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mobile phone, cellular phone

English translation: Monkeys and mammals

09:32 Jul 10, 2002
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Tech/Engineering
English term or phrase: mobile phone, cellular phone
What is the difference between a mobile phone and a cellular phone. There must be a difference since in the text I am translating both terms are used as if they were different devices.
kgas
Selected answer:Monkeys and mammals
Explanation:
All cellular phones are mobile phones, but not all mobile phones run on a cellular network.

It's just like monkeys and mammals: All monkeys are mammals, but not all mammals are monkeys.

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Note added at 2002-07-10 10:00:01 (GMT)
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According to GEEK.COM:

\"Cellular Telephone (cellphone) - This is a mobile, wireless telephone that communicates with a local transmitter using a short-wave analog or digital transmission. Cellular phone coverage is limited to areas where a cellular phone can adequately communicate with a nearby transmission tower.\"
Selected response from:

Jan Liebelt
France
Local time: 10:10
Grading comment
Thank you!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +19Monkeys and mammals
Jan Liebelt
4 +2mobile (BE) / cell phone (US)
Rolf Klischewski, M.A.
3 +2Difference...
Anil Goyal
4-
Florence Bremond
1 +1No clear answer, just more info
Dan McCrosky (X)


  

Answers


22 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Difference...


Explanation:
I think there is no difference. "Mobile' is obvious but how did it get the name "Cellular"?. The 'mobile' phone picks the signals, as you move, from various signal towers located at some distances, typically every 5 Kms, and thus they make a sort of net, with each tower at the centre of a circular area, this circular area to which the signal towers serve is known as "Cell" and hence the name.

Hope this helps.

Anil Goyal
India
Local time: 13:40
Native speaker of: Native in HindiHindi

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  John Kinory (X): Yes. But in BE they are called mobile, even if they are cellular, whilst other countries call them 'cell{ular}'. You get funny looks if you use the other term.
4 hrs
agree  mickymayes
12 hrs
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23 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +19
Monkeys and mammals


Explanation:
All cellular phones are mobile phones, but not all mobile phones run on a cellular network.

It's just like monkeys and mammals: All monkeys are mammals, but not all mammals are monkeys.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-07-10 10:00:01 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

According to GEEK.COM:

\"Cellular Telephone (cellphone) - This is a mobile, wireless telephone that communicates with a local transmitter using a short-wave analog or digital transmission. Cellular phone coverage is limited to areas where a cellular phone can adequately communicate with a nearby transmission tower.\"

Jan Liebelt
France
Local time: 10:10
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 12
Grading comment
Thank you!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Anil Goyal: correct!
2 mins
  -> Thanks
agree  Parrot: The cellular was the older, pre-GSM type.
35 mins
  -> No. 2G (GSM) certainly work on a cellular system, and I believe even 2.5G (GPRS) and 3G (UMTS) use relay stations and cells.
agree  Andy Watkinson
40 mins
  -> Thanks
agree  Chris Rowson (X)
42 mins
  -> Thanks and greetings, Chris!
agree  Ingrid Petit
1 hr
agree  ellery26
1 hr
agree  Gert Vercauteren
2 hrs
agree  Agnieszka Szotek
2 hrs
agree  airmailrpl
3 hrs
agree  Atacama
3 hrs
agree  Michael Fitzpatrick: very astute answer
3 hrs
  -> Thank you!
neutral  John Kinory (X): Not how it's used in practice, though. Cellular phones (AE, Israel, ...) are simply called mobile phones in the UK (and Handy in Germany).
4 hrs
  -> 1. The above geek.com definition is American. 2. The asker's text uses the terms "as if they were different devices." It is therefore distinguishing between the general and the specific. 3. Common usage is often wrong.
agree  Tatiana Neroni (X): Absolutely. Although John is correct that sometimes "mobile" is used as "cellular", it doesn't cancel the fact that "mobile" is a wider concept than "cellular" phone...
5 hrs
  -> Agreed.
agree  jerrie
6 hrs
agree  mickymayes
12 hrs
agree  Sue Crocker
12 hrs
agree  Kaori Myatt: good answer
13 hrs
agree  Paul Mably (X)
13 hrs
agree  Yuri Geifman: e.g.: a satellite phone is also a mobile phone although it does not use a cellular network
1 day 2 hrs
agree  AhmedAMS
8 days
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27 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
-


Explanation:
I am not totally certain about English -but if I compare with the same question in French I would say that all cellular phones are mobile phones, but a mobile phone may also be the kind of wireless phone with a base and a separate element, plugged on one's regular line, that we can move inside the house but not much further.

I find this confirmation in Termium :
"OBS – All cellular telephones are portable, but not all portable telephones are cellular. "

Florence Bremond
France
Local time: 10:10
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in pair: 36

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  PAS: Isn't this called a cordless phone?
3 hrs
  -> yes certainly - cordless + cellular = portable
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33 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
mobile (BE) / cell phone (US)


Explanation:
As far as I know...

Rolf Klischewski, M.A.
Local time: 10:10
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  John Kinory (X): Absoluetly correct. That is how the terms are used, the above answers notwithstanding.
3 hrs
agree  jerrie
6 hrs
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5 peer agreement (net): +1
No clear answer, just more info


Explanation:
One mobile phone that is not cellular in the usual sense is a satellite phone, but usually that particular type of phone is only referred to as a "satellite phone". A satellite phone is also really cellular too because different satellites cover different portions of the earth's surface just like the cellphone's antennas. The "cells" are just bigger.

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary does not show "mobile phone" but lists "cell phone" (two words) as a "cellular telephone" and then defines cellular as follows:

"of, relating to, or being a radiotelephone system in which a geographical area (as a city) is divided into small sections each served by a transmitter of limited range so that any available radio channel can be used in different parts of the area simultaneously"

That probably generally presents the US slant on this subject. I believe many Americans still say "cell phone" although I like "mobile phone" better.

NODE – The New Oxford Dictionary of English lists "cellphone" (one word) as "another term for mobile phone" and then defines mobile phone as "a telephone with access to a cellular radio system so it can be used over a wide area, without a physical connection to a network". The one-word spelling is not supported by the Internet searches below.

These two NODE definitions tell me two things about UK usage:

1. In the UK, "mobile phone" seems to be synonymous with "cellphone" for everyday purposes, although a purist might go for Jan's monkey and mammal argument.

2. "mobile phone" is probably more widely used in the UK. This is supported by my own experience and Rolf's suggestion.

Some people somewhere may look at it that way it, but I don't think translators should write that a cordless phone is a mobile phone. NODE gives this separate definition for "cordless":

"ADJECTIVE: (of an electrical appliance or TELEPHONE) working without connection to a main supply OR CENTRAL UNIT: NOUN: a cordless telephone

"mobile phone" draws 195,000 worldwide Google English hits, 89,000 .uk hits and 164,000 .com hits.

"cell phone" draws 1,400,000 worldwide Google English hits, 10,500 .uk hits and 1,350,000 .com hits.

"cellphone" draws 167,000 worldwide Google English hits, 4,400 .uk hits and 161,000 .com hits.

"cellular phone" draws 560,000 worldwide Google English hits, 7,000 .uk hits and 441,000 .com hits.

The search result numbers seem to add up fairly logically for "cell phone" and "cellphone" and could be accepted for "cellular phone". They do not add up right at all for "mobile phone". Does anybody know why?

All the above BS might help clear up how and where the two English terms are used but doesn't explain why your text differentiates between the two terms and I haven't the foggiest idea why your author uses both terms.

HTH

Dan







Dan McCrosky (X)
Local time: 10:10
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 18

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  AhmedAMS
8 days
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