It is okay to use the term ‘dating’ to casually refer to what you explain as ‘courtship’ within Muslim society, especially for those of us who grew up or live in societies where ‘dating’ is the more common term used to explain the process. I agree with you, however, that the terms cannot be used interchangeably at all times because of their varying connotations among different groups of people

‘Courtship’, while having a more halaal connotation, is an antiquated term and can confuse someone who is not familiar with the process of Islamic courtship. Using the term ‘dating’ while explaining the permissible limits within Islam of male and female interactions would be a more appropriate option in this case.

However, ‘dating’ should be used with caution with those who are obviously averse to the term. For example, my mother nearly fell out of her chair when I recently told her that I wanted to start dating. She was lost in deep thought for the next 30 minutes until finally her apparent headache subsided. It was very difficult to explain to her that I in no way wanted to cross into haraam territory by calling it ‘dating’ because her interpretation of the word was extremely negative and seemingly set in stone.

Finally, with close friends who understand the broad definitions of ‘dating’ and ‘courtship’, we should be more open to using either word to describe the process of getting to know someone for the purpose of marriage. To many of us, it is the only way that ‘dating’ will sound less like a dirty word.

Also,
If two people who are ‘courting’ engage in activity that is not permissible within the laws of Islam, would their relationship automatically be called ‘dating’?

And thus while I agree that the two may not be mutually exclusive, given the connotation that “dating” has, I’m not sure whether we should use terms in our daily vocabulary that reflect – or rather, represent – societal trends not acceptable within our Muslim communities. While to an outsider, two persons “courting” may be seen as “dating” because of engaging in similar acts in public places, the reality may be quite different. And given what the word “dating” implies (see urbandictionary.com), why not use the word “courting”?

After all, there is a reason that two different names exist in the English vocabulary – they are definitely not the same thing.