To import is what does it mean? The meaning of the word "import"

The word "import" and its derivatives are used in Russian quite often. But do we always understand their meaning well? What does it mean to "import"?

On the meaning of a word

Soviet people on the question of the meaning of the word "import" would have answered without hesitation: "Foreign junk." Accordingly, to import is to deliver things produced in the USSR outside the country. In conditions of total deficit, the goods of foreign production remained one of the few options for Soviet people to improve their modest life. Therefore, the people very much appreciated the opportunity to obtain imports. Foreign goods were attributed special properties, not always inherent in them.

By the way, the folk interpretation fully corresponded to the definition of other sources, who understood by import to import foreign goods to the territory of the state that were not subsequently exported. But this explanation can not be considered exhaustive.

On the origin of the word

The word "import" comes from the Latin importo. Import - this really means "import" or "enter". And here there is a certain ambiguity: after all, it is possible to import differently. In which cases is it appropriate to talk about imports? It is important to clarify those dictionaries, where it is not just about entering the country of goods from abroad, but about their importation into the customs territory of the state. That is, a sweater or jeans bought by a Russian tourist during a holiday in Turkey, or personal belongings of an alien, which he will then take back, will not be called imports. Import - is to engage in targeted foreign trade activities in accordance with the laws of their country (including customs). This activity is based on economic and political state interests.

What can I import?

What goods of foreign production and how much to import into the territory of the country is a matter of the state strategy, supported by the appropriate legislative base. By the way, not only material values fall under the concept of import. Work, services, intellectual products can also become an object of foreign trade, which is also regulated by law.

It must be said that since the times of the USSR, significant changes have taken place in the structure of the imported goods and in its quantities. A Soviet man, if he suddenly appeared in a modern store, would be amazed at the abundance and variety of the once coveted foreign things. What is Russia currently importing? Yes anything! Food and light industry products, scientific technologies and modern equipment, machinery and much more. True, the structure of import-export is difficult to call balanced, but this is another story.

On some political terms

Those who have studied communist literature will probably remember the following formulation: imported Marxism. It is a question of political doctrine, not born in Russia, but coming here from other countries. For the modern man, it will hardly be important for historians to argue how Marx's ideas developed in Europe conquered Russian spaces and inspired local minds. But the very practice of using the word "import" and its derivatives to describe political and economic phenomena may seem interesting.

Something about inflation

"Imported inflation" is a relatively new term. But its essence is the same as in the previous cases: something is imported to us from outside. What has got into our land this time?

Inflation (from the Latin Inflatio - "swelling") is called a steady rise in prices for goods and services, as a result of which the purchasing power of the local currency becomes lower. That is, as a result of some internal cataclysms, there is a devaluation of money, and a person for some fixed amount today can buy less goods than he could get yesterday. Inflation is a very unpleasant phenomenon, and it is doubly insulting if its causes lie outside the country. For example, as a result of the rise in the cost of imported raw materials, the prices of local goods dependent on it rise. Sometimes imported inflation may result from a complex financial relationship between the national currency and the monetary units of other states.

Import as technical term

The use of computer technology has determined the new meaning of the word "import". As digital technologies developed, there was a need to share data from different sources. Adding (inserting) external information into the current document, file, database is usually called import. The current information space, suddenly deprived of the ability to draw data from the outside, it is impossible to imagine. Microsoft was one of the first companies to provide information exchange between their applications, and not only. So, working in the text editor Microsoft Word, it is easy to add the text "strangers" pictures and tables. Importing data into the Microsoft Access database is possible using information from the Microsoft Excel application, and so on.

It's hard to even imagine all the possible conveniences that the prospect of using information from other people's databases opens up for those working on the computer. Speech, of course, is not about espionage. Imagine a regular online store selling household appliances. The store cooperates with the owners of the goods, and it is important that every change in the supplier database is followed by appropriate adjustment of the store information (for example, about the presence or absence of a particular product). Therefore, you need a service that allows you to keep the online store database up-to-date. This service, in turn, is based on the ability to import vendor data into client information files.

What is "import photo"?

The current computer user is pretty spoiled. He no longer has enough texts and figures - he craves for new services, more diverse and colorful information. One of such possibilities is the import of photographs. What does it mean?

For digital cameras (cameras), a photo is simply a file that can be processed in one way or another (it all depends on the camera's functionality). But it is most interesting to work with a photo directly on the computer. Import - is to move or copy the file there, which is achieved through technical manipulation (both devices are connected) and software (the ability to import is provided for both the computer and the camera). That's all! Next, the imported snapshot can be simply stored, but can also be processed with the help of some computer program (for example, Adobe Photoshop). Such an exchange of information between different devices makes their possibilities truly limitless. After computer processing, an ordinary photo can become a work of art. But the computer text, illustrated with the necessary photo, immediately adds value and value.

The ability to import photos allows you to save your favorite photos, create thematic photo albums, share pictures with friends, etc. Import files can be not only from the camera, but also from memory cards, scanners, other devices. Besides photos, they import texts, music, clips. The combination of different ways of data exchange allows you to create unique multimedia projects, and just enjoy your work at the computer.

About bookmarks

A bookmark was once called a device (more often a strip or a string), with which the necessary page was marked in the book. The meaning of this word has not changed too much these days: bookmarks are an opportunity to choose (lay) favorite Internet sites in order to go to them the easiest way. When you change your computer or the program to access the Internet, and sometimes when you change the software there is a good chance to lose the addresses of the selected sites - all the more, each browser organizes bookmarks in its own way. But in many cases, the problem can be solved by the ability to import bookmarks (that is, save them in a certain way, and then reintroduce them). How to do this technically, in each case is decided separately, but the convenience of this service is difficult to overestimate.

Conclusion

Data exchange is now everywhere. Imported files and databases, imported e-mail contacts and bookmarks of individual social networks. The concept of "import" is now applicable even to address books of mobile phones. And, perhaps, tomorrow we will hear about some new meaning of this interesting and multifunctional word.