Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

faits de civilisations

English translation:

features of civilisations

Added to glossary by Thomas Miles
Mar 28, 2019 10:51
5 yrs ago
1 viewer *
French term

faits de civilisations

French to English Social Sciences History
In this guide aimed at teachers delivering lessons on the history of Africa, one section looks at ancient African civilisations and cultures.

One of the learning objectives in this section is "Analyser la formation des Etats et royaumes et les faits de civilisations des différents Etats".

I am unsure whether to interpret "faits" as some kind of achievement/accomplishment or part of the process under which civilisations are formed. A working translation almost bridging both possibilities would be "... the development of civilisations in different states".

Your own interpretation of "faits" here would be very useful.

xxx

Discussion

Thomas Miles (asker) Apr 1, 2019:
Thanks Apologies for the delay in getting back to you all - Friday was rather rushed.
katsy Mar 28, 2019:
Not confident enough to post an answer -i particular as I like to have references which I don't have time to find this evening, but I would go more for "events" - I would have thought that achievements, though perhaps coming under 'faits' would be rather "hauts faits"....

Proposed translations

1 hr
Selected

(Restructure)".....and how its different cultures/civilizations have.."

I find "faits" a very Latin-based term and to anglicize it restructuring could be the answer here. Culture or Civilization would be a choice based on context or preference here, but they are not too far apart in any case.

".....and how its different cultures have evolved/developed"
".....and how its different civilizations have developed/evolved"

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Note added at 1 hr (2019-03-28 12:04:52 GMT)
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Or "THE/THESE different cultures/civilizations" (depending on how you structure the rest of this)...

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Note added at 1 hr (2019-03-28 12:06:07 GMT)
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By doing this you can avoid being too specific about the term "faits", as I do not think any English noun would convey the correct idea here without sounding "foreign" - hence my idea to restructure.

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Note added at 1 hr (2019-03-28 12:28:41 GMT)
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I do not understand your point. You see what?
Note from asker:
Yes you do sometimes see when French drifts into literal Gallicisations of Latin terms, the utmost examples being "la chose jugée" and "la chose publique"!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "This is actually the solution I felt best suited the text at hand (hence the points), but you will see that the glossary entry reflects the equally valid suggestion by Eliza."
+2
31 mins

achievements of civilizations

achievements of civilizations

sources:

Great achievements in science and technology in ancient Africa - asbmb
www.asbmb.org/asbmbtoday/asbmbtoday_article.aspx?id=32437
Despite suffering through the horrific system of slavery, sharecropping and the Jim Crow era, early African-Americans made countless contributions to science and technology. This lineage and culture of achievement, though, emerged at least 40,000 years ago in Africa. Unfortunately, few of us are aware of these accomplishments, as the history of Africa, beyond ancient Egypt, is seldom publicized.
Sadly, the vast majority of discussions on the origins of science include only the Greeks, Romans and other whites. But in fact most of their discoveries came thousands of years after African developments. While the remarkable black civilization in Egypt remains alluring, there was sophistication and impressive inventions throughout ancient sub-Saharan Africa as well. There are just a handful of scholars in this area. The most prolific is the late Ivan Van Sertima, an associate professor at Rutgers University. He once poignantly wrote that “the nerve of the world has been deadened for centuries to the vibrations of African genius”.

Greatest Achievements of Ancient Africans - - African History
afrographics.com/greatest-achievements-of-ancient-africans/
30 ene. 2019 - The Greatest Ancient African Achievements include Astronomy, ... that Black people contributed nothing to world culture or human civilization.

AFRICA'S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS | KPBS
https://www.kpbs.org/news/2017/feb/.../africas-great-civiliz...
1 mar. 2017 - In his six-hour series, Africa's Great Civilizations, Henry Louis Gates, ... significant cultural and scientific achievements on the African continent.

Achievements of the African Empires and Cities Before the Arrival of ...
https://www.123helpme.com/achievements-of-the-african-empire... -
In Africa, there were achievements in the empires or kingdoms and their cities before the Europeans arrived and took control. In the Kingdom (Empire) of Axum they developed a trade route. ... Another empire is called the Kingdom of Ghana in Western Africa. They became one of the richest civilizations due to commerce.

4 Great Achievements of Ancient Africans Most People Don't Know
https://www.modernghana.com/.../4-great-achievements-of-anci...
9 oct. 2017 - One of such admirable aspects of Africa is its achievement in significant areas of life and work that many might not even be aware of.

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Note added at 5 hrs (2019-03-28 16:29:53 GMT)
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History of science and technology in Africa - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/.../History_of_science_and_technolo...
Africa has the world's oldest record of human technological achievement: the oldest stone tools ...... In southern Africa one finds ancient and widespread traditions of building in stone. Two broad categories of these traditions have been noted: 1.
Peer comment(s):

agree Francois Boye
1 hr
Thanks!
agree Stephanie Benoist : features, yes.
5 days
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+3
10 hrs

[features of/facts about] the civilizations

Full translation: "Analyze the formation of states and kingdoms and [features of/facts about] the civilizations of different states." (States in this sense is not capitalized in English).

"Les faits de X" can often be translated quite straightforwardly as "the facts about X," and I've also seen "les faits marquants de la civilisation de X" translated as "the salient features of the X civilization."

Note from asker:
Thank you as always, Eliza, for your intelligent approach. I have noted 'features' as a good solution for any future 'faits' I may encounter.
Peer comment(s):

agree ormiston : i think features gets round the issue rather nicely
13 hrs
Thanks.
agree Yvonne Gallagher : salient features
1 day 3 hrs
agree katsy
2 days 20 hrs
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2 days 22 hrs

developments of the civilizations / civilisations developments

Hope it helps
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