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From these 44 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list The sixteenth entry is la cabine d’interprète , and its noun is the one an English reader will translate too quickly. Une cabine looks like « a cabin », and in two places it is one: on a ship it is where a passenger sleeps, and on an aircraft it is where the passengers sit and the cabin crew work. Everywhere else French uses the word for any small enclosed space built for a single purpose, while English changes noun every time. Une cabine téléphonique is a phone box, une cabine d’essayage a fitting room, une cabine de plage a beach hut, la cabine d’un camion the cab of a lorry, and the soundproofed room at the back of a conference hall, with its window onto the delegates, is « a booth ». No interpreter works in a cabin, and a CV or a tender that says so will be read as the work of somebody outside the trade. The same holds for the phrases built round it: entrer en cabine is to go into the booth, and travailler en cabine simply means interpreting simultaneously, whatever the room looks like.
The words
View Compact With examples
Verb (3)
translittérer to transliterate Verb C2 Le nom est translittéré selon une norme fixe. Names are transliterated by one fixed standard, never by ear.
localiser to localise Verb C2 Il faut localiser les exemples pour la Suisse. The examples will have to be localised for Swiss readers.
désambiguïser to disambiguate Verb C2 Une note désambiguïse le pronom. The pronoun is disambiguated by a short note.
Adjective (5)
Grammar for these: Adjective agreement · Where the adjective goes
sourcier source-oriented Adjective C2 Ce passage est volontairement sourcier. This passage has been left source-oriented on purpose.
Its opposite is cibliste , built for the reader of the target language. Both are directions, not marks.
intraduisible untranslatable Adjective C2 Ce jeu de mots est intraduisible. No version of this pun survives: it is untranslatable.
idiomatique idiomatic Adjective C2 La tournure est idiomatique et ne se traduit pas mot à mot. Being idiomatic, the phrase resists a word-for-word version.
pataud clumsy Adjective C2 Le début du chapitre reste pataud. The chapter still opens in a clumsy way.
Feminine pataude . Said of a text, it judges the way the sentences are built, not what they say.
guindé stilted Adjective C2 Le ton du courrier est guindé. The letter is written in a stilted tone.
Phrase (19)
le texte source the source text Phrase C2 Le texte source comportait déjà cette contradiction. That contradiction was already there in the source text.
le texte cible the target text Phrase C2 Le texte cible est plus long que l’original. The target text ends up longer than the original did.
la langue source the source language Phrase C2 Elle relit d’abord dans la langue source. Her first read-through is always done in the source language.
la langue cible the target language Phrase C2 On traduit toujours vers sa langue cible. You translate into your target language, never out of it.
la traduction littérale the literal translation Phrase C2 La traduction littérale donne ici une phrase illisible. Translated literally, this sentence would make no sense to anyone.
la traduction libre the free translation Phrase C2 Le poème demande une traduction libre. Only a free translation will do the poem justice.
le changement de registre the shift in register Phrase C2 Le changement de registre trahit une main pressée. A sudden shift in register gives away a translator in a hurry.
la glose marginale the marginal gloss Phrase C2 Une glose marginale explique le titre du roi. A marginal gloss tells the reader what the king’s title means.
l’interprétation simultanée simultaneous interpreting Phrase C2 L’interprétation simultanée se fait par équipes de deux. Simultaneous interpreting is always shared between two people.
l’interprétation consécutive consecutive interpreting Phrase C2 L’interprétation consécutive suppose une prise de notes. Consecutive interpreting cannot be done without a method for taking notes.
l’interprétation par relais relay interpreting Phrase C2 L’interprétation par relais ajoute un délai à chaque phrase. With relay interpreting, every sentence arrives a little later.
la traduction à vue sight translation Phrase C2 La traduction à vue est demandée devant le tribunal. In court, sight translation is often what is asked for.
la base terminologique the termbase Phrase C2 La base terminologique est ouverte à toute l’équipe. Everyone on the team can look things up in the termbase.
la charte rédactionnelle the style guide Phrase C2 La charte rédactionnelle interdit les abréviations. Abbreviations are banned by the style guide.
la traduction inverse the back-translation Phrase C2 La traduction inverse sert à contrôler le questionnaire. The questionnaire is checked by means of a back-translation.
la note du traducteur the translator’s note Phrase C2 Une note du traducteur explique la mesure ancienne. A translator’s note explains the old unit of measure.
la traduction automatique machine translation Phrase C2 La traduction automatique se trompe sur les noms propres. Proper names are where machine translation goes wrong.
la pression des délais deadline pressure Phrase C2 La pression des délais explique la moitié des erreurs. Half the errors come down to deadline pressure.
le traducteur salarié the in-house translator Phrase C2 Le traducteur salarié travaille dans le service juridique. The in-house translator sits in the legal department.
Noun (f) (12)
Grammar for these: Definite article: le, la, les · Indefinite article: un, une
la restitution du sens the rendering of meaning Noun (f) C2 La restitution du sens prime sur la place des mots. Getting the rendering of meaning right comes before the order of the words.
l’équivalence equivalence Noun (f) C2 Aucune équivalence exacte n’existe pour ce terme. Nothing offers an exact equivalence for this term.
la cabine d’interprète the interpreter’s booth Noun (f) C2 La cabine d’interprète donne sur la salle. From the interpreter’s booth you can see the whole hall.
la terminologie the terminology Noun (f) C2 La terminologie du contrat vient du client. The client supplies the terminology used in the contract.
la relecture proofreading Noun (f) C2 La relecture se fait sur papier. The proofreading is done on paper, not on screen.
la révision bilingue the bilingual revision Noun (f) C2 La révision bilingue a révélé une phrase sautée. A skipped sentence came to light during the bilingual revision.
la localisation localisation Noun (f) C2 La localisation touche aussi les unités de mesure. Localisation reaches as far as the units of measurement.
la transcréation transcreation Noun (f) C2 Le slogan relève de la transcréation. A slogan like that is a job for transcreation.
la voix superposée the voice-over Noun (f) C2 La voix superposée laisse entendre l’original derrière. With a voice-over, the original can still be heard underneath.
l’omission the omission Noun (f) C2 Une omission de cette taille se voit tout de suite. An omission of that size is noticed straight away.
l’adjonction the addition Noun (f) C2 L’adjonction d’un exemple sort du mandat. An added example is more than the brief allows.
la post-édition post-editing Noun (f) C2 La post-édition prend parfois plus de temps que la traduction. Post-editing sometimes takes longer than translating from scratch.
Noun (m) (5)
Grammar for these: Definite article: le, la, les · Indefinite article: un, une
le traducteur the translator Noun (m) C2 Le traducteur a laissé le nom de la plante en latin. The translator chose to keep the Latin name of the plant.
le glossaire the glossary Noun (m) C2 Le glossaire tranche les cas douteux. Whenever there is doubt, the glossary decides.
le réviseur the reviser Noun (m) C2 Le réviseur signale, il ne réécrit pas. The reviser points things out and leaves the rewriting to others.
le doublage vocal dubbing Noun (m) C2 Le doublage vocal impose la longueur des répliques. In dubbing, the length of every line is fixed in advance.
le littéralisme literalism Noun (m) C2 Le littéralisme rend la page illisible. With that much literalism, the page becomes unreadable.
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