Dec 1, 2008 14:27
15 yrs ago
4 viewers *
French term
United Kingdom
Speed and accuracy - 1 million words/yr
Native in: English
Works in: French to English, English to French
cartésien
French to English
Social Sciences
Psychology
I am translating a social report describing a family that is applying for approval to adopt. This section is talking about the children they already have.
The sentence says about one of them "Il est, d'après ses parents, gentil, très structuré et très cartésien."
How would you say 'cartésien'? Would it be 'logical'?
It would be great to get some answers from people with a psychology background. Thanks for your help.
The sentence says about one of them "Il est, d'après ses parents, gentil, très structuré et très cartésien."
How would you say 'cartésien'? Would it be 'logical'?
It would be great to get some answers from people with a psychology background. Thanks for your help.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +8 | rational |
writeaway
|
| 4 +4 | reasonable |
BUSINESSFORUM Ltd
|
| 4 +2 | cartesian |
Lionel_M (X)
|
| 3 +1 | rational |
Emma Paulay
|
| 4 | rationally-inclined |
jmleger
|
| 5 -1 | of sound mind/ sane |
MatthewLaSon
|
Proposed translations
+8
2 mins
Selected
rational
based on RC
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks to everyone. I plump for 'rational', because Cartesian, although it could be used, would be less immediately understood by an English speaker. Points to writeaway for being one whole minute quicker than Emma (sorry Emma, you are equally deserving!)"
+1
3 mins
rational
Robert & Collins:
■ avoir un esprit (très) cartésien : to be very rational
■ avoir un esprit (très) cartésien : to be very rational
+4
6 mins
BUSINESSFORUM Ltd
Native in French
We make bussines speak all languages!
Native in: Bulgarian 
, French
Works in: English to French, Bulgarian to French, Bulgarian to English, and 4 more.
reasonable
-
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Jessica Agullo (X)
: I prefer reasonable to rational when describing a child's behaviour
2 mins
|
| agree |
Angela Dickson (X)
13 mins
|
| agree |
Helen Shiner
: Much more likely to be said in EN.
31 mins
|
| agree |
ArabellaCE (X)
: I think "reasonable" best fits the context
5 hrs
|
| neutral |
roisin56
: reasonable contains note of judgement; rational is simply descriptive
6 hrs
|
16 mins
rationally-inclined
rather than rational (which does not means quite the same thing is English as rational in French). In English, you are rational when you are not drunk, or otherwise emotionally, etc. impaired (the bar is set quite low. You can be rational and still believe in tarot, I-ching or feng shui, and that is is not rationel or cartésien. See the diff?
+2
7 mins
cartesian
IMO
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Note added at 11 mins (2008-12-01 14:39:06 GMT)
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http://www.custance.org/old/mind/ch2m.html
Cartesian Dualism: Mind and Brain Interaction
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119108001/abstrac...
Bodies of Knowledge: Beyond Cartesian Views of Persons, Selves and Mind:
...he is Cartesian is in his suspicion of the information provided by the senses
http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/19...
....Finally and perhaps most important, the historian questions his evidence. He is Cartesian in his doubts of the reliability of the material he studies, of the motives generating its existence, and of the relationship of a given interview or document to the rest of the events they describe. ....
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 41 mins (2008-12-01 15:09:08 GMT)
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X Angela: Cartesian is "rational" basically, but I don't see why changing the word since it exists in English with the same definition/meaning as in FR.
Moreover, it is a clinician which reports parents considerations; he (the clinician) uses a "medical" word.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 mins (2008-12-01 14:39:06 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
http://www.custance.org/old/mind/ch2m.html
Cartesian Dualism: Mind and Brain Interaction
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119108001/abstrac...
Bodies of Knowledge: Beyond Cartesian Views of Persons, Selves and Mind:
...he is Cartesian is in his suspicion of the information provided by the senses
http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/19...
....Finally and perhaps most important, the historian questions his evidence. He is Cartesian in his doubts of the reliability of the material he studies, of the motives generating its existence, and of the relationship of a given interview or document to the rest of the events they describe. ....
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 41 mins (2008-12-01 15:09:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
X Angela: Cartesian is "rational" basically, but I don't see why changing the word since it exists in English with the same definition/meaning as in FR.
Moreover, it is a clinician which reports parents considerations; he (the clinician) uses a "medical" word.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Angela Dickson (X)
: could you explain what the parents might mean when describing their child as 'cartésien'?
11 mins
|
| agree |
Claire Chapman
: I think that there is more to the meaning of this word than an alternative translation can provide, but maybe that is my education background talking :-)
27 mins
|
| agree |
Richardson Lisa
: I'd definitely stick with the same term if it's for a pschology report
5 hrs
|
-1
6 hrs
of sound mind/ sane
Hello,
This child is sane, or of sound mine. Both are used extensively in child psychology.
cartésien = sane/of sound mind
A child who is not "cartésien" is unstable, irrational, etc
In other words, he's crazy. LOL.
This child is sane, or of sound mine. Both are used extensively in child psychology.
cartésien = sane/of sound mind
A child who is not "cartésien" is unstable, irrational, etc
In other words, he's crazy. LOL.
Peer comment(s):
| disagree |
C B
: it means down to earth, so rational is the proper formal term
1 day 17 hrs
|
|
I disagree with you. "Sane" and "of sound mind" mean just that: rational. It's very commonly used in child psychology. "Down to earth" shouldn't even enter into the picture here. It's irrevelant. I can be rational and sane without being "down to earth".
|
Reference comments
40 mins
Claire Chapman
Native in English
All things textile
Native in: English 
Works in: French to English, English to French, English
Reference:
Dictionary.com - Cartesian
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=Cartesian
The Child As Cartesian Thinker: Children's Reasonings About Metaphysical Aspects of Reality
http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQtgZinfoQQprZ649666
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=Cartesian
The Child As Cartesian Thinker: Children's Reasonings About Metaphysical Aspects of Reality
http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQtgZinfoQQprZ649666
Peer comments on this reference comment:
| neutral |
Emma Paulay
: I think the difference is that your Frenchman in the street might use the word "cartésien" to describe his child, but your average Englishman wouldn't.
30 mins
|
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It would depend on whether or not this is the social worker's professional interpretation of what the parents said or if this is a quote of what the parents said.
|
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