Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
connaissances professionnelles
English translation:
Professional working proficiency
Added to glossary by
Michele Fauble
Aug 16, 2005 18:03
18 yrs ago
7 viewers *
French term
connaissances professionnelles
Good question
French to English
Bus/Financial
Certificates, Diplomas, Licenses, CVs
language skills on a CV
In a person's CV list of language skills, they have
FR: native speaker,
EN: bilingual
and
Spanish/Japanese: connaissances professionnelles.
I understand exactly what they mean by this --- a good enough level of skill in these languages to use them for professional purposes; but please can anyone tell me how best to word this in EN? It's so obvious, but I'm rushing towards a deadline, and my mind's just gone blank! GDT gives 'professional skills', but the context is slightly different: 'those skills that are needed to carry out this or that profession'
FR: native speaker,
EN: bilingual
and
Spanish/Japanese: connaissances professionnelles.
I understand exactly what they mean by this --- a good enough level of skill in these languages to use them for professional purposes; but please can anyone tell me how best to word this in EN? It's so obvious, but I'm rushing towards a deadline, and my mind's just gone blank! GDT gives 'professional skills', but the context is slightly different: 'those skills that are needed to carry out this or that profession'
Proposed translations
(English)
| 5 +5 | Professional working proficiency |
Michele Fauble
|
| 2 +18 | working knowledge of |
Jonathan MacKerron
|
| 3 +4 | business (knowledge) |
CMJ_Trans (X)
|
| 4 | Notions...... |
Anna Maria Augustine (X)
|
| 3 | vocational knowledge |
iulian dobreanu
|
| 1 | some |
Bourth (X)
|
Change log
Aug 16, 2005 19:24: Anna Maria Augustine (X) changed "Dictionary/Good Term" from "Good" to "Good"
Dec 22, 2010 10:43: Stéphanie Soudais changed "Term asked" from "connaissances professionnelles URGENT!" to "connaissances professionnelles "
Proposed translations
+5
2 hrs
Michele Fauble
United States
United States
Native in English
United States
Native English
Native in: English 
Works in: Norwegian to English, Danish to English, Swedish to English
Related KudoZ points
:
8
French term (edited):
connaissances professionnelles URGENT!
Selected
Professional working proficiency
on the level for which you would like to see the definition:
* Elementary proficiency (S-1)
* Limited Working proficiency (S-2)
* Professional Working proficiency (S-3)
* Full Professional proficiency (S-4)
* Native or Bilingual proficiency (S-5)
www.sil.org/lingualinks/LANGUAGELEARNING/MangngYrLnggLrnngP...
Definition
Professional working proficiency is the fourth level of five in the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale of language proficiency, formerly called the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) scale. This level is sometimes referred to as S-3 or Level 3. A person at this level is described as follows:
* able to speak the language with sufficient structural accuracy and vocabulary to participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations on practical, social, and professional topics
* can discuss particular interests and special fields of competence with reasonable ease
* has comprehension which is quite complete for a normal rate of speech
* has a general vocabulary which is broad enough that he or she rarely has to grope for a word
* has an accent which may be obviously foreign; has a good control of grammar; and whose errors virtually never interfere with understanding and rarely disturb the native speaker.
www.sil.org/lingualinks/LANGUAGELEARNING/MangngYrLnggLrnngP...
* Elementary proficiency (S-1)
* Limited Working proficiency (S-2)
* Professional Working proficiency (S-3)
* Full Professional proficiency (S-4)
* Native or Bilingual proficiency (S-5)
www.sil.org/lingualinks/LANGUAGELEARNING/MangngYrLnggLrnngP...
Definition
Professional working proficiency is the fourth level of five in the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale of language proficiency, formerly called the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) scale. This level is sometimes referred to as S-3 or Level 3. A person at this level is described as follows:
* able to speak the language with sufficient structural accuracy and vocabulary to participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations on practical, social, and professional topics
* can discuss particular interests and special fields of competence with reasonable ease
* has comprehension which is quite complete for a normal rate of speech
* has a general vocabulary which is broad enough that he or she rarely has to grope for a word
* has an accent which may be obviously foreign; has a good control of grammar; and whose errors virtually never interfere with understanding and rarely disturb the native speaker.
www.sil.org/lingualinks/LANGUAGELEARNING/MangngYrLnggLrnngP...
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Charlie Bavington
: Nice research. And even if it wasn't part of an official 'scale', I'd still reckon it was a pretty sound translation - does what it says on the tin, so to speak (UK advertising reference)
13 mins
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|
Thanks. It wasn't really research. I've studied Applied Linguistics (foreign language teaching specifically) and I'm knowledgeable in the field.
|
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| agree |
df49f (X)
21 mins
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Thanks.
|
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| agree |
Nick Lingris
29 mins
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Thanks.
|
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| agree |
RHELLER
: my question is do French people use that a lot on their CVs?
47 mins
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Thanks. Not sure about your question.
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| agree |
Gina W
: yes, this sounds more accurate
4 hrs
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thanks
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks a lot, Michele, for this well supported and I believe authoritative answer. You have perfectly understood the doubt underlying my question, and this suggested description certainly matches closely what I understand to be this person's level in these languages. And those links are a precious reference for future users, though I have faith first and foremost in your personal experience.
A big thank you to all the other answerers (and commenters) as well for ALL your input; sorry you're too numerous to thank and comment individually this time!
:-))"
+18
4 mins
Jonathan MacKerron
Native in English
Retired as of Jan 2019!
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
8
French term (edited):
connaissances professionnelles URGENT!
working knowledge of
????
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 mins (2005-08-16 18:17:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
\"Spanish/Japanese: good working knowledge\"
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Note added at 13 mins (2005-08-16 18:17:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
\"Spanish/Japanese: good working knowledge\"
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
swisstell
0 min
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thx
|
|
| agree |
sarahl (X)
1 min
|
|
thx
|
|
| agree |
Anna Maria Augustine (X)
8 mins
|
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thx
|
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| agree |
Pierre POUSSIN
10 mins
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thx
|
|
| agree |
Dorota Nowakówna
12 mins
|
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thx
|
|
| agree |
Adil Uskudarli
: Adil Uskudarli
17 mins
|
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thx
|
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| agree |
Anne McKee
: definitely
20 mins
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thx
|
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| agree |
JCEC
24 mins
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thx
|
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| agree |
Marian Greenfield
33 mins
|
| agree |
Elizabeth Lyons
34 mins
|
| agree |
Magda33
38 mins
|
| agree |
Gert Sass (M.A.)
43 mins
|
| agree |
sporran
: working knowledge - professional level ?
1 hr
|
| agree |
DocteurPC
: I like it, particularly with Sporran's add on
1 hr
|
| agree |
PFB (X)
1 hr
|
| agree |
Patrice
2 hrs
|
| agree |
EdhelDil
: with sporran's wording
2 hrs
|
| agree |
Sheila Hardie
2 hrs
|
| agree |
Sonia Geerlings
: "good working knowledge": sounds great - he isn't claiming that his grammar/lex. choice etc is perfect, but gives the idea that he can communicate on a broad range of topics at a level that would be an asset (expt 4 situations where a bilingual is requ.)
2 hrs
|
| neutral |
Michele Fauble
: "Working knowledge" of a foreign language is generally used for a lower level of foreign language proficiency (Limited working proficiency or lower on the ILR scale). The 'working' in 'working knowledge' is unrelated to professional use of the language.
3 hrs
|
| disagree |
df49f (X)
: agree with Michele that working knowledge doesn't have the meaning of being proficient enough to do business in that language and does not match the meaning of the French phrase at all
4 hrs
|
+4
1 hr
business (knowledge)
though I would rephrase it - Spansih/Japanese for business purposes
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Merit
: Yes, or "in a professional context". The problem with this cv is the guy is kind of exagerating his language skills. A more modest approach is "notions" in French meaning, at work, when I have to, I can decipher the jargon and understand the gist of it
12 mins
|
| agree |
Jane Lamb-Ru (X)
32 mins
|
| agree |
roneill
59 mins
|
| agree |
df49f (X)
: second best after Michele's suggestion
2 hrs
|
| neutral |
Michele Fauble
: The profession may not be 'business', e.g. the person may be a doctor.
3 hrs
|
1 hr
iulian dobreanu
Specializes in field
15 years in patents, scientific works
Native in: Romanian
Works in: English to Romanian, Romanian to English, French to English, and 1 more.
French term (edited):
connaissances professionnelles URGENT!
vocational knowledge
vocational knowledge level, artisan.
1 hr
French term (edited):
connaissances professionnelles URGENT!
Notions......
is what is meant here and is usually what we say about our knowledge of langauages when we don't speak them fluently but the term working knowledge is not wrong.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr 28 mins (2005-08-16 19:32:06 GMT)
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(for business purposes)
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Note added at 1 hr 35 mins (2005-08-16 19:39:16 GMT)
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Then: intermediate level, which is a term we use when teaching languages. Ranges from false beginnzers to advanced or proficient.
Can\'t do better, sorry.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr 28 mins (2005-08-16 19:32:06 GMT)
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(for business purposes)
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr 35 mins (2005-08-16 19:39:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Then: intermediate level, which is a term we use when teaching languages. Ranges from false beginnzers to advanced or proficient.
Can\'t do better, sorry.
4 hrs
French term (edited):
connaissances professionnelles URGENT!
some
Declined
Just a comment because I don't know how you'd fit in "prfessionnelles", but I translate "notions", which I assume to be an equivalent for "connaissances" as "some", as in "I speak some Farsi" (enough to count to ten, say hello, goodbye, how are you, and I am trying to learn Farsi), or :
Language skills:
English: mother tongue
French: fluent
German: fair
Farsi: some
Maybe:
Spanish/Japanese (professional relations): some
Language skills:
English: mother tongue
French: fluent
German: fair
Farsi: some
Maybe:
Spanish/Japanese (professional relations): some
Comment: "Just felt I had to add one personal comment, Alex (I hope the others will forgive me!) --- just to say that as it has been explained to me by a French CV-writing expert, 'connaissances' certainly means quite a bit more than merely 'notions'; in fact, it was suggested to me as simply being an alternative to 'knowledge' [singular in EN].
Thanks a lot!"
Discussion
Just a little closing note:
1) To Rita: I have come across this before on CVs in FR, though not for translating!
2) The end client was so pleased with the job you all helped me to do for him, he rang to thank me, and confirmed that this chosen term fits well with his actual position, and seems to him well suited to his needs.
Thanks again to ALL!
I will wait the regulation 24 hrs before formally closing and grading.
In fact, I understand perfectly what you're getting at, and it's exactly my concern here. In fact, I don't think this guy IS exaggerating his language skills --- he managed to work for 2 years as an auditor in Japan, so he can't be THAT bad! I need something that means more than 'notions', certainly, and higher level than 'tourist' or 'conversational'...
Sadly, nice idea though it is, I don't have the liberty to turn the phrase round, and that's exactly why I'm floundering to find a neat answer that fits the given syntax.
I'm just a bit worried, does 'working knowledge' really mean 'knowledge enabling me to work'? I'd always assumed it meant 'practical, usable level of knowledge'.
Also, I'm a bit worried about 'good' -- sounds a bit 'homely' in a top-flight executive CV. Do you think 'sound working knowledge' would convey the idea sufficiently well, but maybe sound somehow more 'professional'?
All thoughts appreciated, until I put this question into pre-closure later this evening...