Lost in French translation

  Since we are in election season, it might be helpful to offer a little glossary of French political terms. Some are useful. Some convey concepts that are too abstract for the language of Chaucer. Some mean their opposite or nothing at all. [Read here for latest on Ségolène Royal and Socialists]

Of course this word game can be played with any culture. Try translating Tony Blair's  "joined-up thinking" into another language. I'd be grateful for suggestions for expanding this guide:

acteur = anyone involved in anything. ex: les acteurs du développement rural = farmers etc... 

altermondialiste = anti-capitalist, anti-free trade (literally other-worldist). A little flaky but to be admired

Anglo-Saxon = hegemonic power bent on promoting le libéralisme (see below) and harming France

blairisme = stealth conservative, alien, used as insult (see Anglo-Saxon, liberal)

crise (la) = state that the French believe they live in since mid-1980s 

délocalisation: moving a factory to a cheaper country (see libéral, Anglo-Saxon, blairisme etc). Opposed by presidential candidates

déloyal = unfair, low cost (la concurrence déloyal = someone who charges less than you)

déclinologue = unpatriotic commentator, liberal

diversité culturelle = French, not Anglo-Saxon (see above)

dumping = cutting prices or costs, le dumping social = setting low employment taxes

exception française = different, difficult, anti-Anglo-Saxon, anti-liberal

flexibilité = firing workers, to be resisted by social movement, dirty word (see blairisme).

gaullisme = "a certain idea of France" = authoritarian rule, welfare state, assertive behaviour abroad (see volontarisme, exception française etc)

un jeune: a young person = urban teenager with a can of petrol

libéral = pro-market, unpatriotic, Anglo-Saxon, usually ultra. Ex. Chirac a promis que le liberalisme ne vaincra jamais le social (Chirac promised that liberalism would never triumph over the welfare state)

militant = member of a political party

modèle scandinave = paradise, desired by French Socialists.

mondialisation = globalisation, plot by foreign liberals (see above) and  French collaborators to impoverish France

morosité, désarroi = glum mood afflicting France since mid-80s. Diagnosed by déclinologues

pôle = centre, area ex: pôle de conversion, relocation area. Pôle financier = Paris base of judges investigating corrupt politicians and businessmen.
Ex. "I will make France a pole of sustainable development" -- Ségolène Royal

républicain = French, democratic, patriotic, meaningless. ex:
valeurs républicaines (things you believe in)
banquet républicain (dinner with politicians)
la justice républicaine  (what you praise when you win a court case)

rupture = clean break with the past, liberal. Proposed by Nicolas Sarkozy until it frightened off voters 

sérénité, serein = unworried, guilty (state of mind professed by politicians awaiting trial, see justice républicaine)

social =  industrial relations, welfare state, as in
mouvement social = social movement = nothing moves = strike
partenaires sociaux (social partners) =  bosses and trade unions, adversaries

dialogue social == when they talk
plan social = laying off employees

solidarité = supporting a worthy cause. ex: Je suis solidaire avec le mouvement social = I don't mind waiting hours for a train because I support the railway strike.

stock option = scandalous wheeze by bosses to enrich themselves 

traversée du desert = crossing of the desert, brief period after election defeat/criminal conviction before standing for re-election:

volontarisme, volontariste = forcing the impossible or unreasonable to happen. Ex: Ségolène Royal says that le volontarisme will enable her to cut taxes and raise welfare spending.  Expressed by Napoléon Bonaparte's saying: "Impossible n'est pas français" (Impossible is not French)

Comments

[Sarah Hague]

Oh right, so nothing's changed, then, and nothing is set to change. La crise has become la status quo with everyone lurching from one mouvement social to another to stave off la delocalisation and la mondialisation in the vague hope that by doing so we may stumble into un modèle scandinave although that might threaten la diversité culturelle and l'exception française.

I'll just have to content myself with being un acteur serein seeing as I can't vote and wait and see what rupture doesn't happen because we're all so solidaire with the impossible voluntarisme.

[Richard Black]

Very amusing Charles, I think you need a good grasp of French to appreciate your splendidly ironic definitions !

What I find particularly French is the sanctification of certain of these meaningless concepts. It is impossible to criticise "la diversité culturelle", "l'exception française" or "les valeurs républicaines". Most French politicians when cornered will kidnap one of these to their defence.Anyone even daring to question what these concepts mean will be dismissed as a liberal = amercain neo con (?)

I think anglo saxon now includes an implication of philistine...(and not just since reports that Scottish students will soon be able to write their exam answers in textspeak)

[Huan]

Is funny how with an american friend we allways misunderstood because he always talked about the democrats policy as liberal when he wanted to say social while here in France liberal means the totally opposite...(

Is it the same in England?

[Frank Schnittger]

Magnifique - Charles - the French have always enriched the English language and no doubt many of these phrases will become de rigueur in English as well (28% of English words are of French origin). You are the George Orwell of French literature.

débâcle = what happens when Les Bleus meet the All Blacks

[Frank Schnittger]

Huan - just to confuse things further, economic liberals tend to be political conservatives. Social conservatives are often economic liberals, but political liberals are rarely socially conservative. I am reminded of the saying that ladies who start off very Conservative, and then become very Liberal, often end up in Labour.

[Robert Marchenoir]

As an unrepentant "déclinologue" myself, I have to admire this pocket dictionary of French utopianism.

Translating "déclinologue" by liberal (in the French meaning of the world, obviously, which is the opposite of the English one) strikes me as particularly brilliant. It cuts nicely through the crap.

The very existence of the word "déclinologue" is an insult to reason, honesty and progress. It equates observing a sorry state of things with wishing its continuation.

Obviously, "declinologists" whine about France's situation because they want to change it. Their opponents pretend not to understand that, and have forged the word because they want to enforce what they perceive as their monopoly on change and progress.

By suggesting that the "déclinologues" are glad and proud of Frances's woes, they want to distract people from the true point of the debate, which is the means to reverse the slide, and the responsibilities thereof.

Coming out with that word was a true Orwellian feat, a distinguished achievement of the totalitarian French Left.

[all]

D'autres mots de la novlangue :

*Citoyen = mot valise utilisé essentiellement comme adjectif qui désigne l'allégeance au bien-penser (de gôche of course).

*Métissage = La seule voie, obligatoire, vers une société "multiculturelle" faite en réalité d'un empilement de communautés qu'on ne veut pas voir.

[Maggie G]

They're very funny and very clever, Mr Bremner, but aren't you afraid you'll end up on some kind of blacklist? You won't be getting many more invitations to tea at the Elysée Palace.

[Tara]

This had me rolling. I especially thought of the new movie, The Queen, with regard to the "blairisme" because in the movie, Cherie accuses her husband of being exactly that - - a stealth conservative. Who knows if this has happened (that conversation) but it was funny to see on the screen and then read today.

[Simon DEBÛ-CARBONNIER]

Aren't "alter mondialistes" different from "antimondialistes". The former being pro globalisation in a more "human" way than the actual one and the "anti" are just plainly… well anti globalisation?

Otherwise, it is a great post… as most of the others

[Isabelle]

Far from being French or a passionate francophile, I was nonetheless disappointed by this article, I must admit.
I like reading your opinion as they provide a point of view on some issues not always in the headlines. Up to now I appreciated particularly the comparatively neutral fact driven reporting.
I expected something similar, finally some interesting definition of all these phrases sometimes difficult to understand by a foreigner. But helas, no, just some old British clichés on the French. Basically they say that French hate anything British/American. Although in all - well, many - clichés there is a grain of truth, your definitions are simply there to enforce that British feeling that the French simply refuse anything Anglo-Saxon. I understand that this article was meant to be ironic but I am not sure if it is helpful for understanding the French society to repeat that what British think to be true but what is nothing but clichés. In this respect it is not better than the French cliché of British liberalism, ...

[rocket]

I especially like the expression "la crise" It's so easy to blame another dimension of the universe for one's own shortcomings.

I arrived here in 1977 and since that time all I have heard is that it's "la faute de la crise"

Crise de nerfs quoi!

[selwyn]

I think we will also hear a lot about
* déclassement ; students have to accept jobs beneath the level they think their degree entitles them to eg all those psychology or sports graduates who have to work at McDo.
* Droits acquis, see also acquis sociaux. These are various benefits that have been obtained over the years (mostly by trade unions from weak and/or socialist governments) which are no longer economically sustainable. By calling them “rights” you gain the high moral ground, and link these benefits with other ‘rights’ such as free speech, liberty etc. They therefore become something which cannot be altered or given up, eg 35 hour week, retirement at 55, etc.

[Robert Marchenoir]

"Although in all - well, many - clichés there is a grain of truth, your definitions are simply there to enforce that British feeling that the French simply refuse anything Anglo-Saxon." (Isabelle)

If you believe that this is a cliché, as opposed to a truth, you have obviously never read a French blog.

Of course, not all Frenchmen dislike the Anglo-Saxon world. But the general level of hatred and contempt is staggering.

Even more appalling is the crass nature of the arguments usually voiced in such circumstances; the depths of ignorance about what is really going on in Britain and America; and the supposedly educated background of many members of the chattering classes who unabashedly air such crude views.

Not that there are not some damning points to be made against the workings of those two nations; but the blanket judgements which pass for wisdom here usually miss them.

[selwyn]

Oh, and I forgot…
* Précarité,(la) which refers to temporary or casual or intermittent work. The French do not want this and want to legislate to prevent this at the same time as they legislate to bring in full employment. It used by Ms Royal in contrast to ‘rupture’ which is a (nasty) break with the past supported by Sarkosy. To quote someone, précarité is the ‘disapproving buzzword for the labour market reforms that the Government and the business world believe that France badly needs. Royal says that France will only get over its fear of globalisation if it can be given more security about its jobs. In other words, she appears to believe in more of the state intervention and protection of the labour market that has landed it in its present mess.’
And also
* Intermittents, being people who are only employed from time to time, usually meant to refer to stage hands and showbiz personnel. They, in particular, denounce précarité and would be preferred to be employed on some semi permanent basis, and if not, supported by the state.

[Robin Midwood]

Trying to find a clear route through ALL parties political jargon is always a hurdle at election time on both sides of the water!!!?.I am a generation born in the 50'sand our governance was done in a kind of secret way; now we espect this openess that the politicions ,who are in a profession the same as doctors and advocats have to invent a language which sounds sofisticated to confuse and sometimes amuse the electorat. OH NO I HAVE NOT LOST MY FAITH IN democracy; but it is becoming a book or play that we should all read with a little care and OUR OWN THOUGHTS . Why oh why do we have to accept that in general we are all just THICK . It's a bit of a game and insults our inteligence. Good Day from the south of France.

[Maggie G]

Very good, Selwyn. How could Mr Bremner have missed 'les droits acquis' and 'la précarité'??

Isabelle, I'm not sure where you live, but anyone living in France and listening to the news on a regular basis cannot fail to be struck by the accuracy of these definitions. They really hit the nail directly on the head. I just don't find them clichés.

I particularly like 'mouvement social' = strike.

[Valerie Sykes]

It is interesting to note that the only lack of appreciation of this timely glossary of French 'newspeak' comes from someone who is not a Francophile.
I am very much a Francophile and have lived in France for almost 9 years. The words and phrases defined often puzzled me when I first arrived here, and it took me quite some time to work out what a lot of them really meant.
The definitions given by Charles Bremner are absolutely spot-on. Anyone living in France and absorbing the utterances of the French media on a daily basis must surely agree with me that it is a brilliant analysis.

[Martin]

Enjoyed reading your blog this morning, but aren't you forgetting the untranslatable old Socialist favourite: rassemblement.

[Basil Fowler]

Mr Bremner - you should produce an updated version of Ambrose Bierce's book "The Devil's Dictionary" (if you haven't already done so!).

[Macdo]

*rassemblement: used when politicians need to talk about followers that they may or may not in fact have. ex: un rassemblement communautaire autour des valeurs républicaines.
*valeur: highly negociable argument points. Valeurs are normally défendus by one's own side, véhiculés by one's opposition. ex: Les valeurs défendus par le Parti Socialistes provoquent un tollé des idéologues de Sarkozy, dont le parti véhicule des valeurs parfois presque anglo-saxonnes.

[fleetmoon]

The job has already been done this year in this book by Eric Hazan: "LQR" (Lingua Quintae Respublicae).

[Isabelle]

Actually I still live in France and that now for six years. I work in a particularly franco-francais company and most of my collegues are genuine French. I must admit most of them are well educated and don't represent the French society as a whole.
I had and still have daily occasions to discuss with them during lunch time and beyond.
As I said already there is some truth in it as in any cliché but to simplify that to a simple anti-anglo-saxon concept as suggested by the article doesn't ressemble my experience.
And I agree there are some ressentments against the anglo-saxon way. But I don't agree that the definitions above include all the uses of these terms. By my own experience these teerms have a broader use than suggested. That is where I talk about clichés. Their meaning and uses are reduced to that fitting the cliché of French as anglophobes.
I admit I don't read French blogs but I wonder if these writers really represents French society or is it only that those eager to express their negative ressentments actually post?
Finally, yes. I am not Francophile. That doesn't transform me into a Francophobe. Again, things are never easy, rarely bipolar and the truth lies as usual inbetween.

[john williams]

A nice little read. My favourite though is regardng dottles of Bordeaux
C'est pas cher.
God, I love living in this country.
Merci!
Dottles? Sorry, Bottles. C'est le Bordeaux...hic...

[Marguerite.]

Pas mal, M. Bremner ! On voit que vous vous interessez a la langue...francaise. Felicitations !pour votre humour !
Il y a aussi:
Les elephants du PS ...dans un magasin de segolene
La gauche plurielle ...si singuliere en ce moment.
La demarche citoyenne ...un peu gauche et les pieds en dedans.

dedans.

[Valentin]

I have to say I too felt this lately... Charles posts' of the last couple of months sounded less like the usual balanced, neutral opinions of an English journalist living in France and enjoying it. Not quite the positive (at the end of the day) criticism, but rather more of the rosbeef irritated by the frogs :) Those djeunes de banlieue, they must have hit the wrong car with their petrol can :)

[Sandrine]

"solidarité = supporting a worthy cause... = I don't mind waiting hours for a train because I support the railway strike."

Haha, I just love that one Mr Bremner ! It's actually pretty true, you can see it in polls during strikes... People are generally "solidaires" with the strikers.

Thanks for this vocabulary lesson, I also think (for once) that you're right on most of them.

A special thank to Frank for his definition of la débacle ! ;o)

[Philippe]

Honestly, just try to do the same exercise with the english vocabulary used in the USA or in the UK, and you will realize that twisting the meaning of words to fit a vision of the world is universal... And the jargon spoken by bankers and consultants is just as ridiculous as the one spoken by politicians... Mr Bremer is aware of that, but commentators semm to have forgotten his foreword.

That said, I am not sure people will learn anything significant about the french political life by reading this "dictionnary", but they will learn a lot about who Charles Bremer has dinner with. It tends to be a little one-sided, and very partial. It is true, I know people who interpret the jargon this way, but they are a (small?) minority. Lots of other people in other circles see things differently (even if they are described with those same words) but you do not seem to have ever met them.

Last, it would be good now to understand that saying "the americans" or "the english" or "the anglo-saxons" sometimes means the government(s), sometimes the country, sometimes the people, according to the context. You can despise the english (i.e. Tony Blair) and give the "Palme d'or" to the english (i.e. Ken Loach) and still be perfectly consistent. It would be good too if people learned to use several words when expressing themselves, because it can be very annoying for "les anglo-saxons" to feel juged by what somebody else (that they do not agree with) has said... Being french and having lived in London, I understand this ordeal...

[john gregory Flinn]

I've come across the following during my short sojourn in La Belle France, and my take on their hidden meaning:-

rassemblé = wishful thinking,
girouette = populist politics, also used for Sarkosy,
latin = argumentative, slightly unFrench and not for Les Curés,
xéres = unimportant, not to bother, sometimes "never heard of it",
aperitif = don't stay later than 9 pm!,
férié = shutdown, everywhere closed down.

[Peter Mason]

Phillipe,

To be fair many, possibly most, societies seem to use terms in a manner where context is all. Thus English language media might refer to 'the French' vetoing a policy in the UN meaning the French government has done so, or they might discuss 'the French' as epicures say, meaning the French people.

'les anglo-saxons' is one of these terms [rather like the English term 'commonwealth' ] which has a remarkable and overlapping variety of meanings. I've known it to mean the English, the British or the UK , the Americans, Anglo-American or a broader grouping of nations whose first language is English and which share other charecteristics [e.g. Common Law] which may or may not include Scotland & Wales. Historically of course, as some-one pointed out in the blog on the EU logo, Anglo-Saxon refers to the peoples who settled in the greater part of the island of Great Britain post the Roman Empire but in recent years the French usages have become equally commonplace generally. Bizarrely my own experience is that in many forums it's use by any one from the UK triggers a plethora of emails, memos, etc. reminding them of the historical definition & criticising it's use even if the term had been introduced by a non-Brit earlier in the discussion!

[Drémilog]

A very fine idea, full of knowing observations. As an Englishman resident in France, I have watched with incredulity as, since the EU Constitution mess, these meaningless slogans have entered the mainstream.

It’s a pleasure to see that other people find this as absurd as I, and are not content to watch public debate descend into farce.

Most depressingly, the peddlers of this nonsense are never taken to task by the media, which is as usual quite happy to reproduce their over-simplifications of a black and white world as if sprung from the fountain of truth.

These tired twenty or so words have hijacked and confused political debate, but I can’t find anybody on the street who can convincingly tell me exactly what ‘ultralibéralisme’ is, to take a random example, or why they object to the concept. Given this level of ignorance, does it really make any difference if DSK is a ‘social democrat’, Fabius ‘a socialist’ or Sego a ‘centrist’?

It’s a serious matter, given that ‘anti-libéral’ sentiment, gloriously fanned by an opportunist left, sank the constitution and will likely be the reason France stays mired in immobility until the current generation of self-serving déniologues snuffs it, en toute sérénité.

La Fracture Sociale – difference between those who are well connected and those who are unconnected. Not to be confused with la Fracture Numérique.

La France d’Après - Sarkoland. Après lui, le déluge.

Pour nous, c’est elle – This may come back to haunt Ségo when future generations look for someone to blame.

Le peuple de gauche – Public Sector

Les ultra-libéraux – Private Sector

Le people de gauche – Yannick Noah and all the other A-listers who say they’ll leave France if Sarko makes it.

[Oliver H.]

"Even more appalling is the crass nature of the arguments usually voiced in such circumstances; the depths of ignorance about what is really going on in Britain and America; and the supposedly educated background of many members of the chattering classes who unabashedly air such crude views." (Robert Marchenoir)

It isn't any more appalling than the crudity and ignorance of the reciprocal opinion. I have myself witnesses in the US the complaints that "The French are against everything" up to and including such ridiculous ideas as boycotting and picketing a US company with a chain of pseudo-french bistros due to french opposition to the Iraq war.

As long as there are large circles in the US for whom "French" is just as much an insult as "liberal" is, we don't need to talk about crude, appalling opinions. As for the article itself, it's merely "more of the same" -whitewashing one's own Newspeak by diverting attention to that of others. Unfortunately, some people never learn that if they want to look like the good guys, they should learn to accept responsibility rather than eganging in incessant finger-pointing.

[Maggie G]

Oliver, I think your point is slightly off target. I don't think Robert Marchenoir was engaged in finger-pointing. He is French himself and is constantly critisizing the marxist mentatlity in France.

Or if it is Charles Bremner's article itself that you consider 'incessant finger pointing' or 'whitewashing one's own newspeak by diverting attention to that of others' , I don't think he is guilty either. His job is to report on France, and that's what he was doing. He wasn't making fun of France to cover up flaws in 'Anglo Saxon' countries, he was accurately describing the mentality in France. (Well, perhaps "jeune -- an urban teenager with a can of petrol" was a bit exaggerated.)

Sure, other countries have their sacred cows too, but this blog is about France. Any outsider living in France is constantly amazed by the mentality of the French media and the French politicians. I was not very sophisticated politically, but I tell you, going through that CPE crisis this spring changed me forever. It was such an eye-opener for me. I didn't need any foreign commentators to feed me biased opinion in order to influence my thinking. I was able to see it all for myself, and figure it out alone. I am not so naive now as I was.

Am I reading The Times or is there something rotten in here?

"jeune, militant, libéral, solidarité, volontarisme, diversité culturelle, social, acteur, mondialisation, citoyen, métissage, la gauche, droits acquis, rassemblement, valeurs,..." Ah, ah, ah!

All those words may be funny for the non-french "les anglo-saxons". But what about yours, for example, er... weapon, massive, destruction, business, 655 000 deads, mickey, hollywood, hamburger, news, microsoft, madonna, terror, nasdaq, "We both use Colgate toothpaste" ...

Oh right, those are definitely serious one's. I'm impressed.

Sometimes "les anglo-saxons" should stop to touch theirselves and try to consider reality, world and humanity! Not the hell they try to create to think they are powerfull. They are powerless indeed!

Oh a last "abstract" word: the horror, the horror,...

[Frank Schnittger]

To the last anonymous blogger of the horror, the horror...

This is a blog on France hosted by the Times Correspondent in Paris. It therefore focuses on the particular charm of the French. If Charles was posted to Washington I am sure he would have a lot of very droll things to say about America. If you want to read incisive criticisms of Britain - try Mick Smith's or David Aaronovitch's blogs here.

Nobody has a monopoly of the creative use of language. It's just that the French Gauche are rather good at it...it's not just a case of the English being rather gauche.

Flocon,

(It was you, wasn't it, Flocon?) It's not the 'anglo-saxons' who need to consider reality, it's the French, especially the French socialists, who are living in their own little dream world.

Here's how the Financial Times put it yesterday: "Listening to the three candidates debate in the final stages of the French Socialists party's presidential selection process has been a bit like stumbling on an old jukebox in a musty, provincial bar. The tunes are all familiar, if a little scratchy, and induce a certain nostalgia....Laurant Fabius has been belting out some headbanging tunes from the 1970s, Dominique Straus-Kahn has been a smooth crooner from the 1980s, and Ségoène Royal has been serenading the people with her saccharine 1990s love ballads. Yet it is disappointing that even the most "progressive" candidate remains a decade behind the debate in the rest of the world."

Welcome back, Flocon!

[Robert Marchenoir]

Oliver H., I have to disagree with two of your views.

I do not think ignorance is equally shared between the French, on one side, and the British and American, on the other side. At least if we consider the most educated, and vocal, part of the population: journalists, university professors and assorted intellectuals.

Everyday, I read the media from all three countries, and I often learn first, from Anglo-Saxon newspapers, of basic and important facts about French current affairs (and I am not even speaking about analysis here). It is not uncommon for such facts never to be reported in the French press.

Mind you, sometimes, you have to rely on other countries as well. The Bondy Blog, one of the most innovative journalism ventures in France for decades (it came short of receiving the Albert Londres prize), was created by l'Hebdo, a Swiss newsmagazine.

It was the first time a French-based medium reported honestly and fully what was really going on in the city estates, just outside Paris.

This -- literally -- burning problem was unfolding right under the nose of the journalism elites of Le Monde and Libération, who were never shy about offering opinions on the subject, and stuffing their bookish, marxist-tainted views down everybody's throat.

Unfortunately, they did not consider worthy of their elevated rank to hop on a suburb train, actually meet the estate dwellers and listen to them.

As a result, reporters from the New York Times visited the Bondy Blog twice, in order to understand what sort of Gallic miracle was going on there. And the guys from the blog are awash in television and newspaper people from all over the world, doing the same.

Also, Oliver, you write about people wanting to look like the good guys. Precisely. That is one of the worst pretenses of the French. All bragging and no working. They do not realize that, outside their country, nobody cares whether they are "good" or not. That is just not the point.

On the other hand, within the country, many peoples lives depend on whether the French deliver the goods or not. Which is rather different from "goodness". And, unfortunately, they often do not.

The fact that Americans often think of themselves as the good guys, too, is not an excuse for that. Rather an explanation of the ages-long antagonism between both countries.

There is also a slight difference: the Americans are acutely aware of the necessity of delivering the goods. Even if they sometimes mess up the job, as in Iraq right now.

And finally, speaking about political correctness -- which was, after all, the subject of Charles Bremner's post in the first place -- the British media are far, far more committed to debunking it in their own country than the French.

By the way, just in case Ségolène Royal becomes president, I would advise any English-speaking Frenchmen to brush up their knowledge of the PC madness which has engulfed Britain, by perusing the Times, the Daily Telegraph or the Spectator.

I have a feeling that the would-be Mother of the Nation clad in White would be eager to nanny-state us to death with her own brand of eco-friendly, diversity-enforcing, outreach-promoting totalitarian silliness.

[Robert Marchenoir]

Among the leaders of CFDT, a big French trade union, there is a gentleman with a job title so beautiful that I will not even attempt to translate it (Charles might like to have a go at it): "Secrétaire confédéral à l'actualité revendicatrice".

Basically, it means that he is responsible for making sure that every God-given day in France, the union raises hell about something, even if there is not really anything to complain about.

And a seemingly unrelated quotation by Ségolène Royal. Asked by a Paris-Match writer whether she was concerned that the super-rich fled the country, she replied: "They should be happy to stay in France, and pay taxes to support the less fortunate citizens".

That sums up nicely the French Left's attitude (and you could as well omit the word Left): they know how the others should feel. They know what you should think, when you should be happy and when you should be unhappy.

Why doesn't everybody just listen to them? Why does reality keeps straying away from theory?

That's really unfair.

[Roger Goodacre]

Robert - what a delicious translation challenge. Impossible to convey literally the connotations in the title, but in today's New Britain it would surely employ a current euphemism, as in "Federal Secretary - Rights for Hardworking Families" (HW Families being the all-embracing PC term now used to cover Hardworking Men, Women, Hard Workers tout court, plus anyone else who wants to proclaim his/her 'rights').

[Francesca Bonner-Evans]

I cannot believe how utterly hilarious your so-called translations are. I am an French A Level student just emarking upon grasping the subtleties of French politics, which I had found to be an arduous task; however, since discovering your satirical opinion, I believe I have reached a state of political enlightenment.
I do not doubt that this article will create an interesting discussion in class. Thankyou for making me laugh.

[Heinz H. Koenig]

Hi Charles, I like to congratulate you to your balanced fine articles, comments and of late, translations.
There is obviously a considerable dislike of the other respective nation on both sides of the Channel. Sometimes it seems to be just short of hate and yet, there is a tremendous interest in each other. Each nation is actively collecting information about the respective other one. You are a very fine example of this interest and so are the many articles in the English press about events in France
In my book both national characters are grand in overestimating themselves and making themselves to the yardsticks of the globe and at the same time dwarfing all other nations.
When reading the book by Clive Ponting, 1940 Myth and Reality, one should think that at least the British, now in their 3 post war generation have come to understand their new role in the world. But like in a noble family : once born into a noble family, always of noble and high spirit.
My reading of the European nations is, that all of them have their merits and particular talents. If we stop hating and insulting each other and start solve our problems jointly - we have sufficient talents in Europe to win the battly of the future against the other little giants.
I am envious that there is so much interest in the UK in France and so little in the other nation the British seem to hate as intensively and yet have no interest in and no knowledge of. Just try to read some of the articles of Ms. Burghill.
Is there a hope you Charles or one of your coleagues might come to Berlin and comment from there about the good and evil things of that endroit ?

Heinz H. König

[andrea]

Yes, this is a blog about France, the French and the vagaries of the French language used by politicians, economists, industrialists, media, the common folks, and so on... But just because Charles wrote something funny, let's not pretend that he discovered anything new...All one has to do is read newspapers from ten, twenty, thirty years ago to come up with countless examples of impenetrable, sometimes ridiculous, terminology...That, my friends, applies to France, Italy, Spain, the rest of Europe and all the anglo-saxon world, whatever that might mean... And yes, the actual "translation" of those terms should reflect nuances that would make Charles' blog rather dull reading...

[crosschannel]

First a suggestion - for "joined-up thinking" analyse articulée.
Next, a remark. I found your definitions witty and not entirely without foundation.
As a militante (Not a member of a party, but of an association, bizarrely referred to by the Brits as "charities", Victorian hangover?), an altermondialiste who dreams of a world where fraternity reigns, a train user who does indeed see further than her own personal comfort, I objected to the cheap sneer contained in the definitions of those words among others. Obviously, if you have to stoop to that, our Utopia must be making progress.
However, if Segolène wins, you won't need to worry - she's as right-wing as you could wish.

[Amanda Grey]

Does Charles or anyone else for that matter, have a suggestion for a nice French translation of the English word "spin" ? - something everyone in France that followed the rise of Blair recognises in Sarkozy...

[Learn to speak French]

A pretty funny list. But I was wondering while reading it, will these words be approved by the group that makes sure the French language stays pure?