major académique

English translation: First of the Académie

10:21 Dec 31, 2002
French to English translations [PRO]
Certificates, Diplomas, Licenses, CVs / diplomas
French term or phrase: major académique
On a CV: "premier de la promotion et major académique"

My Robert & Collins gives the translation for both terms as "first in one's year", but is there a difference between the two terms in French?
TIA
Clair Pickworth
France
Local time: 03:15
English translation:First of the Académie
Explanation:
France is divided into 30 Académies.
Selected response from:

DPolice
Local time: 03:15
Grading comment
Many thanks for clearing that up for me!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +1class valedictorian (or, possibly, cumma sum laude)
David Welch
4First of the Académie
DPolice
3valedictorian for the graduating class of all "n" schools in his academic district
Arthur Borges
2First/Best student of his academic year
Morgane Boëdec
3 -1head of the list
Louise Dupont (X)
1 -2number one in his promotion and academically awarded
EDLING (X)


  

Answers


12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5 peer agreement (net): -2
number one in his promotion and academically awarded


Explanation:
+

EDLING (X)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X): promotion no, graduating class in the US
5 hrs
  -> Probably we were victims of false friendship!

disagree  David Welch: if you are going to use it, call it "graduation", but "academically awarded"?
1 day 7 hrs
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32 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
First/Best student of his academic year


Explanation:
My unilingual French Larousse says 'major' is 'premier de sa promotion'...

Morgane Boëdec
Local time: 03:15
Native speaker of: French
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
First of the Académie


Explanation:
France is divided into 30 Académies.


    Reference: http://www.education.gouv.fr/syst/acad.htm
DPolice
Local time: 03:15
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Many thanks for clearing that up for me!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  David Welch: don't think so in this case
2 hrs
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
class valedictorian (or, possibly, cumma sum laude)


Explanation:
this person graduated top of his or her class = valedictorian or even cumma sum laude

the CV is being redundant, which is ironic for someone who graduated "top" of the class

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Note added at 2002-12-31 15:25:29 (GMT)
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you could also use \"promoted as class valedictorian)

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Note added at 2003-01-01 18:00:05 (GMT)
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sorry, it should read : class valedictorian (or, possibly, summa cum laude).....


damn keyboard!

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Note added at 2003-01-01 18:11:27 (GMT)
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promotion = means \"graduated\" or \"completed\", depending on the class level, i.e. seniors \"graduate\" in the US , but juniors \"complete\" their junior year and are then \"moved forward\" or \"promoted\" to their senior year....

David Welch
United States
Local time: 22:15
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  mami_ladka: Isn't it "summa cum laude"?
1 day 2 hrs
  -> yes....it certainly is. Thanks!
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
head of the list


Explanation:
head of the list major n. m.

[Office de la langue française, 1971]


Louise Dupont (X)
Canada
Local time: 22:15
Native speaker of: French

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  David Welch: nope
1 day 22 mins
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1 day 20 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
valedictorian for the graduating class of all "n" schools in his academic district


Explanation:
David Welch very correctly shot down my first suggestion (now bashfully hidden from view) and suggests "valedictorian" which is right on target for the top student of a graudating class, albeit *in a single school*, and s/he gets to make a speech at the graduation ceremony.

For the US secondary school system however, I have never heard of any valedictorian for, say, everybody graduating in a given year in the State of New York or Virginia, which is what DPolice is about when notes that it covers an "académie", a very large school district with lots 'n' lotsa schools.

The French school system can invent such a "super-valedictorian" because everybody takes exactly the same exam in the whole country at the same time and day.

Education is too decentralized in the US (for better or worse) to spawn such a creature.

If indeed it is the top student in a whole "académie", there is no real equivalent.

You might just want to translate it a windy "valedictorian for the graduating class of all "n" schools in his academic district."

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Note added at 2003-01-02 07:00:55 (GMT)
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On \"summa cum laude\" however, it was the brightes of a trio that included \"cum laude\" and \"magna cum laude\", which were handed out to anybody with a given overall average (as I remember it some 35 years ago).

Anyhow, David found the nucleus of the answer.

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Note added at 2003-01-02 07:01:28 (GMT)
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And DPolice adds an important qualification.

Arthur Borges
China
Local time: 10:15
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