Chameleon

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Glossary of terms (French to English)

These are glossaries of words and expressions either not found in dictionaries or found with different meanings.  They are constantly added to.  Spanish glossary coming soon.

N.B. some definitions may seem strange because they take for granted that the everyday meaning of the term is known; only specialised senses are thus given.

French glossary for translation into English
French / français English / anglais
abandon scolaire drop-out
administration centrale central government
agence de politiques policy agency
agrément permit
appréciation deciding, evaluating
agendas de formation training agendas
animal (goût de vin) gamey, game-like, sweaty saddle (Australianism)
apprentissage à vie,
apprentissage tout au long de la vie :
lifelong learning
apprentissage politique policy learning
appropriation ownership
acquittement read receipt
au-delà besides
baie rack
bailleurs sponsors
balatum (Belgianism for linoléum) lino
barrique cask, barrel
branche sector
blanc fumé sauvignon blanc
bordelais claret
bourbes lees, sediment, mud (Americanism)
bourgeon bud
brassage (injecting pressurised gas into bottom of vat — a quicker method than remontage)
buttage earthing-up (to protect plants from frost)
cadre politique policy framework
cas déviant outlier
cep winestock, grapevine stump
cépage grape variety (see also vin de cépage)
chai winery, wine cellar, wine storehouse (especially in Bordeaux)
chapeau head, cap (layer of skins on top of must)
chasse-gardée preserve, turf
chicon (Belgianism) chickory
clair (en) made clear, at a glance, unencrypted, in a clear uncoded form
clairet clairet, pale red wine, rosé claret
clarification clarifying, fining
collage (fining wine using isinglass, albumen, bentonite, milk...)
colle de poisson isinglass
compétences au marché du travail (aptitudes) labour market skills
conditions particulières special conditions
contre-étiquette back label
contributeurs donors
côte, coteau hillside vineyard, vine-covered hill
cuvage fermenting in vats
cuvaison fermenting in vats
cuve vat, tank, tun
cuvier d'élevage ageing hall, area or facility
débourbage (decanting white wine just before fermentation to reduce sediment)
débourber (to carry out débourbage)
débourrement budding
débuttage (see déchaussage)
déchaussage (casting between the rows the earth that has accumulated at the foot of the vines)
décuvage running-off
décuvaison running-off
délestage délestage (removing juice from vat, letting the cap sink. Two hours later, juice is poured on top of cap)
démarche qualité quality assurance
déprotection deprotection
direction stratégique strategic leadership
dispositifs systems, programs, mechanisms, steps, things done, measures
document d'orientation policy paper
dur (acide) hard (acidic)
école de demain school of tomorrow
école polyvalente comprehensive school
économie basée sur la connaissance knowledge-based economy
économie de la connaissance knowledge economy
economie politique du changement political economy of change
écoulage free running (draining off wine by gravity)
effeuillage thinning-out of leaves around the grape
égrappage picking-off, (de-)stemming (grapes), stripping (vegetables)
élaboration wine-making, drawing-up (of a document)
élément criterion, thing
élevage ageing (of wine in oak casks and the bottle)
en clair — see ‘clair (en)’  
encouragement financier financial incentive
endéans (Belgianism) by, within
endive chicory
enseignement et formation professionnelle vocational education and training (singular)
enseignement professionnel vocational education
enseignement supérieur higher education
enseignement technique et professionnel technical and vocational training (singular)
ensemble de (l') all (or meaningless)
éraflage (de)stalking, (de-)stemming
essuie (Belgianism) towel, tea-towel
étude du marché market research and market study (context)
exhaustivité (l') how complete
fermentation malolactique malolactic fermentation (from malic into lactic acid)
feuillaison foliation
filière sector (nb. EU/UNESCO/TVET etc. not consistent), pathway
flexibiliser (se) grow more flexible
floraison blooming, flowering
formation à distance distance training/distance learning
formation continue continuous training
formation de formateurs training of trainers
formation en alternance work-based training
formation en entreprise enterprise-based training
formation professionnelle continue continuing vocational training
formation résidentielle in-house training/in-service training
foulage crushing, treading
fouler crush, tread
fréquence how often, when
fût cask
gouvernance governance
greffe graft
ingénierie de la formation training consultancy
inscrire dans (s') to be in (keeping with)
Institut de la Banque Mondiale World Bank Institute
interligne space between rows of vines
intervenir give a talk, make a comment
intervention speech, talk, what was said
at this/that stage, in this/that respect, here, there, now, then, this, that.
lies lees (sediment)
lors du passage de la souris on mouseover
macération maceration, steeping (leaving skins in contact with must)
marc pomace, marc
marché du travail labour market / job market
maturation ripening
mécanisme de pilotage guiding strategies
millésime vintage, year
mise à jour update
mise à niveau rehabilitation / upgrade
mobilité de la population active labour mobility
monde du travail world of work
monographie case study
mousseux sparkling
moût must (wine), wort (beer)
mutage (cutting wine with brandy to halt fermentation)
niveau de (au) with, -ly, in
niveau de référence benchmark
normes de competences skills standards
normes professionnelles occupational standards
nouaison setting
organisations de la société civile civil society organisations
organoleptique organoleptic, sensorial
parcours pathways
partie prenante stakeholder
paysage situation, cityscape
pédagogie de l'alternance work-based learning
pellicule skins
pétillant (vin) pearl wine (carbonated from the fermentation)
péritel (prise) scart jack
péritélévision (prise) scart jack
persistance aftertaste
pigeage pigeage, cap immersion, head plunging (pushing the skins into the must)
pilotage management
pilotage/piloter guidance/to guide (to diff. from piloting/pilot projects)
PME (Petite ou Moyenne Entreprise) SME (Small or Medium Enterprise)
PME (Petites et Moyennes Entreprises) SMEs (Small & Medium Enterprises)
population active workforce
porte-greffe rootstock (bottom part of American vine)
poser un acte (Belgianism, Canadianism) carry out an act
préfet port admiral
pressurage pressing
prestataire who supplies, contractor
programme de réformes reform agenda
rafle stalks, stems
récolte harvest, grape-picking
reconceptualiser rethink
réduction de la pauvreté poverty alleviation
réflexion debate, remark, criticism, thought, what was said
remontage
  1. overpumping, remontage (pumping wine from bottom of vat and raining it from the top)
  2. remontage (repairing a vine-covered hill after soil has been washed down by heavy rain)
retenu chosen
robe colour, depth, robe, depth of colour
savoir être life skills
soutirage racking (moving between vats or casks, often to air wine to age it)
spécificité difference, specific details
sur le tas on the job
surveillance monitoring
systèmes d'apprentissage apprenticeship systems
tartrique tartaric
technologie de pointe cutting-edge technologies
tout au long de la vie throughout life
tout ce qui est (meaningless)
TPME (Très PME) small business
tranquille (vin) still wine
validation des acquis validation of experience
végétal (goût de vin) leafy, herbaceous
véraison véraison, turning (when the grapes change colour)
VQPRD VQPRD, QWPSR, (Quality Wines Produced in a Specified Region)
vin de cépage single varietal wine
vin de consommation courante plonk
vin de table table wine (not necessarily plonk)
viniculture viniculture, the art of making wine
vinification vinification, wine-making
viticulteur grape-grower
voie pathway (in education)
vrille tendril