Many families starting the China adoption process join email groups related to various aspects of the adoption process. One of the confusing items is the large number of abbreviations that are used. For the benefit of people new to the process here is a listing of the most common letter codes and their translation.
| Abbreviation | Translation | Interpretation |
| DTC | Dossier to China | Date your completed collection of documents was sent to CCAA in Beijing |
| ACR | Age of Child Requested | . |
| DOR | Date of Referral | Date you received the photo and other information about the child you will/have adopted. |
| DOT | Date of Travel | Date you will/did leave to travel to China for the adoption. |
| SN | Special Needs | Child with a discernable medical condition. |
| NSN | Non Special Needs | Child without a known medical condition. |
| SW | Social Worker | The social worker who prepares the home study, which is a major part of your dossier. |
| DH | Dear Husband | . |
| DW | Dear Wife | . |
| DD | Dear Daughter | . |
| DS | Dear Son | . |
| MIL | Mother in Law | (May or may not be dear ...) |
| FIL | Father in Law | . |
| SIL | Sister in Law | . |
| BIL | Brother in Law | . |
| DP | Dear Partner | |
| OT | Off Topic | Any topic not related to the stated purpose of the email list. |
| CCAA | China Center for Adopton Affairs | The part of the Chinese government that processes all dossier and matches prospective families and Chinese children needing families. |
| CCAI | Chinese Children Adoption International | An adoption agency |
| GWCA | Great Wall China Adoption | An adoption agency |
| INS | Immigration and Naturalization Service | The part of the U.S. government that all U.S. families must deal with to allow the immigration of their child into the U.S. |
| HFS | Harrah Family Service | An adoption agency |
| <g> | Little grin | . |
| <VBG> | Very Big Grin | . |
| BB | Bulletin Board | Usually electronic forum where messages are posted. |
| BTW | By the Way | . |
| FWIW | For What It's Worth | . |
| LOL | Laughing Out Loud | You should actually laugh out loud to use this one in good conscience. |
| ROFL | Rolling on the Floor, Laughing | You may only write this if you have in fact rolled on the floor first or you may roll your child, cat or dog over a few times! |
| IMHO | In My Humble Opinion | . |
| OTOH | On The Other Hand | . |
Other common items:
Ladybugs - are for good luck
The turbo button is pushed to speed up referrals
The red thread links loved ones together, like we feel we are linked to a special child waiting for us in China.
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