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récif à ragues

English translation: tiered concrete-slab reef

13:05 May 17, 2018
French to English translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Other / marine ecology
French term or phrase: récif à ragues
see this link (I am translating this site)
http://www.seaboost.fr/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Fiche-tech...

raguer means wear away; but it must mean something else here


thanks
Jackie Doble
France
Local time: 17:37
English translation:tiered concrete-slab reef
Explanation:
See the discussion entries.
"Rague" seems to be a very obscure word, and I may be wrong but I don't think you're going to find an equivalent. You just need a term that describes the design.
Selected response from:

philgoddard
United States
Grading comment
I think this is more understandable Thanks!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1multi-layer crevice reef
Charles Davis
4tiered concrete-slab reef
philgoddard


Discussion entries: 12





  

Answers


42 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
tiered concrete-slab reef


Explanation:
See the discussion entries.
"Rague" seems to be a very obscure word, and I may be wrong but I don't think you're going to find an equivalent. You just need a term that describes the design.

philgoddard
United States
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 44
Grading comment
I think this is more understandable Thanks!
Notes to answerer
Asker: Ok thanks, I have sent an email to the agency director who lives in Nice and is a keen sailor, maybe he will know... will get back to you

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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
multi-layer crevice reef


Explanation:
An alternative, based on my findings and suggestions in the discussion. Personally I think what matters here is the shape rather than what it's made of, and I would be happier including a nod to the actual (apparent) meaning of "ragues". Actually artificial reefs tend to have holes rather than crevices, so I don't think it's a tautology.

"Layer" and "tier" would do equally well.

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Note added at 20 hrs (2018-05-18 09:06:32 GMT)
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It is not a common word, clearly, and I think it's almost certainly regional (south-west); Provençal origin would fit that. But it certainly seems to be standard in diving circles. If you look for "ragues" + "sous-marin" you find quite a lot of examples. And I think the meaning is definitely crevices, specifically horizontal ones: deep, narrow cavities where fish and crustaceans lurk.

I still think that because the object of this particular artificial reef is to create a habitat with crevices, the emphasis should be on the "ragues": the gaps between the slabs rather than the slabs themselves.

Here's the French version of a document on the best Spanish diving sites. It uses the word "ragues" three times, referring to the Catalan coastline, and each time it's translating the Spanish word "grietas", which means cracks or crevices. For example:

"Les parois, tapissées de belles gorgones, possèdent de nombreuses ragues qui abritent congres, murènes et langoustes"
https://issuu.com/estacionesnauticas/docs/les_meilleures_des... (p. 2)

Spanish version:
"La pared, tapizada de bellas gorgonias, muestra numerosas grietas con congrios, morenas y langostas"
https://issuu.com/estacionesnauticasdemenorca/docs/30mejores...

This is about a wreck colonised by fish:

"Au printemps, des bancs de sars et de saupes [...] dans les interstices des carcasses, formant alors d'immenses ragues"
https://books.google.es/books?id=hbsTCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT246&lpg=P...

Another indication that it's specifically a horizontal crevice:

"Suivant le type de roche ou sa configuration, on peut parier du type de poisson que l'on peut trouver. Ainsi, ragues horizontales et autres failles verticales ou obliques sont des endroits privilégiés pour le sar."
http://magieweb.pagesperso-orange.fr/plonge2.html

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 17:37
Works in field
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  philgoddard: If it's tiered, then by definition it has crevices. // But there's a picture, so you couldn't misinterpret it.
1 hr
  -> No, not necessarily; it depends whether there are gaps between the tiers. That is one of my main reasons for offereing an alternative; "tiered" could well be interpreted as stepped (like a Maya pyramid). Better to clarity.

agree  B D Finch: Reef with crevices would probably be enough, but your description is more complete.
3 hrs
  -> Thanks, Barbara
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