Lara Barnett (asker) Dec 12, 2012:

@ Gabrielle Thank you for your comment. I was not actually disputing the fact that there is no equivalent. I was looking for a term that would encapsulate what this phrase is actually referring to so that readers would know what the number/letter reference was for.l

Gabrielle Weatherhead Dec 12, 2012:

@ Lara I would have to agree with most people here, this is simply an official document, issued with a serial number. You will not find a direct equivalent in English because the system is completely different, and you can't give a lengthy description in the target text, so keep it simple, Serial Number N.S. 123.... In Romania and Hungary also, you would get similar numbers on all identity documents, i.e. passports, driving license, marriage cert., etc. So I'd go for 'serial number'. This is what wikipedia says: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_number
A serial number is a unique code assigned for identification of a single unit. Although usually called a number, it may include letters, though ending with digits.

Sandra & Kenneth Grossman Dec 11, 2012:

Frankly, I would not complicate my life... :-)

Lara Barnett (asker) Dec 11, 2012:

@ Sangro I understand you. Do you have any ideas what I could use. Serial number seems to describe the whole phrase, but I need a term for the letters and another term for the numbers.

Sandra & Kenneth Grossman Dec 11, 2012:

So.... Serial number N.S Number 1234? This is incorrect because NS is not a number.
... or Serial number N.S. 1234?
In this latter case, the translation may be technically incorrect because the numbering system used in Romanian documents is different (the alphabetical "serial number" appears to be a separate numbering category from the "numeric serial number"). In addition, the translation will look different from the original, which may raise questions at the customer/notary end (some customers are fussy about such discrepancies).

Péter Tófalvi Dec 11, 2012:

be creative Unique key(code)
Registration key
Reference code
etc. etc.

Lara Barnett (asker) Dec 11, 2012:

@ Peter Thank you. However "ID" would be hopeless in English, as this only ever relates to an individuals identity - as in ID number etc. A slightly "hopeless" suggestion! Thanks anyway.

Péter Tófalvi Dec 10, 2012:

You are hopeless ID: N.S. No. xxxxxxxxx

You could have A.B. or T.Z. or P.U. or anything else at the beginning.

Lara Barnett (asker) Dec 10, 2012:

SERIAL NUMBER This is still not clear. Is "Serial number" the N.S. part, or the part stating "nr. 1234" ??
Full context reads:

"Seria N.S. nr. 1234"

Péter Tófalvi Dec 10, 2012:

almost This is the identification string of the document.
I was tricky, right? :-)

I know, string is an IT term...

Lara Barnett (asker) Dec 10, 2012:

@ Peter & Diana So it is basically the certificate number? If this is the case, it would make more sense to say "certificate issue number" because "serial number" is only used with car registration numbers. Not anything else.

Péter Tófalvi Dec 10, 2012:

Come on Lara ..just use common sense.
Things can be identified not just by a number, but by a combination of alphanumeric characters. Think, for example, about Microsoft licence keys.
In Romania or in Hungary passports or identity cards are identified by a group of two letters (this is called: suite, series etc.), and a group of numbers (1238744, 45577733, 7777777 etc.)
Frankly speaking, I don't understand the reason, because a natural number (big enough for differentiating a large set of elements) is more than enough for identification, but this is a tradition in this part of the world. (It is probably a Soviet heritage.)

Diana Coada (X) Dec 10, 2012:

I see what you mean, Lara! I couldn't understand what you were trying to explain.

I'm all for ''serial number''.

Lara Barnett (asker) Dec 10, 2012:

Series: Usage English does not use this word in the same way as Romanians. The word is English and is used by (non-native) translators, but that does not mean it is correct. Most English people would agree with me.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/series

Lara Barnett (asker) Dec 10, 2012:

@ Peter Do you mean that this is an issue number of the certificate? i.e. you state this is a batch ID, but a batch of what?

Péter Tófalvi Dec 10, 2012:

info In Eastern Europe these types of documents aren't marked by a simple ID number. First, there is a character group made of one or more letters, then it comes the ID number itself.
For example:
AB 12345789
VT 32648755 etc.
So, the first character group is -- let's say - a batch ID, then it comes the current number.

Lara Barnett (asker) Dec 10, 2012:

Series The problem with "series" is that it has no meaning when used on its own like this. Most people who translate this word in this way into English are not English themselves and in this context the word means nothing to English people. We use "series" to describe a group or progression of numbers or classification codes, but used on its own like this, it means nothing. i.e. it must be a "series" of something - must be qualified.
//
What exactly is a series number? I realise this is a literal translation of the Romanian term, but in English it does need a context to be understood. We obviously use the term in a different way to Romanians.

Diana Coada (X) Dec 10, 2012:

Please also bear in mind that the ''context'' has no weight here. This is an official document that has a series number.

Diana Coada (X) Dec 10, 2012:

Check the link: seria is translated as series in the certificate.

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&tbo=d&biw=1680&bih...