico.
A plan of how to spend money, especially during a particular period or for a particular purpose, taking account of what one will earn or receive and of what one will probably have to spend. An official statement made, usually once a year, that gives details of what a government plans to spend and how it intends to collect the money needed.
All the Union's revenue and expenditure is entered in the Community budget on the basis of the annual forecasts. In 1998 the Community budget totalled EUR 91 billion in commitment appropriations. The Community budget is based on several principles, including: unity (all the revenue and expenditure is brought together in a single document); annuality (budget operations relate to a given budget year); equilibrium (expenditure must not exceed revenue). A new financial perspective will be adopted by the Member States to define the growth of the budget between 2000 and 2006.

Bug: Baco.
An unintentional error in software or hardware. For software bugs the application may stop altogether or produce unexpected results. There are various stories of where the term originated; the most famous from about 50 years ago credited to a moth that was squashed between components of an ancient computer.

Bull: Rialzista.
One with optimistic attitude toward business; one who anticipates upswings in the market; opposite of bear.

Bus: The internal pathways (data bus, address bus, and control bus) of wires connecting various parts of a computer. A local bus connects the CPU with peripherals directly, so as to improve performance speed. The term "bus" can also apply to standards for connecting electronic components other than computer components. The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is the common bus used on PCs.

Business:
(1) Affari, attività imprenditoriale. A usually commercial or mercantile activity engaged in as a means of livelihood; trade, line.
(2) Impresa, azienda, ditta. A commercial or sometimes an industrial enterprise; also such enterprises.
(3) Attività commerciale. Usually economic dealings. Business card: Biglietto da visita.
Small cards carried by senior personnel to give to business contacts. They contain their name, position, business name and address and telephone number.

Business cycles: Ciclo economico.
Periodic swings in the pace of national economic activity, characterized by alternating expansion and contraction phases.

Business letter: Lettera commerciale.
It is the basic means of communication between two companies. It is a document typically sent externally to those outside a company but is also sent internally to those within a company. Most of them have a formal tone. You should write a business letter whenever you need a permanent record that you sent the information enclosed. Business letters always include a formal salutation and closing.

Business letter format: Struttura di una lettera commerciale.
There are three main formats: blocked, semi-blocked and indented. The former has all entries tight against the left-hand margin. The semi-blocked format sets the references and the date to the right margin for filing and retrieval purposes, with the remaining entries placed against the left margin. The indented format follows the same layout as either of the above, but indents each paragraph by five or six spaces.

Business organization: Organizzazione aziendale.
The way the people in a business are structured to work together; the relationship of the various functional parts of a business, such as manufacturing, engineering, marketing and accounting.

Business plan: Piano volontario d'affari.
A comprehensive planning document which clearly describes the business developmental objective of an existing or proposed business. The plan outlines what and how and from where the resources needed to accomplish the objective will be obtained and utilized.

Business record: Registrazione, documentazione.
Any record that provides information on the operation of the business, especially financial information; the written documentation of the happenings in the firm.

Business strategy: Strategia aziendale.
A term used in business planning that refers to the overall scheme of masterminding the future course or direction. Strategy implies careful selection and application of resources for the most advantageous position, in anticipation of future events. Also, a trick or scheme for deceiving the competition.

Business structure: Impresa, azienda.
In business, the legal form of a business entity, i.e., sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation. Less common business structures also exist, such as, Ltd., Limited Liability Company (LLC) and Public Corporation (PC).

Buy out: Acquisto in blocco.
Purchase of at least a controlling percentage of a company's stock so as to take control of its assets and operations, often the purchase of an entire small company.

Buyer: Acquirente.
Someone who acquires possession, ownership, or rights to the use or services of by payment especially of money.

By-election: Elezione straordinaria.
An election to fill an office that has become vacant before its scheduled expiration date. If a Congressman dies in office, for example, a by-election would be held to fill the seat.

By-laws: Legge locale.
Laws made by local authorities; regulations made by social or professional associations.

Bytes: Grouping of eight bits. While a bit can assume only two states, 0 and 1, a byte can store from 0 up to 256 different states. Most of the time a character is stored in a byte. Therefore, a byte can store up to 256 different characters. The standard ASCII character set consists of 128 characters; the additional characters generally used in PC software brings the total number of characters up to 256.

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