SMS or Text or SMS Text?

[baybizz]

A Spanish native speaker is asking the best way to translate into English for an international audience a bulk SMS mobile phone service "Con el SMS Personalizado por destinatario" (with the SMS personalized for the recipient). I have said that in the UK that one generally uses the word "text" or "texting" instead of SMS.  SMS is not commonly used, although probably generally understood.  

In Australia and NZ what do you generally call this cell phone service - SMS or Text or SMS Text?

[esayaf]

Ee don't call it a cell service. We have mobile phones. Most of the people I know call it a message. Some say send me a text don't often hear SMS. Guess it doesn't roll off the tongue as easily as the other two being letters not a word

[lurker172602]

My NZ family say cell phone or simply cell.  They also say text or message, not usually SMS.

[myoclon1cjerk]

Buenos dias.I veces llaman SMS y, e a veces el mensaje de texto.

[baybizz]

Thanks everyone. Gracias. He is translating an instruction manual for a company (presumably Spanish) which is marketing a bulk text messaging system for large companies like banks etc.

[electric*mayhem*band]

That's Manuel. Baybiz. Ignore him. He's from Bar-th-elona.........

It amused me to hear George Osbourne say on TV that , "Anna Soubry 'texted' me" Talking about 'translating it into English' as in your OP, to be grammatically correct, the proper way to say this would have been, "Anna Soubry sent me a text".

You'd think that an old Oxford scholar and ex member of the Bullingdon Boys, would have known that, wouldn't you  ? 

[baybizz]

Hi electric.  No, Fawlty Towers isn't involved here. Just been listening to the LBC phone-in, they keep saying "join the conversation" - phone on this number, email at this address, "text us" on this number... I've never heard them say "SMS us"...

http://www.lbc.co.uk

[bright.ton42]

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@electric*mayhem*band wrote:

It amused me to hear George Osbourne say on TV that , "Anna Soubry 'texted' me" Talking about 'translating it into English' as in your OP, to be grammatically correct, the proper way to say this would have been, "Anna Soubry sent me a text".

You'd think that an old Oxford scholar and ex member of the Bullingdon Boys, would have known that, wouldn't you  ? 

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 but 'texted' is now used as a verb, as is   'fax'  -   'faxed' and has been for yonks.   The 'old Oxford scholar' is moving with the times and not stuck in the past. 

[amber-eyed-girl]

Bullingdon Boys Behave, Badly !

Text is my vote.

[electric*mayhem*band]

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@bright.ton42 wrote:

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   The 'old Oxford scholar' is moving with the times and not stuck in the past. 

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 Try telling that to the thousands of people relying on some sort of SS or Welfare benefits. They'd tell you that the smug, patronising, and condescending Osborne was stuck in the Victorian era. The only place I'd like to see him stuck - well his head - is on a pole on London Bridge.