Little Italian/English glossary for Civil Engineering
Disclaimer. This post, which is currently just a draft and is still being updated, lists the Italian/English translation of some technical terms used in the field of Civil Engineering. The correspondence is mainly based on my personal experience, and no claim to correctness is made. If you spot errors or inaccurate entries, or if you have tips for improving the contents, please inform me.
Table of Contents
General terms
| ITALIANO | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| Abilitazione alla professione di Ingegnere | None – possible workaround: Official license as Professional Engineer (in Italy) |
| Ingegneria Civile | Civil Engineering |
| Ingegneria Edile1 | None – possible alternatives: Architectural Engineering Building Engineering |
| Laurea triennale | Bachelor’s degree |
| Laurea specialistica/magistrale | Master’s degree |
| Laurea vecchio ordinamento | Five-year pre-Bologna Process master’s degree |
| Norme tecniche per le costruzioni | Building code |
| Ordine degli Ingegneri | None – possible workaround: Association of professional engineers |
| Progettazione | Design |
| 1Referred to older single cycle courses substantally corresponding to master’s degrees | |
Reinforced concrete
| ITALIANO | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| Altezza utile | Effective depth |
| Copriferro/ricoprimento1 | Cover |
| 1Years ago, sometimes in Italy the word copriferro was used for the distance between the exterior edge of concrete and the axis of longitudinal reinforcement, whereas ricoprimento indicated the cover, i.e. the minimum thickness between the exterior edge of concrete and the surface of the less deep reinforcement (usually stirrups) | |
Masonry
| ITALIANO | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| Disposizione in chiave (di mattoni) | Header bond |
| Disposizione in foglio / costa / coltello (di mattoni) | Shiner bond |
| Disposizione in spessore (di mattoni) | Running / stretcher bond |
| Muratura a cassa vuota | Cavity wall |
| Muratura a una / due teste (di mattoni) | Single- / double-wythe wall |
| Muratura a due / tre paramenti | Two- / three-leaf wall |
| Muratura in mattoni / in pietra | Brick / stone masonry |
| Tessitura muraria | Masonry bond |
Timber
| ITALIANO | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| Capriata | Truss / truss beam / roof truss |
| Classe di resistenza | Strength class |
| Impiallacciatura | Veneer |
| Legno (legname da costruzione) | Timber (BR) / lumber (AM) |
| Legno (uso generico, per es. mobili) | Wood |
| Legno massiccio / l. massello | Solid wood |
| Legno di conifere1 | Softwood |
| Legno di latifoglie1 | Hardwood |
| 1It is not a strict botanical distinction, it is rather for standardization, industrial use and design purposes | |
Various terms
First release: 3 aprile 2021
2 thoughts on “Little Italian/English glossary for Civil Engineering”
Thank you very much. I really need an English-Italian glossary for civil engineering since I’m looking for job in Italy. You’ve been my Professor at ENSTP in 2016…
Thanks, I remember you. Anyway, this post is only a stub, unfortunately I do not have much time to improve it.