English term
clear out an overdue back-log
He has been directed to find a vendor to help with data entry by Wednesday, so that the team can clear out an overdue back-log of employee data that needs to be entered into the system by Friday.
Non-PRO (2): Tony M, Yvonne Gallagher
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Responses
United States
ATA, PRO, translating since 2003
Native in: Russian 
Works in: English to Russian, Russian to English, Russian, and 2 more.
Complete overdue tasks from a list of data entry tasks
| neutral |
Tony M
: A 'backlog' is not per se a 'list of tasks' — it simply means tasks that remain to be completed (and in this case are now overdue); the sense of 'log' is almost non-existent in current usage.
37 mins
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| neutral |
Yvonne Gallagher
: Disagree with part of your explanation: a list of tasks is typically called "a backlog"
3 hrs
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| agree |
mike23
8 hrs
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| agree |
NancyLynn
1 day 7 hrs
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| neutral |
AllegroTrans
: Adding "from a list of data entry tasks" is over-translation
11 days
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Agreed. It should be part of the explanation, not the entry.
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Ireland
right word, right place. everytime
Native in: English (Variants: US, Canadian, Irish, UK)
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English, and 1 more.
complete all overdue tasks...
https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/backlog
and yes, "overdue backlog" is a tautology
so it simply means they will get help with completing all data entries (by Fri)
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Note added at 5 hrs (2019-10-07 09:54:03 GMT)
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BTW "overdue" means late or past the deadline for doing
| neutral |
Natalia Postrigan
: This is the same as my answer. I just tried to provide the OP with more explanation. I am a certified project manager (PMP) if it matters. I feel like we should not be taking kudos points from colleagues unnecessarily.
2 hrs
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Look again. Not the same. It's about accurate English, not points. And no, it doesn't matter
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| disagree |
Daryo
: in real life not any "backlog" is "overdue" - a backlog becomes "overdue" ONLY after some time limits have passed // same as not every debt being automatically "overdue"
17 hrs
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in real life you haven't a clue about REAL English & haven't actually read what I said. I never said a backlog was overdue! Maybe you should look at the definition I helpfully provided??
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| agree |
AllegroTrans
10 days
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Many thanks:-) In THIS context it clearly is a backlog in the traditional sense
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Discussion
"We have four key criteria...Second, we seek those that are resilient because of exposure to a customer or technology that’s doing well, a strong order backlog, or very low operating leverage."
You couldn't talk about a "strong" order backlog if it were a drawback. These orders haven't been processed yet, but that doesn't mean they are overdue.
Cf. https://www.accountingtools.com/articles/2018/1/15/backlog
Or:
"We are pleased to once again increase our 2018 annual guidance expectation. As reflected by our record backlog levels, we have strong visibility for continued growth in 2019 and beyond."
https://www.marketscreener.com/MASTEC-INC-13638/news/MasTec-...
Surely, people wouldn't be touting their companies' record levels of backlog if it were something bad.
Best wishes
"backlog" simply means "waiting to be processed" - that backlog becomes overdue only for tasks where a time limit has passed. If there isn't any time limit, you can hardly say that anything is "overdue".
https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/backlog
In the OP context, “overdue” emphasizes that data entry tasks are past the deadline.
"(...) all things that must be done to complete the whole project. But it’s not just a simple list. An effective product backlog breaks down each of the items on the list into a series of steps that helps the development team. There must be a duration, so the team knows when to start the task and how long they have until they must finish it. "
https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/product-backlog-sprint-b...
There is therefore no suggestion that the backlog is necessarily overdue, so that it follows that, in a project management context, "overdue backlog" is not tautologous.
backlog = "a large number of things that you should have done before and must do now"
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/backl...