What do "DSG" and "IPFR" have in common?

So, are you fond of abbreviations and acronyms? You know, what I’m referring to: the countless buzzwords that are constantly being created by professionals of any industry. However, there are a few abbreviations that are interesting from a language point of view. For example, the abbreviation DSG stands for “direct shift gearbox”. Now, what is so special about this abbreviation? Well, although the DSG might have been created by an American engineer it was first licensed to a German company – VW. The funny thing is that the German version of the abbreviation is DSG too because the German word for direct shift gearbox coincidentally starts with the same initials – DSG.

Earlier this week I learned another interesting abbreviation used by T-Mobile sales people: IPFR. When I asked them about the meaning of the abbreviation they told me the English version is made up of the same letters as the German original. IPFR is supposed to stand for “Individual Price Finding Round”. I’m pretty sure, that nobody has heard of the English version yet and it probably sounds a bit contrived but it’s still an interesting little abbreviation to remember, don’t you think? Maybe you know any abbreviations that contain the same letters in your native language as well as its English version?

Thanks,
Torsten
PS: Have you ever driven a car with DSG? If not, you really should give it a go – it’s a great feeling!

TOEIC short conversations: Two people talk about their cell phone providers