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boule
l\'axe intestin-cerveau
Oct 6, 2015 16:14
8 yrs ago
French term

Prototype

French to English Other Ships, Sailing, Maritime
I was surprised to see the my client refer to their boat as a prototype. It's the boat they'll be sailing, not a design model for producing a future boat. But then I looked at the Petit Robert and found this definition: "Apareil ou véhicul construit à peu d'exemplaires...pour des compétitions". Well, that definition certainly fits the bill here. The boat is unique, unlike any other.

Unfortunately the English dictionaries don't provide this definition. The Oxford dictionary, for example, says:

"A first or preliminary version of a device or vehicle ***from which other forms are developed***:"

and

"The first, original, or typical form of something; an archetype:"

Anybody know a term in English with the same meaning as the French?
Proposed translations (English)
4 +1 prototype
2 -1 competition model

Discussion

Nikki Scott-Despaigne Oct 8, 2015:
I might as well be a little more explicit. My ex-husband, who has now hung up his professional yellow wellies, used to sail on the the French multihull circuit. Along with a small crew, he held the translatlantic crew record under sail for almost 10 years (Jet Services V) and set the Jules Verne Circumnavigation Record on Commodore yonks back. (Same boat actually, which is one of the reasons why he was asked to be on board). From that time and ever since, I've been working on and off translating in that very field, almost exclusively in fact. It means I've followed recent (since the end of the 1980s) evolution in the field. After more than 20 years in La Trinité sur Mer hanging out in boat yards and design offices, I pretty much ate, drank and slept multihulls and record attempts on a daily basis. You might like to check out an English architext, Nigel Irens, who has been quite a major influence in the French multihull market, quite innovative. Mega and giant multis are a FR obsession, altho' there are UK, US and NZ boats too of course. The VPLP firm cited by Alison is an excellent reference. I used to work with them but they now have US native speakers on staff. 8-(
Nikki Scott-Despaigne Oct 8, 2015:
prototype "Prototype" is absolutely standard in the multihull sailing of the type your document is obviously referring to. Multis built for breaking records are not necessarily built to a measurement rule in the way the ORMA 60's were, for example, although many have established records. The mega-multis around now are generally prototypes. They are highly technical machines, adopting construction techinques from the aeronatuical industry, along with much of the vocabulary found in Formula One car racing. Indeed, the bigger multis are often referred to as the "formule 1 des mers".

"Prototype" is the term you need. It should not be dropped. It is a key term in the description. It means that it is a one-off, the only one built to to those particular specifications.

Check SODEBO (Thomas Coville), IDEC (Francis Joyon), for example. Each currently has a giant multi, built with the intention of breaking existing and establishing new records. Joyon is currently gearing up to attack the round-the-world solo record, for example.

You will also find small record-breaking prototypes in the C-Class (Clark). There is a class rule, but deliberately open in several ways to encourage innovation.
Alison MacG Oct 7, 2015:
Compare the use of prototype in sports car racing I think this is a similar concept and that the intended readership would understand what was meant by prototype here. You could perhaps go with racing prototype.
A sports prototype, sometimes referred to as simply a prototype, is a type of race car that is used in the highest level categories of sports car racing. These purpose-built racing cars, unlike street-legal and production-based racing cars, are not intended for consumer purchase or production beyond that required to compete and win races. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_prototype
Lagoon was created in 1984 as an extension of the racing division of the French boat builder, Jeanneau, and was set up specifically to build racing prototypes. These highly capable offshore racing boats … won an unequalled string of victories. http://www.soundyachting.com/lagoonabout.php
Van Peteghem Lauriot-Prévost (VPLP) is a French based naval architectural firm … responsible for designing some of the world's most innovative racing boats. Their designs presently hold many of the World Speed Sailing records. / Racing prototypes and results https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VPLP#Racing_prototypes
http://www.artemischallenge.com/teams/view/sma
David Sirett Oct 7, 2015:
In context... ... an English-speaking copywriter would probably be more likely to write simply "record-breaking trimaran".
On the other hand, "one-off prototype" seems fairly common, and retains the "unique" aspect".
Timothy Barton (asker) Oct 7, 2015:
Phil and David Phil - Because I know the client and what it's for.

I don't want to give more details on here, so I'll give you a different example. Imagine you were translating a text about a vehicle attempting the land-speed record. It's clear that the car is being built specifically for the record, not for mass production. Would you still call it a prototype?
David Sirett Oct 7, 2015:
Prototype The term in English with the same meaning is "prototype"!
Clearest examples given by the aircraft industry, where, at least before planes were designed using computers, one or more prototypes were built, usually without weapon systems, radar, etc., for military aircraft or cabin outfitting for commercial aircraft, and tested to make sure that their performance was acceptable before proceeding with production versions.
Don't get hung up on "uniqueness" or whether any more are being produced.
philgoddard Oct 6, 2015:
How do you know they won't be producing more like it in the future?
Timothy Barton (asker) Oct 6, 2015:
Or "unique", which makes it clear there's no other like it.
Timothy Barton (asker) Oct 6, 2015:
It's just an image caption that says "Trimaran prototype détenteur de records". Worst-case scenario I can just call it a "trimaran" and ignore prototype.
Ana Vozone Oct 6, 2015:
Could you provide more context, i.e., a full sentence where the term appears?

Proposed translations

+1
1 day 17 hrs
Selected

prototype

I think you're focusing too much on the more familiar meaning of "prototype", Timothy. As your Petit Robert reference shows, it has two meanings in French, and this is also the case in English.

This reference is to cars, but it obviously fits your yachting context too:

"A sports prototype, sometimes referred to as simply a prototype, is a type of race car that is used in the highest level categories of sports car racing. These purpose-built racing cars, unlike street-legal and production-based racing cars, are not intended for consumer purchase or production beyond that required to compete and win races."
Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_prototype

Peer comment(s):
agree Nikki Scott-Despaigne : And it is used in the UK and US multihull world too, although the French have been leading the mega and giant multi proto field for quite some time.
25 mins
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks. I tried e-mailing you but your server rejected my e-mail. Could you email me your phone number?"
-1
1 hr

competition model

Looking in the CNTRL I find the following definition of "prototype", completing the one you found:
En partic. [Dans les compétitions automobiles sur circuit] Voiture pour laquelle les règlements n'exigent ni une production minimale, ni un équipement routier complet.
Based on that I looked up "competition model" and found several references, of which this one:
http://cruisingsailboat.blogspot.fr/2013/06/pearson-30-tarta...
in the paragraph "design"

Looking

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2015-10-06 17:26:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Here https://www.boats.com/reviews/boats/plastic-fantastic-2510/
we find competition model and sports model, but I'll stick with my suggestion

Newest contender in the poly wars is the DeWitt dinghy. Like
the Escapes, it is bright yellow and rotomolded. Designed by long-time El
Toro sailor Jim DeWitt, it bears more than a passing resemblance to that
pram and holds two adults comfortably. At 8 feet 6 inches and with a weight of 90 pounds, the DeWitt comes with a carbon fiber mast, Mylar sails and built-in
seating.

Durable and easy to maintain, it comes in a simply rigged Resort
model ($2,395), a Sport model with more adjustments and a roller
furling mainsail ($2,695), and a Competition model ($3,295) with fully-battened main.
Peer comment(s):
disagree Nikki Scott-Despaigne : Too restrictive here I'm afraid. Not all prototypes are designed for "competition", which here means lining up on a starting line. Not all "compt°" models are protos. Protos built for record attempts are designed and built to race against the clock.
1 day 8 hrs
Thanks for your input Nikki: you saw my confidence level -justified, I see! Have a good w/e
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