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Cabinet: Gabinetto.
An advisory committee to a president or prime minister, formed by the heads of government departments.

Cache: A storage area in both RAM (cache memory) and disc drives (cache controllers) that keeps frequently accessed instructions more readily accessible.

(To) Call back: Richiamare.
To return a telephone call; to call later when the person you want to speak to is not available.

Caller: Chi fa una telefonata.
A person making a telephone call, especially as addressed by the operator.

CAP (Common Agricultural Policy): Politica agricola comune.
The common agricultural policy is a matter reserved exclusively for the Union. Its aims are to ensure reasonable prices for Europe's consumers and fair incomes for farmers, in particular by establishing common agricultural market organisations and by applying the principles of single prices, financial solidarity and Community preference. The CAP is one of the most important Union policies (agricultural expenditure accounts for some 45% of the Community budget). Policy is decided by qualified majority vote in the Council after consultation of the European Parliament.

Capital budget: Piano degli investimenti.
Shows plans for buying long-term assets - machinery and other things you expect to last several years - and estimates the costs of those purchases.

Capital: Capitale.
Money needed to start or grow a business. This pool can come from securities offerings and retained earnings.
(1) Assets less liabilities, representing the ownership interest in a business;
(2) A stock of accumulated goods, especially at a specified time and in contrast to income received during a specified time period;
(3) Accumulated goods devoted to the production of goods;
(4) Accumulated possessions calculated to bring income.

Caption: Didascalia.
Words printed below or above a picture, a newspaper article, etc., to say what it is about or give further information.

Career aim: Obiettivi di carriera.
Some people like to outline Career Aims on their CV. This is fine if you are responding to a specific, well defined job advertisement. Otherwise, your Career Aims may have to change depending on the type of employer you approach.

Cash: Contante, denaro liquido.
In accounting, an asset on the balance sheet comprising cash on hand, paper currency, coins, bank balances, negotiable money orders and checks; money or money equivalents. To cash a negotiable instrument (as a check) is to convert it into money (paper currency and coins).

Cash flow: Flusso di cassa.
Money coming into a company and being paid out by the company. Ideally you'd want to take in at least as much as you pay out. On a personal level, you're having a cash-flow problem if you can't make your mortgage payments. You're not necessarily poor; your house might be worth a lot if sold, but you're still having cash-flow problems.

Cash management: Gestione contanti.
The utilization of prudent and thrifty methods of money income and outflow; planning for cash expenditures and providing adequate money for payment; using techniques such as cash budget, cash flow analysis and expenditure forecast. Cash management seeks to make less cash do more work.

Casting vote: Voto decisivo in caso di parità.
The casting vote is the vote that decides an issue when two sides have exactly the same number of votes. In the House of Commons the casting vote is held by the Speaker or the chairman of a committee. The convention is that the Speaker's casting vote always gives the House another chance to discuss the subject before any final decision is taken. If the vote is tied in the House of Lords the Lord Chancellor does not have the casting vote because he may already have voted. The rules of the House decide the outcome of the vote.

Catalogue: Catalogo.
(1) A complete enumeration of items arranged systematically with descriptive details;
(2) a pamphlet or book that contains such a list;
(3) material in such a list.

Caucus: Riunione ristretta dei capi di un partito.
A private meeting of members of a political party to plan action or to select delegates for a nominating convention; also refers to distinct groups, either official or unofficial, in Congress, as in the Black Caucus in the House of Representatives.

CDP (Common Defence Policy): Politica comune della difesa.
The European Union's common foreign and security policy includes the eventual framing of a common defence policy which might in time lead to a common defence. On defence matters, the European Union requests Western European Union (WEU) to elaborate and implement decisions and actions which have defence implications.

Census: Censimento.
An official count of the population of a district, state, or nation, including statistics such as age, sex, occupation, property owned, etc. In the U.S., a census is held at the end of every ten years.

CEO: Direttore generale.
Chief executive officer. The company officer principally responsible for activities of the company. The officer of a company with the highest ranking executive authority and often, an additional title for the chairman of the board of directors, the president, or other senior officer.

Certificate of deposit: Certificato di deposito.
Certificates of deposit (CDs) - generally considered conservative investments. You purchase the CDs from financial institutions – essentially loaning your money – and they promise to pay you back on a fixed date, usually with interest. You can invest for several months, but longer investments generally earn higher interest.

CGI (Common Gateway Interface): CGI provides a standard way to run gateway programs or scripts, on a web server. CGI programs can process data from web page forms, generate web pages dynamically from database and perform many other useful functions.

Chart: Diagramma, schema. Grafico.
A sheet of paper with information written or drawn in the form of a picture, graph, map, etc., usually with the intention of making it easy to understand.

Charter: Carta, statuto.
The laws, including the powers and organization, granted to a city by the state legislature; the constitution of an international body, such as the United Nations.

(To) Chat: Chiacchierare.
To talk in a friendly informal manner.

Chat Lines: Real time Internet conversations (written or oral) that transpire in real (synchronous) time as opposed to conferencing.

Check/cheque: Assegno.
A negotiable instrument authorizing a bank to pay money to the payee (bearer); a monetary bill of exchange often used in lieu of cash money that authorizes a bank to withdraw previously deposited money upon demand from the issuer's account for payment to the payee's account. A check identifies the date of issue, payee name and amount, and is signed by the issuer. A check is considered as cash and is negotiable when endorsed. Types of checks include personal check, cashier's check; certified check.

Checks and balances: Controlli ed equilibri.
A mechanism that guards against absolute power in any governing body by providing for separate governing bodies having equal power. Power is equitably distributed or balanced amongst the various branches of government (e.g., legislative, judicial, executive) and provisions are made for checking or restricting too much power in any one office. The system of checks and balances is a major part of the American system of government provided by the Constitution to prevent any person or persons or sector of government from gaining too much power. The system emphasizes the interdependence of various forms of government. It operates among the judicial, executive, and legislative branches of government as well as between state and national governments. Examples of how the systems works are: the ability of Congress to impeach a public official; the interpretation by the Supreme court of a legislative action; and the Presidential veto.

Chronemics: Cronemica.
It refers to the way time is used and perceived. Time perceptions include punctuality, willingness to wait, and interactions. The way time is used can provide information about people as individuals.

Citizen: Cittadino.
A person who is a member of a state or nation, either by birth or naturalization. Anyone born in the U.S. is a U.S. citizen and is entitled to full civil rights.

Citizenship: Cittadinanza.
Anyone who is a national of a Member State is considered to be a citizen of the Union. In addition to the rights and duties laid down in the Treaty establishing the European Community, Union citizenship confers four special rights: freedom to move and take up residence anywhere in the Union; the right to vote and stand in local government and European Parliament elections in the country of residence; diplomatic and consular protection from the authorities of any Member State where the country of which a person is a national is not represented in a non-Union country; the right of petition and appeal to the European Ombudsman.

Civil liberties: Libertà civili.
The freedoms people have a right to in a society. They consist mostly of freedom of movement and association; freedom of religion, and freedom of expression. The idea of civil liberties is deeply embedded in the United States; it is enshrined in the Bill of Rights.

Civil rights: Diritti civili.
Rights granted by a state to all its citizens. In the U.S. this refers to the rights enshrined in the constitution and Bill of Rights. Civil rights prevent the government from intruding on personal liberties.

Civil service: Amministrazione statale, burocrazia.
All nonmilitary employees of the government.

Claim: Richiesta, rivendicazione, affermazione.
A demand or request for something which one has a right to have; a statement that something is true or real, especially one that people may disagree with.

Clearing session: Chiarimento.
Occasion when people can express whatever is on their mind and get things off their chest, that is, bring a worry out into the open by talking about it.

Clerk: Impiegato.
(1) An official responsible (as to a government agency) for correspondence, records, and accounts and vested with specified powers or authority (as to issue writs as ordered by a court); (2) one employed to keep records or accounts or to perform general office work; (3) one who works at a sales or service counter.

(To) Click: Cliccare.
To press the mouse button once (such as pointing it to the location you want to open). On the Web, the act of selecting and following a link by placing one's mouse cursor on the text, graphics, banner, or button identifying the link and depressing a button on the mouse.

Clickthrough rate: It is the rate at which viewers actually click on ad banners and go to the advertiser's site - whether to sign up for something, to make a purchase, or just to find out more. It generally ranges from 1 to 3 percent industry-wide, a calculation arrived at by dividing the gross number of clicks by the gross number of advertising impressions served for a given campaign. The best clickthrough we ever achieved on a campaign was 20 percent, possibly because our banners simulated JavaScript error alert boxes.

Client: A computer that has access to services over a computer network. The computer providing the services is a server.

Closeness: Vicinanza, prossimità, intimità.
Being near in relationship and friendship, or degree of connection.

Clue: Indizio.
Something such as an object or a piece of information that helps to find an answer to a question, difficulty or mystery.

(To) Coach: Allenare, istruire, preparare.
To train or teach especially not in a place of formal education; give instruction or advice to a person or a group of people.

Coalition: Coalizione.
A combination of parties or states.

Code: Codice.
A systematically organized set of laws, such as the criminal code, the civil code.

Co-Decision Procedure: Procedura di codecisione.
It refers to the treaty provisions which describe the conciliation procedure within decision-making to be followed by EU institutions when they fail to agree on proposed legislation. The co-decision procedure was introduced by the Treaty of Maastricht. It gives Parliament the power to adopt instruments jointly with the Council. In practice, it has strengthened Parliament's legislative powers in the following fields: the free movement of workers, right of establishment, services, the internal market, education, health, consumer policy, trans-European networks, environment, culture and research.

Codification: Codificazione.
The act of arranging laws in a code.

Coercion: Coercizione.
The use of force or other powerful means of persuasion to get someone to do something. Often used to refer to government by force.

Coexistence: Coesistenza.
A tacit agreement between two or more groups, parties, nations, etc., that are in fundamental disagreement or conflict, that they will not go to war. Coexistence is not quite the same as peace, because the parties remain wary of each other and often hostile, but they accept that widely different ideologies and social systems can exist without those differences alone being a cause for war. Coherent: Coerente.
Especially said of speech, writing or argument, it means naturally or reasonably connected and therefore easy to understand; showing an orderly relationship between parts.

Cohesion: Coesione.
Close relationship, based on grammar or meaning between different parts of a sentence or between one sentence and another.

Cohesion fund: Fondo di coesione.
A financial redistribution policy for reducing national and regional socio-economic disparities, especially through a new structural fund, the Cohesion Fund.

Collateral: Garanzia collaterale.
Assets given as security for a loan; something of value (an asset) pledged to a lender as security for a loan or debt. If the borrower fails to repay (defaults on) the loan according to the terms, the lender has the legal right to seize the collateral and take legal title to the property. The borrower can sell the collateral to repay the loan.

Collection: Incasso, riscossione.
Receipt of money from a customer for goods or services previously sold; conversion of accounts receivable into cash. Referral of past due accounts to a specialist for collection of the amount due on a loan or account receivable, such as a collection agency. In banking, the presentation of a negotiable instrument, such as a check or draft, to the place at which it is payable, and receiving cash or a cash equivalent.

Collective responsibility: Responsabilità collettiva.
The responsibility born by everyone who participates in a decision to abide by that decision and be responsible for its consequences. Britain applies the doctrine to its cabinet, which is collectively responsible to parliament for its decisions.

Collective security: Sicurezza collettiva.
An agreement by participating nations that they will take joint military action against any nation that attacks any one of them. NATO and the Warsaw Pact are examples of collective security agreements.

Commercial loan: Prestito commerciale.
A loan made by a commercial bank to a business. As opposed to a personal loan, which is made to a person. About 95 percent of all commercial loans are made to small businesses.

Commission broker: Agente di borsa commissionario.
A person who does the trades for a stock broker's clients, receiving a commission for the work. The stock broker places orders with them.

Commitment: Impegno.
A responsibility or promise to follow certain beliefs or a certain course of action.

Committee: Commissione.
A lot of the work of the House of Commons and the House of Lords is done by committees which are usually made up of relatively small numbers of MPs or Peers. In committees issues can be reviewed and discussed in detail. There are several types of committee.
Select Committees, in the Commons, look at the work of Government Departments and in the Lords. Standing Committees in the Commons look in detail at the proposals in Bills. Sometimes a committee is formed with members from the House of Commons and the House of Lords. These are known as Joint Committees. Occasionally a committee will form a sub committee to look at one issue in greater depth.

Committee of the Regions: Comitato delle regioni.
Set up by the Maastricht Treaty, it consists of 222 representatives of local and regional authorities appointed by the Council for four years on the basis of proposals from the Member States. It is consulted by the Council or the Commission in areas affecting local and regional interests, such as education, youth, culture, health and social and economic cohesion.
Following the entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam, the Committee has to be consulted on an even wider range of fields - the environment, the Social Fund, vocational training, cross-border co-operation and transport.

Commoditization: Mercificazione.
An increase in the number, availability, and similarity of products in a given category which tends to drive down the price of the products. Some people believe the rapid and easy access to information about products on the Internet will make markets more efficient, facilitate comparisons, increase competition, eliminate inconsequential differences between products, and drive toward commoditization and lower prices. Others believe that low marketing and distribution costs will enable companies to differentiate their products and establish a wide variety of niche markets.

Commodity: Merce. Prodotto primario.
Where the products and rival firms are virtually indistinguishable the product is commodity and price is the sole basis for competition. Products that lack physical differentiation like memory chips, cement, wheat, etc.

Common law: Diritto consuetudinario.
The legal system of most English-speaking countries, including the U.S, based on custom, habit, and precedent. Common law is supplemented by statutory law, which is established by legislation. The distinction between common law and statutory law has become blurred in modern times, because much of common law has been converted into statutes.

Common stock: Azioni ordinarie.
Regular old stock. Owners of this bottom rung of stocks have a piece of the company and get to vote for the board of directors and on corporate policy. But they have to queue up behind owners of preferred stock both to receive dividends and, usually, to receive assets if a company is liquidated.

Common strategy: Strategia comune.
In concrete terms, a common strategy sets out the aims and length of time covered and the means to be made available by the Union and the Member States. Common strategies are implemented by the Council, in particular by adopting joint actions and common positions. The Council can recommend common strategies to the European Council.

Commonwealth: Comunità. Stato indipendente.
Similar in meaning to common good. The term originated in seventeenth century political thought. The idea was that all members of a society had certain common interests which contributed to the good of all (originally called the "common weal") and which they should therefore pursue and protect.

Communication: Comunicazione.
The basis of communication is the interaction between people. Verbal communication is one way for people to communicate face-to-face. Some of the key components of verbal communication are sound, words, speaking, and language. Verbal communication is an essential part of business.

Community law: Diritto comunitario.
Strictly speaking, Community law consists of the founding Treaties (primary legislation) and the provisions of instruments enacted by the Community institutions by virtue of them (secondary legislation). In a broader sense, Community law encompasses all the rules of the Community legal order, including general principles of law, the case law of the Court of Justice, law flowing from the Community's external relations and supplementary law contained in conventions and similar agreements concluded between the Member States to give effect to Treaty provisions. All these rules of law form part of what is known as the Community acquis.

Community legal instruments: Strumenti giuridici comunitari.
The term refers to the instruments available to the Community institutions to carry out their tasks. They are:
- regulations: these are binding and directly applicable in all Member States;
- directives: these bind the Member States as to the results to be achieved; they have to be transposed into the national legal framework;
- decisions: these are fully binding on those to whom they are addressed;
- recommendations and opinions: these are non-binding, declaratory instruments.

Community powers: Poteri comunitari.
Powers are conferred on the Community in specific areas. The European Communities are thus able to act only within the framework of the Treaties. There are three types of powers. Explicit powers: these are clearly defined in the Treaties; Implicit powers: where the European Community has explicit powers in a particular area; Subsidiary powers: where the Community has no explicit or implicit powers.

Competition Policy: Politica della competizione.
The objective of achieving a balance between imposing necessary restrictions upon unrestrained economic competition, and the removal of damaging restrictive economic practices by enterprises and governments that prevent a coherent integration of the EU market.

Competitive edge: Competitività.
Ability of competing successfully.

Complaint letter: Lettera di reclamo.
The purpose of the claim letter is to convince the reader that you have a legitimate complaint that deserves a desired response. The more professional and written the claim letter is, the better the chance you have of receiving positive feedback in your favour. When writing a claim letter first identify the product or service; then explain the problem and propose a solution; finally end the letter respectfully.

Compliant: Accondiscendente, arrendevole, compiacente.
Reading acting in accordance with a rule, orders or the wishes of others.

Compliment slip: Biglietto di accompagnamento.
Small slips of paper, with the company's name and address and the words 'with compliments' on them.

Complimentary close: Formula di chiusura, saluto di congedo.
Business letters should end with a closing, such as: Sincerely, Cordially, Best regards, Yours very truly. Capitalise only the first word in the complimentary close, and follow all phrases with a comma.

(To) Comply with: Conformarsi.
To conform or adapt one's actions to another's wishes, to a rule, or to necessity.

Composition of the Commission: Composizione della Commissione.
The Commission is currently made up of at least one national of each Member State (two for France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and Italy). However, the problem is to determine what is the optimum number of Commissioners needed to guarantee the legitimacy, collective responsibility and efficiency of an institution whose purpose is to represent the general interest and whose Members are completely independent.

Compromise: Compromesso.
A settlement in which each party gives up something, or makes a concession, for the purpose of reaching an agreement. It also refers to something that is midway between two things. Someone once said that politics is the art of the possible; it might also be said that politics is the art of the compromise. Politicians constantly have to make compromises to keep the widely different groups that make up society, and who all have their own interests to defend, satisfied. Without compromise it is difficult to reach agreements and keep government running.

Concept map: Mappa concettuale.
Concept Mapping is a technique for noting information. It shows the 'shape' of the subject, the relative importance of information and ideas, and the way that information relates to other information. A complete Concept Map may have main topic lines radiating in all directions, with sub-topics and facts branching off from these.

Confederation: Confederazione.
A group of states which join together to execute some government functions, such as the conduct of defense or foreign policy, but remain independent, sovereign states. The U.S. was a confederation from 1778 until 1787, after which it became a federation.

Confidence: Fiducia.
(1) A feeling or consciousness of one's powers or of reliance on one's circumstances;
(2) faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way;
(3) the quality or state of being certain, certitude.

Confidently: Fiduciosamente, con fiducia.
In a way that shows confidence, that is, a strong belief in the ability of a person, plan, etc. to do what is needed effectively and successfully.

Confirm: Rafforzare, confermare, ratificare.
To give support or certainty to a fact, belief statement, etc., for example by providing more proof or by stating that something is true or correct. To give formal approval to a person, agreement, position.

Congress: Congresso.
A representative assembly, such as the U.S. Congress. In the U.S., Congress consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Congress also refers to the two-year period which starts on January 3 each odd-numbered year, in which each particular Congress holds its meetings and debates. Thus one can speak of the achievements of, say, the 92nd Congress, or the 101st.

Conjunction: Congiunzione.
A word such as “and”, “but”, “or” that connects parts of sentences, phrases or clauses.

Consensus: Consenso.
Agreement. In politics, consensus refers to occasions when there is broad agreement on specific issues and / or the overall direction of policy, either between political parties or in public opinion, as, say, in 1993 there was a consensus among Democrats and Republicans about the need for health care reform. Consensus politics, the seeking for the middle ground on the assumption that society has shared values, is the opposite of politics driven by sharp ideological confrontation.

Conservative parties: Partiti conservatori.
Political parties that advocate conservatism. In the U.S., the Republican party is more conservative than the Democratic party, and although the Democrats have traditionally had a conservative wing (based in the South) in the last two decades much of it has joined the Republicans. The current trend in the Republican party is towards greater conservatism.

Consistent: Coerente, compatibile.
Said of a person, behaviour, beliefs, etc. continually keeping in the same principles or course of action; having a regular pattern; in agreement or accordance.

Constituency: Collegio elettorale.
To become an MP you have to win an election. Britain is divided into areas called constituencies, and one MP is elected to represent each of these areas. The size and number of constituencies are reviewed at intervals of between 8 and 12 years and agreed by Parliament. In 1999 there were 659 constituencies in the United Kingdom of which 529 are in England, 40 are in Wales, 72 are in Scotland and 18 are in Northern Ireland.

Constitution: Costituzione.
A document that describes the fundamental legal and political structures of a state. A constitution may be written or unwritten.

Constitutional government: Governo costituzionale.
A form of government in which a constitution details the powers available to each branch of government, and the rights of the individual in relation to the government. Any action by the government that it is not in accord with the constitution is considered illegitimate.

Constitutional law: Legge costituzionale.
The law that governs relations between the state and the citizens of a country.

Constitutional monarchy: Monarchia costituzionale.
A system of government in which the head of state is a hereditary king or queen who rules through a constitution.

Consultant: Consulente.
An expert specialist, person or company called on, for a fee, to provide professional or technical advice, information, opinions, knowledge or services.

Consultation procedure: Procedura di consultazione.
Under this procedure the Council must consult the European Parliament and take its views into account. However, it is not bound by Parliament's position but only by the obligation to consult it. The procedure applies in particular to the common agricultural policy.

Consumer orientation: Orientamento del consumatore.
Identification of and focus on the individuals or firms most likely to buy a product or service.

Contact card: A smart card in which the microchip is visible and makes contact with a reader to support digital cash or access control.

Content matter: Contenuto, soggetto.
The subject matter, especially the ideas of a book, speech, etc. A subject itself as opposed to the form in which it is spoken or written about.

Contents: Contenuto, indice.
That which is contained in something; a list in a book saying what the book contains.

Context: Contesto.
Texts are never completely individual or original; they always relate to a social environment and to other texts. A way of thinking about context is to consider what is being spoken/written about (the 'field of action'); the relationship between who is speaking/writing and who is listening/reading (the 'tenor of the relationship'); the occasion/medium in which the language is being communicated (the 'mode of the language').

Contingent liability: Sopravvenienza passiva.
A potential obligation that may be incurred dependent upon the occurrence of a future event. Two examples are: the liability of an endorser or guarantor of a note if the primary borrower fails to pay as agreed and the liability that would be incurred if a pending lawsuit is resolved in the other party's favor.

Contract: Contratto.
A legally binding agreement between two or more competent parties fixing the precise terms and details for a voluntary exchange of goods or services over which the contracting parties possess property rights. An agreement is a legally enforceable contract if and only if it is mutual, voluntary, it is not contrary to public policy; all parties are competent.
Also refers to the document that describes the terms of the contract. There was much publicity in 1994 about the book contract signed by House Speaker Newt Gingrich with a prominent publisher: the contract would have spelled out what each side agreed to do: Gingrich to write the book by a certain date, the publisher to pay him a certain percentage of royalties from sale of the book.

Convergence Criteria: Criteri di convergenza.
The conditions which will make a Member State eligible for incorporation into Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), relating to price stability, budget deficit, government debt, currency stability, and interest rates.

(To) Convey: Comunicare, trasmettere.
To make feelings, ideas, thoughts, etc. known.

Cookie: Applets that enable a web site to collect information about each user for later reference. Web Browsers like Netscape Navigator set aside a small amount of space on the users hard drive to record detected preferences. Many times when you browse a web site, your browser checks to see if you have any pre-defined preferences (cookie) for that server if you do it sends the cookie to the server along with the request for a web page.

Co-operation procedure: Procedura di cooperazione.
It was introduced by the Single European Act. It gave Parliament greater influence in the legislative process by allowing it two "readings" of Commission proposals. Since the entry into force of the EU Treaty, it has applied to the following areas in particular: transport, non-discrimination, the Social Fund, vocational training, trans-European networks, economic and social cohesion, research, environment, development co-operation, health and safety of workers.

Co-operative: Società cooperativa.
An organization owned by its members who agree to combine their resources to achieve greater results than they could achieve individually. Most common in agricultural products but also in some real estate ventures. Commonly, any group of people or businesses with common interests that join together to gain the advantage of pooled buying or selling.

Core: Il nocciolo della questione.
The most important or central part of anything.

Corporate culture: Cultura aziendale.
A set of values and beliefs that affects the activities of the company. It could be one of the organisation's competitive advantages as it cannot be copied easily by competitors.

Corporation: Persona giuridica. Società per azioni.
A group of persons granted a state charter legally recognizing them as a separate entity having its own rights, privileges, and liabilities distinct from those of its members. The process of incorporating should be completed with the state's secretary of state or state corporate counsel and usually requires the services of an attorney.

Co-signer: Garante.
The person who co-signs a note for another, thus the co-signer must repay the obligation if the maker does not repay the note.

Cost: Costo.
In the widest sense, the measure of the value of what has to be given up in order to achieve a particular objective. In everyday language, people most often use the term rather like an accountant does, as synonymous with the total money outlays actually paid out to achieve the objective, but this is not precisely what economists mean by the term in the widest sense, the measure of the value of what has to be given up in order to achieve a particular objective.

Cost of goods sold: Costo delle merci vendute.
How much it cost the seller to make or buy the goods sold.

Council of the European Union: Consiglio dell'Unione Europea.
The Council, sometimes referred to as the Council of Ministers, is the European Union's main decision-making institution. It consists of the ministers of the fifteen Member States responsible for the matters on the agenda: foreign affairs, farming, industry, transport or whatever. Each country in the Union in turn holds the chair for six months. Decisions are prepared by the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States (COREPER), The Council is assisted by its General Secretariat.

(To) Counter: Opporsi, controbattere, contraddire.
Move or act in order to oppose or defend oneself against something.

Court of Auditors: Corte dei Conti.
Composed of fifteen members appointed for six years by unanimous decision of the Council after consulting the European Parliament. It audits Union revenue and expenditure to make sure it is lawful and proper and ensures that financial management is sound.

Court of Justice: Corte di Giustizia.
The Court of Justice of the European Communities is made up of fifteen judges assisted by nine advocates-general appointed for six years by agreement among the Member States. It has two principal functions: to check whether instruments of the European institutions and of governments are compatible with the Treaties, and, at the request of a national court, to pronounce on the interpretation or the validity of provisions contained in Community law.

Cover letter: Lettera di richiesta di assunzione.
When applying for an appointment using a CV, the covering letter is the actual application. The CV provides your personal details in “digestible” form.

Coverage: Copertura.
The amount of time and space given by television, a newspaper, etc. to a particular subject or event; the amount of protection given by an insurance; risk covered by an insurance.

Co-worker: Collega di lavoro.
Fellow worker; someone who works in the same place as someone else.

Crash : Complete computer system failure. Necessitates a reboot of the system.

Credit card: Carta di credito.
Any card, plate, or coupon book that may be used repeatedly to borrow money or buy goods and services on credit.

Credit transfer: Bonifico.
A transfer of funds in which the payer issues a payment order to the payer's own bank and the order is passed, possibly through intermediary banks, to the bank of the payee or beneficiary.

Credit: Credito.
In business, loans, bonds, charge-account obligations and open-account balances with other commercial firms, credit is the ability to borrow or the amount of money borrowed. In other words, one's financial confidence or trust in another. In accounting, an entry, or the act of making an entry, in the financial books of a firm that increases a liability, owner's equity or income, or an entry that decreases an asset or an expense. The corresponding entry appears as the debit.

Crew: Equipaggio, personale.
All the people working on a ship, plane, spacecraft, etc.; a group of people working together.

Cross-bencher: Deputati indipendenti.
Independent Peers are often called Cross Bench Peers. They do not belong to either the Government party or one of the Opposition parties, and by tradition sit on the benches that cross the chamber of the House of Lords.

CTP (Common Transport Policy): Politica comune dei trasporti.
The aim of the common transport policy is to lay down common rules applicable to international transport to or from the territory of the Member States or passing across the territory of one or more of them. It is also concerned with laying down the conditions under which non-resident carriers may operate services within a Member State; and lastly, it covers measures to improve transport safety. Cue: Suggerimento, imbeccata.
A word or phrase that gives a signal for something to be done or a standard to be copied.

Cue card: Scheda.
Cards containing words or phrases that provide signals for something to be said when delivering a presentation.

Currency: Valuta.
In reference to money, usually paper money; sometimes paper money plus coins. In lending, a measure of the timeliness of debt repayment. As opposed to arrears.

Current assets: Attività correnti, disponibilità.
Cash and assets that are expected to be used, sold or converted to cash in the near future, usually one year. A sporting goods store's current assets would include the money in the register and its bicycles, as well as short-term insurance policies and marketable securities, securities expected to be turned into cash in one year.

Current liabilities: Passività correnti.
These liabilities must be paid in a relatively short time, usually one year. Taxes are one example.

Curriculum vitae: A Curriculum Vitae or CV is a concise chronological history of your education, experience, achievements, skills and interests. It provides (or should provide) a comprehensive listing of your qualifications, work experience, skills, interests, etc. You should use a CV when the vacancy notice asks you to; when making speculative applications for permanent, temporary or vacation employment (speculative applications are those not made directly in response to an advertisement); when asked to apply in writing.

Customer: Cliente.
A customer is the person or organization who decides buys goods or services from a shop, business, etc. especially regularly. Differentiate between personal, internal and external customers. Customers are classified by type, behavior, and motivation.

Customer marketing: Is concerned with providing solution to customers to match identified customer needs. Long-term success is only provided if the market place is permanently served. Marketing is the key function.

Custom marketing research: Customized marketing research to address specific projects for corporate clients.

Customer satisfaction research: Indagine sulla soddisfazione del cliente.
Research conducted to measure overall satisfaction with a product or service and satisfaction with specific elements of the product or service.

(To) Customise: Personalizzare.
To build, fit, or alter according to individual specifications.

Cut and paste: Taglia e incolla.
Just like when we were in Kindergarten, only using the PC instead of scissors and glue. This allows us to remove sections from one document (cut) and place them in another document (paste).

CV Format: Struttura di un curriculum.
There is no definite format which must be followed although most variations include the main sections: personal details, education, work experience, interests and activities, other skills, career aims, referees.

CyberMall: Centro commerciale elettronico.
A term commonly used to describe an electronic site shared by a number of commercial interests.

Cybermediary: Intermediario elettronico.
An individual or organization that collects a fee for facilitating transactions owe the Internet without taking ownership of the products or services sold. Examples include Web sites that provide many of the services of traditional real estate brokers and insurance agents but at much lower costs.

Cyber-miscreant: Pirata informatico.
A person doing mischief on the Internet, a hacker or a cracker.

Cyberspace: A term coined by William Gibson in his fantasy novel "Neuromancer" to refer to a near-future computer network where users mentally travel through matrices of data. The term is now used to describe the Internet and the other computer networks.

CyberWallet: Portafoglio elettronico.
A technology for enabling secure transactions over designed to run in conjunction with World Wide Web browsers. It will hold information on up to 16 credit cards or bank accounts. It is especially designed to prevent merchant fraud and is based on Secure Transaction Channel technology.
generally used in PC software brings the total number of characters up to 256.

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