Blogue 90 degrés

This article was originally written in French.

“Price is what you pay, value is what you get.”
Warren Buffett

These words always come back to me during initial client meetings when talk inevitably turns to our rates. Almost invariably, a calculator appears on the desk and the client breaks down the cost per word.

At this point, the client slips in something to the effect of, “That’s more than what our freelancers charge.”

“True, we may be a little more expensive than your freelancers…”

“No, really, it’s far more expensive than our freelancer rates.”

And thus arrives the moment of truth. »

Your slippery  translation dilemma of the week is chef. And no, I don’t mean the one with the white toque.

In French, the term chef generally refers to a boss, leader, or head. It is a versatile little word that can be used in various contexts. In English however, simply replacing it with “chief” will not do in most cases.

Once again, the translator must become the versatile one to find the exact meaning to suit the specific context.

For example:

• Chef de produit becomes Product manager
• Chef de secteur becomes Department head
• Chef assistant du son becomes Sound camera operator
• Chef choriste becomes Choir master
• Chef de file becomes leader
  
• Chef boucher becomes Butcher, Meats manager or (comically, to me) Head butcher

There are occasions when the literal translation of “Chief” is correct, for example, in chief engineer and chief of state.

»

Vous êtes fier : vous avez 10 000, voire 100 000 abonnés dans votre BD. Votre patron a l’impression que le programme de courriels est en santé, car le nombre d’abonnés augmente périodiquement. Toutefois, avez-vous récemment fait le ménage de votre liste d’abonnés? »

Anyone who works in translation will tell you that there are certain words (or phrases) in French that have no direct equivalent in English – and vice versa. For example, la relève, coup de coeur and responsable (as a title). Or in English, there is insight, leverage and queer, among others.

But the term that causes the most difficulty for our copywriting room is concepteur-rédacteur.

»

Un article sur les façons de s’y prendre pour vendre ses idées vient de paraître sur le site LesAffaires.com (édition du 15 janvier 2009). La journaliste Aude Perron cite en exemple notre directeur de comptes Steve Cristofaro qui a su faire passer ses idées sur la gestion de la relation client auprès de notre président-directeur général, Étienne Denis, avec doigté.

« Que ce soit à un client, à un patron, à un employé ou à un collègue, nous avons tous des idées à vendre. Comment faire pour qu’elles passent? »

Comment s’y est-il pris ? Lisez le reste de l’article!