Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
faire les 3 x 8 / faire les trois fois huit
English translation:
to work shifts / to do shift work
Added to glossary by
Dr Andrew Read
Nov 11, 2014 16:44
9 yrs ago
7 viewers *
French term
United Kingdom
Style – accuracy – customer focus
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English, Italian to English, and 1 more.
faire les 3 x 8 / faire les trois fois huit
French to English
Bus/Financial
Human Resources
Slang
This is from the subtitles of a documentary I'm translating about youth unemployment in France.
In this section, the young man gets dropped off at a budget hotel where he works. I have some ideas of what this phrase means (starred below) but will leave it to see what others think. Answers welcome from native speakers and others.
#Chaque jour, c'est sa mère,#
#qui le dépose à son travail.#
#Depuis un mois,#
#Guillaume ***fait les 3 x 8***#
#dans cet hôtel low cost,
[...]#
#Pour 80 chambres,#
#le jeune homme est tout seul.#
#Au programme : ménage#
#et téléphone.#
[...]
#39 heures par semaine,#
#le plus souvent de nuit,#
#payé au smic.#
In this section, the young man gets dropped off at a budget hotel where he works. I have some ideas of what this phrase means (starred below) but will leave it to see what others think. Answers welcome from native speakers and others.
#Chaque jour, c'est sa mère,#
#qui le dépose à son travail.#
#Depuis un mois,#
#Guillaume ***fait les 3 x 8***#
#dans cet hôtel low cost,
[...]#
#Pour 80 chambres,#
#le jeune homme est tout seul.#
#Au programme : ménage#
#et téléphone.#
[...]
#39 heures par semaine,#
#le plus souvent de nuit,#
#payé au smic.#
Proposed translations
(English)
References
| Wikipedia Def |
Sheri P
|
Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:
Non-PRO (2): Catharine Cellier-Smart, David Hayes
When entering new questions, KudoZ askers are given an opportunity* to classify the difficulty of their questions as 'easy' or 'pro'. If you feel a question marked 'easy' should actually be marked 'pro', and if you have earned more than 20 KudoZ points, you can click the "Vote PRO" button to recommend that change.
How to tell the difference between "easy" and "pro" questions:
An easy question is one that any bilingual person would be able to answer correctly. (Or in the case of monolingual questions, an easy question is one that any native speaker of the language would be able to answer correctly.)
A pro question is anything else... in other words, any question that requires knowledge or skills that are specialized (even slightly).
Another way to think of the difficulty levels is this: an easy question is one that deals with everyday conversation. A pro question is anything else.
When deciding between easy and pro, err on the side of pro. Most questions will be pro.
* Note: non-member askers are not given the option of entering 'pro' questions; the only way for their questions to be classified as 'pro' is for a ProZ.com member or members to re-classify it.
Proposed translations
+6
11 mins
Selected
shift work
Shift work is an employment practice designed to make use of, or provide service across, all 24 hours of the clock each day of the week (abbreviated as 24/7). The practice typically sees the day divided into "shifts", set periods of time during which different groups of workers take up their posts. The term "shift work" includes both long-term night shifts and work schedules in which employees change or rotate shifts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shift_work
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 mins (2014-11-11 16:58:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
You could simply say "does shift work," "performs shift work," etc.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 55 mins (2014-11-11 17:40:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
And, of course, given the "depuis" of the preceding line, the verb should be in the present perfect continuous: "has been doing shift work."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shift_work
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 mins (2014-11-11 16:58:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
You could simply say "does shift work," "performs shift work," etc.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 55 mins (2014-11-11 17:40:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
And, of course, given the "depuis" of the preceding line, the verb should be in the present perfect continuous: "has been doing shift work."
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Hi Sheri
You get the points as you found the explanatory reference very quickly then made the good suggestion for the translation before Tony made his equally good suggestion. A key thing was that I had to be brief because of the subtitles.
Andrew"
5 mins
Lorraine Dubuc
Canada
Canada
Native in French
&
English
Specializes in field
Canada
Related KudoZ points
:
16
covers the 3 (8-hour) shifts
works day, afternoon and night
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Tony M
: That could be misconstrued as meaning he is working 24 hrs a day! / Not here, it's a well-known expression that is perfectly understood by anyone using it in FR.
15 mins
|
|
Yes indeed but that's the impression that the 3x8 leaves as well.
|
|
| agree |
Jean-Claude Gouin
6 hrs
|
|
Thank you!
|
|
| disagree |
Adrien Henry
: Agree with Tony here. He cannot be working 24 hours a day.
1 day 3 hrs
|
|
It only means he covers any of those shifts or works on all of them, obviously not all of them in one day.
|
6 mins
works on a three-shift system
This was my first thought, but I'm not sure it works given the context of him mainly working at night?
16 mins
works an eight hour shift
Its one of those neat little French phrases that needs a sentence or more to translate accurately. He only works 8 hours and generally does the night shift. Often those doing a 3x8 work different shifts each week which is why it can be so tough. That doesn't seem to be the case here. You may need to put in somewhere that the front desk (which is where he'd be based) is manned 24/7.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Tony M
: Not incorrect — but fails to explain that his shift is part of a 3-shift pattern: like anyone else, he might just work an 8-hr day...
7 mins
|
+6
20 mins
has been working shifts
I think this would be a more appropriate way of expressing it for your subtitles, where you can't go into lenghty detail about the fact that the trois-huit means 3 × 8-hour shifts to enable round-the-clock working for factories etc.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 22 minutes (2014-11-11 17:07:15 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Yes, it's enough, as your text then goes on to explain that he works mainly the night shift.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 46 minutes (2014-11-11 17:31:31 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Do let's note that FR expressions using (e.g.) 'depuis + present tense' are often best rendered in EN by a perfect continuous tense.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 22 minutes (2014-11-11 17:07:15 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Yes, it's enough, as your text then goes on to explain that he works mainly the night shift.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 46 minutes (2014-11-11 17:31:31 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Do let's note that FR expressions using (e.g.) 'depuis + present tense' are often best rendered in EN by a perfect continuous tense.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Victoria Britten
: Grammar 'n all!
18 mins
|
|
Thanks, Victoria! Innit?
|
|
| neutral |
Sheri P
: You are right about the grammar, of course, but "working shifts" doesn't convey the idea that it's "shift work." "Working shifts" could be 9-5, M-F, every week.
31 mins
|
|
Thanks, Sheri! Not really — in the UK at least 'working shifts' in the plural implies some kind of shift pattern just like this; unlike, of course 'working a shift'.
|
|
| agree |
nweatherdon
: That's how I would say it. Apparently shift work is not optimal for health (higher mortality, even long in the future, if I understand correctly).
42 mins
|
|
Thanks, NJ! Fancy that! Must be millions of people affected by it then... :-(
|
|
| agree |
Catharine Cellier-Smart
1 hr
|
|
Thanks, Catharine!
|
|
| agree |
CKSTraductions
14 hrs
|
|
Merci, CKS !
|
|
| agree |
kashew
18 hrs
|
|
Thanks, J!
|
|
| agree |
Adrien Henry
1 day 3 hrs
|
|
Merci, Adrien !
|
54 mins
has been working a rolling 8 hour shift
Another way of saying the same thing, but which accounts for the rotating nature of the 3x8 shift system.
5 hrs
Working 8 hour multi-shifts
Along with the 4-8, this system is used in companies operating 24 hours a day.
For example an employee will work 3 morning shifts followed by 2 afternoon ones. The following week he will work 3 afternoons and 2 mornings. Shifts are 8 hours long making a total of 24 hence the term 3x8
Usually SMIC paid work and industry standard in France
My ex works the 3-8; body clock goes haywire
For example an employee will work 3 morning shifts followed by 2 afternoon ones. The following week he will work 3 afternoons and 2 mornings. Shifts are 8 hours long making a total of 24 hence the term 3x8
Usually SMIC paid work and industry standard in France
My ex works the 3-8; body clock goes haywire
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Tony M
: Once again, taken baldly in isolation, this could lead to misinterpretation, as if he was working multiple shifts. / Much too long and unnecessarily detailed for a subtitle.
5 hrs
|
|
Yes...based on your post how about '8 hour shifts as part of a round the clock team', although this translation may be a bit informal?
|
Reference comments
4 mins
Reference:
Wikipedia Def
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_×_8
Les 3 × 8 ou trois-huit sont un système d'organisation d'horaires de travail en travail posté qui consiste à faire tourner par roulement de huit heures consécutives trois équipes sur un même poste, afin d'assurer un fonctionnement continu sur les 24 h d'une journée, sauf week-end, contrairement au 4 x 8 ou 5 × 8. Chez certains employeurs, les équipes changent de tranche horaire chaque semaine. Ce système est principalement appliqué dans les entreprises du secteur secondaire ou de transports.
Les 3 × 8 ou trois-huit sont un système d'organisation d'horaires de travail en travail posté qui consiste à faire tourner par roulement de huit heures consécutives trois équipes sur un même poste, afin d'assurer un fonctionnement continu sur les 24 h d'une journée, sauf week-end, contrairement au 4 x 8 ou 5 × 8. Chez certains employeurs, les équipes changent de tranche horaire chaque semaine. Ce système est principalement appliqué dans les entreprises du secteur secondaire ou de transports.
Note from asker:
| Hi Sheri, feel free to post an answer based on your research here... Andrew |
Peer comments on this reference comment:
| agree |
Tony M
19 mins
|
|
Thank you, Tony
|
|
| agree |
Victoria Britten
34 mins
|
|
Thanks, Victoria
|
|
| agree |
Duncan Moncrieff
37 mins
|
|
Thanks, Duncan
|
|
| agree |
Jean-Claude Gouin
6 hrs
|
|
Thanks, 1045
|
Something went wrong...