horizontal measurement?

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perfectera

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I am writing a small manual and need a short phrase which describes a measuring operation to determine if a surface is flat or not by using a level. For example, can we say horizontal measurement?
Please give me some alternatives.
Thanks!
 

Tdol

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If it is horizontal, it is level. I would use something like to check whether it's level. (Not an engineer, carpenter, etc)
 

emsr2d2

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Now use a spirit level to check the surface is level.
 
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perfectera

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Thanks for your responses.
I actually need a short one to use as the title of the operation instead of a long sentence.
How about check the levelness of something?
 

emsr2d2

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Check it is level.
 

perfectera

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How about horizontal survey?
 

Rover_KE

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Definitely not.
 

perfectera

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Why is horizontal survey wrong?
 

5jj

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Why is horizontal survey wrong?
Because it simply does not mean checking that something is level. Checking that something is level is not 'measuring' or 'surveying'. You have to use the word 'level' somehow.

'Checking that X is level' may not be very literary, but it's what you are trying to do.
 

perfectera

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Does it mean check the flatness of something works?
How about the word horizontality? Or Check the horizontal level of something?

Longman says about survey; an examination of an area of land in order to make a map of it.
So I thought horizontal survey was ok as I need to write about an operation to check if the floor is flat/level or not to install a machine..
 

5jj

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Does it mean check the flatness of something works?No
How about the word horizontality? No
Or Check the horizontal level of something? No..
ems and I have made a couple of suggestions. Why do you keep coming up with other things that do not work?
 

SoothingDave

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You can indeed check the "flatness" of something like a manufactured part. But a floor you want to be level.
 

perfectera

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Thanks for all of your help.
I have got help from a professional and it has turned out to be:
Floor flatness survey or[FONT=MS PGothic, sans-serif] floor levels survey etc.[/FONT]
 

emsr2d2

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Thanks for all of your help.
I have got help from a professional and it has turned out to be:
Floor flatness survey or floor levels survey etc.

Was that from a native English speaking professional in that business? I only ask because they both sound rather unnatural to me. It's true that technical terminology is frequently incomprehensible to people not in the industry, but those, especially "floor levels survey" sound very odd indeed.
 

perfectera

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Yes, he is basically a British architect and also now working as an English teacher!
He said they used to call it "floor levels survey" at their company. The other one "floor flatness survey" is actually used at an website of that kind of company as he sent me a link.
 

emsr2d2

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OK, well, we live and learn!
 
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