Is it redundant to use "troubleshooting" and "problem" in the same sentence?

Question

Is it ok to say something like "Troubleshooting hardware and software issues", or as troubleshoot already implies there is a problem, the sentence is somewhat redundant

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 17 '15 at 10:49

I think it's perfectly OK. We use phrases like "identify and troubleshoot an issue" all the time in the tech word.

Mac OS X: How to troubleshoot a software issue
Learn ways to identify and troubleshoot software issues.

(https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201516)

The word "troubleshoot" no doubt implies there's something wrong, but it is not ungrammatical to say "troubleshoot an issue" or "troubleshoot a problem":

"cited the service it performed in trouble-shooting an employee problem"

(AHD)

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 17 '15 at 10:55

0

Troubleshoot does imply the existence of a problem. Troubleshoot does not specify this to be hardware or software problem in particular. Hence it is not tautological to use troubleshooting and problem in the same sentence.

answered Nov 17 '15 at 10:55

silenceislife

1,183

score -2 · Answer 3 · edited Nov 18 '15 at 16:17

-2

I think you mean redundant.

But, no, it's not uncommon to state that, but some people may think it's redundant.

edited Nov 18 '15 at 16:17

Nonnal

4,182

answered Nov 17 '15 at 10:45

Danny Rodriguez

1,400

Troubleshooting refers to the process of identifying why there is problem and what needs to be done to fix it. – LexieLou Nov 18 '15 at 04:27

Is it redundant to use "troubleshooting" and "problem" in the same sentence?

3 Answers3