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Allumage

English translation: critical mass

19:36 Nov 5, 2015
French to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Business/Commerce (general)
French term or phrase: Allumage
This is from a history of e-commerce. It is talking about independent marketplaces being created "dans le sillage d’eBay". The paragraph is as follows:

"Ces plateformes se veulent neutres, soucieuses de créer de la valeur tant pour les acheteurs que pour les vendeurs, sans privilégier les uns par rapport aux autres. Pour elles, l’enjeu est d’arriver à la masse critique qui leur garantira la liquidité de l’offre et de la demande. Avec pour principale difficulté, le problème de l’allumage propre à tout marché. En effet, les vendeurs ne s’inscriront que si les acheteurs présents sur la plateforme sont nombreux et les acheteurs, quant à eux, ne se connecteront que si l’offre proposée est large et profonde."

I have never seen 'allumage' used in this sense before and am stuck as to how to translate it here. I don't know if we could talk about 'ignition' here in English? Any help greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance :-)
Sarah Day
Local time: 01:10
English translation:critical mass
Explanation:
This is the nearest equivalent I can think of.

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Note added at 6 mins (2015-11-05 19:42:23 GMT)
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I've just noticed that it uses "mass critique" earlier, but you could translate that as "size". "Mass critique" and "allumage" basically mean the same thing.

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Note added at 37 mins (2015-11-05 20:14:11 GMT)
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Masse, rather.
Selected response from:

philgoddard
United States
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2critical mass
philgoddard
5Catch 22 (in this context)
Adiel Stephenson
4take-off
Francois Boye
4the ignition of the mark
Ellen Kraus
4market entry and establishment of market position
AilesLegeres
4take-off point
B D Finch
4marketplace ignition / to kickstart a marketplace
Daryo
3 +1take-up
John Detre
3visibility
Karen Vincent-Jones (X)


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
take-off


Explanation:
A new product is launched but demand is not strong itself to enlarge the diffusion of the product.

Francois Boye
United States
Local time: 20:10
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 102
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18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
the ignition of the mark


Explanation:
seems to be a relatively recent and widespread key word.
see the numerous Google links,such as e.g.:


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 26 mins (2015-11-05 20:02:53 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

sorry, I lost the "et" in markET
www.ignition-inc.com/
An international marketing solutions company, that brings brands to life through non-traditional marketing strategy and activation.
https://www.facebook.com/ignitionmarketingph/
MSD Ignition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Assessing the Market Opportunity: Ignition Workshops | New ...
www.newventuresbc.com/.../assessing-the-market-o...
Ignition Workshops. Assessing the Market Opportunity. Looking at Current and Future Markets. Date: Monday, September 14, 2015; Sign In: 5:30 PM | Event: ...

Ellen Kraus
Austria
Local time: 02:10
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 34
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37 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
market entry and establishment of market position


Explanation:
Marketing terms. Thought there may be a more succinct way of expressing this, marketing language is usually more obfuscating and euphemistic than communicative. I wouldn't use "ignition".

AilesLegeres
United States
Local time: 17:10
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Daryo: Marketing terms? doesn't mean they fit automatically just because they are "marketing terms"
6 hrs
agree  philgoddard: I think this is a bit of a mouthful, but it's not incorrect, and Daryo is always disagreeing with everyone :-)
3 days 9 mins
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
critical mass


Explanation:
This is the nearest equivalent I can think of.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2015-11-05 19:42:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I've just noticed that it uses "mass critique" earlier, but you could translate that as "size". "Mass critique" and "allumage" basically mean the same thing.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 37 mins (2015-11-05 20:14:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Masse, rather.

philgoddard
United States
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 295
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
Notes to answerer
Asker: That's great Phil, thanks - it all becomes clear :-)


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Yvonne Gallagher: yep
1 hr
neutral  Daryo: that's the idea, but how to fit it in this sentence? especially that "critical mass" was already used in the previous sentence?
7 hrs
  -> If you read my answer, I've suggested a translation.
agree  John Holland
18 hrs
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14 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
take-off point


Explanation:
https://books.google.co.uk/books?isbn=1428921753
Even detailed consumer studies and market tests can not resolve some of these ... When sales reach a market “take-off” point-typically observed to be a few ...

https://books.google.co.uk/books?isbn=113362751X
Michael Czinkota, ‎Ilkka Ronkainen - 2012 - ‎Business & Economics
Research has shown that the take-off point for new products (i.e., when initial sales turn into mass-market sales) is six years on average in Europe.

B D Finch
France
Local time: 02:10
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 308
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20 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
allumage d'un marché
marketplace ignition / to kickstart a marketplace


Explanation:
le problème de l’allumage propre à tout marché

the problem faced by every marketplace - how to ignite it

the problem faced by every marketplace - how to kickstart it

here it's not about "the market" as a general concept, but about some specific market, so "marketplace" is preferable;

these people are trying to create a "virtual/online marketplace" and they need to "ignate" the fire - create a continuous / sustained activity that is going to make sellers and buyers come back to that marketplace.

exactly what these people are doing:
http://marketplaceignition.com/

Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:10
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SerbianSerbian, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 166
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1 day 10 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
take-up


Explanation:
Doesn't mean exactly the same thing but might fit in this particular context



    Reference: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/take-up
John Detre
Canada
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Yvonne Gallagher: yes, for this context
4 days
  -> Thanks
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5 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
visibility


Explanation:
I think this merely refers to the information buyers and sellers have about the market. If buyers do not know who/how many the sellers are, they will not sign up, and similarly for sellers who may be know how many buyers are out there.

Karen Vincent-Jones (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:10
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 17
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9 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Catch 22 (in this context)


Explanation:
Rough translation: with the principal difficulty being the "Catch-22" problem typical of pretty much all nascent markets - in other words, the sellers won't subscribe until the buyers present on the platform are sufficiently numerous and the buyers, on their part, won't connect until the benefits of doing so are sufficiently broad and substantial.
You can't translate it word for word here.

Adiel Stephenson
Hungary
Local time: 02:10
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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