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acts of God

French translation: impondérables

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:acts of God
French translation:impondérables
Entered by: Florence Stubbs

14:26 May 16, 2007
English to French translations [PRO]
Law/Patents - Law: Contract(s) / Terms and conditions
English term or phrase: acts of God
I have a problem to translate "acts of God" in the following sentence because I would usually translate it by "catastrophes naturelles" but here, "natural disasters" follows right after "acts of God". I cannot either use "cas de force majeure", which is used elsewhere in my document. Any suggestions? Thank you!
"Neither party hereto shall be responsible for any failure to perform its obligations under this Agreement if such failure is caused by acts of God, natural disasters, war, strikes, revolutions, lack or failure of transportation facilities, lack or failure of public utilities, laws or governmental regulations or other causes that are beyond the reasonable control of such party.
Florence Stubbs
France
Local time: 22:40
impondérables
Explanation:
J'ai déjà rencontré ce problème. Pour éviter les répétitions, quand force majeure est déjà utilisé, j'utilise "impondérable".

Cheers,
Béa
Selected response from:

Béatrice Huret-Morton
Local time: 22:40
Grading comment
apres bien des débats, j'ai décidé de choisir votre solution qui allait le mieux dans mon texte. Merci beaucoup.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +9force majeure, peu importe si c'est une répétition
Ihatetrados
5 +1impondérables
Béatrice Huret-Morton
5 -1catastrophes naturelles
Annick Pérocheau
3 -1événements incontrôlables
Nathalie Scharf
3 -1intervention divine
Odette Grille (X)
3 -1des evénements humainement incontrolables
millamelchionna
1 +1pour des raisons imprévisibles et incontrôlables
danièle davout


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +9
acts of god
force majeure, peu importe si c'est une répétition


Explanation:
c'est le terme consacré dans tous les contrats

Ihatetrados
Local time: 22:40
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  cristina estanislau
4 mins
agree  David Hollywood
9 mins
agree  AllegroTrans
11 mins
agree  BusterK: peut-être "ou autre situation de force majeure". De tout emanière il ne s'agit que d'exemples de choses qui sont "raisonnablement en dehors de contrôle de la société"
14 mins
agree  Assimina Vavoula
29 mins
agree  Roger McKeon
38 mins
agree  Ghyslaine LE NAGARD: Oui et rien d'autre que force majeure ou autre cas de force majeure.
1 hr
agree  Nicolas Coyer (X)
1 hr
agree  cmwilliams (X)
6 hrs
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8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
acts of god
événements incontrôlables


Explanation:
This conveys the meaning of "Acts of God" without any reference to natural disasters.

It is not, however, a legal term but since you wanted an alternativ to Force Majeure, that's what I would suggest.

Nathalie Scharf
United States
Local time: 15:40
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 36

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Ghyslaine LE NAGARD: Non
59 mins
  -> I specified that this answer is based on the Asker's request NOT to use the usual term of art here! It is up to Florence to decide if she wants to stray from the legal term.
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10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
acts of god
intervention divine


Explanation:
Nous n'avons pas à juger si c'est possible ou non, mais avant de signer ce genre de contrat, je réfléchirais car n'importe quoi peut tomber dans cette catégorie !
« force majeure » pourrait faire l'affaire ?

Odette Grille (X)
Canada
Local time: 16:40
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 33

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Ghyslaine LE NAGARD: Certainement pas!
57 mins
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20 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -1
acts of god
catastrophes naturelles


Explanation:
sont généralement concernés les inondations, tremblements de terre, etc. c'est-à-dire tous les événements sur lesquels l'homme ne peut pas intervenir.

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Note added at 37 mins (2007-05-16 15:03:19 GMT)
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"cas fortuit" peut également être utilisé, mais ici "natural disaster" fait doublon avec "Acts of God" (voir GDT)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 38 mins (2007-05-16 15:04:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"cas fortuit" peut également être employé ici, si on veut traduire "natural disaster" qui ici fait doublon avec "Act(s) of God"

Annick Pérocheau
France
Local time: 22:40
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Nathalie Scharf: how do you then translate natural disasters following Acts of God in Florence's text?
8 mins
  -> fait doublon
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42 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
acts of god
des evénements humainement incontrolables


Explanation:
Il s'agit de causes incontrables, audehors de la responsabilité de l'homme..."god" ici est une métaphore... on pourrait le traduire avec n'importe quelle paraphrase qui met en exergue la distance entre la conséquence et la cause qui n'est pas du à l'intervention humaine

Example sentence(s):
  • idée de incontrolable par ò'homme
millamelchionna
Local time: 22:40
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Ghyslaine LE NAGARD: Certainement pas!
26 mins
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
acts of god
impondérables


Explanation:
J'ai déjà rencontré ce problème. Pour éviter les répétitions, quand force majeure est déjà utilisé, j'utilise "impondérable".

Cheers,
Béa

Béatrice Huret-Morton
Local time: 22:40
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 20
Grading comment
apres bien des débats, j'ai décidé de choisir votre solution qui allait le mieux dans mon texte. Merci beaucoup.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Anne Bohy
1 hr
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5 peer agreement (net): +1
acts of god
pour des raisons imprévisibles et incontrôlables


Explanation:
vais-je provoquer la foudre ?
je n'ai pas dit impénétrables :)

danièle davout
Local time: 21:40
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Roger McKeon: raisons imprévisibles, dont..., suffirait, il me semble: beyond the control en fin de phrase + inventaire à la Prévert... :)
4 hrs
  -> on aurait pu aussi sabrer l'inventaire et traduire "all causes beyond the reasonable control :)
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