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sésame

English translation: passport

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:sésame
English translation:passport
Entered by: kashew

10:26 Jan 19, 2011
French to English translations [PRO]
Education / Pedagogy
French term or phrase: sésame
C'est un document sur l'usage de l'anglais dans l'enseignement supérieur dans les pays non-anglophones.

J'ai pensé au mot : sesame
Mais je me demande s'il a le même sens de moyen infaillible d'arriver à quelque chose comme le mot français peut avoir - quelque chose qui ouvre toutes les portes.
Voici la phrase :

De même que le cinquième postulat était la clef de la
géométrie euclidienne, l’usage de l’anglais est pour les dirigeants
universitaires le sésame intangible de toute forme d’internationalisation. En
soutien de ce choix de l’anglais véhiculaire apparaissent des motivations plus
ou moins explicites dont une approche critique est nécessaire.

Puis-je dire "common English" pour anglais véhiculaire ??
Isabelle Barth-O'Neill
Local time: 16:05
passport
Explanation:
essential (I'd avoid intangible) passport?
Selected response from:

kashew
France
Local time: 17:05
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +11passport
kashew
3 +7master key
Noni Gilbert Riley
4 +5it opens doors
cranium
5open-sesame
Fabio Barbieri
4 -1revolving door
Patrick Jones


Discussion entries: 11





  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
open-sesame


Explanation:
This is the expression you want. "Open Sesame" is the magic formula in the story, and it is so widely known that an old Popeye cartoon amusingly deformed it as "Open, sayz me!"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 mins (2011-01-19 10:31:55 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

A discussion of Anglais Vehiculaire: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=472596

Fabio Barbieri
Italy
Local time: 17:05
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in ItalianItalian
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank. I know the formula. I am just wondering whether I can use the word in English and that it would have the same meaning in the context I have.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Carol Gullidge: every former pantomime-goer may know what it means, but "an open-sesame" just sounds rather odd to my EN UK ears!
25 mins
neutral  Noni Gilbert Riley: Yes, we all understand what it is getting at, but it's not a natural expression, sounds v strange.
47 mins
neutral  Carmen Schultz: although they mean the same, linguistically they don't work in a parallel fashion
1 hr
neutral  Yvonne Gallagher: agree with other comments; also wrong register here, leave it in pantomines:-)
2 hrs
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8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
it opens doors


Explanation:
I can't think of a tidy, corresponding noun.
I would rewrite the sentence so as to say "English opens doors".

Fr. "sésame" frequently denotes something that opens doors in the figurative sense, derived from the Ali Baba story and the expression "Open, Sesame!"

cranium
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks. So you would avoid the word "sesame" in English in the context I have.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Noni Gilbert Riley: Yes, this works well: opens all doors//Sangro's door opener is gd variant.
4 mins
  -> Gracias Noni
disagree  Fabio Barbieri: What's wrong with "It's the open-sesame?" Is there anyone who speaks English who would not understand it?
11 mins
  -> It's a question of register. "C'est le sésame" is a very common expression in French, whereas your suggestion is quite literary and creative. Good for copywriting but not for this particular context, IMHO.
agree  Carol Gullidge: as in the good old Collins Robert. They make no mention of an "open sesame", which sounds rather odd to my EN ears, even though I know what it means
17 mins
  -> Thanks - I have never heard the expression used with an article, either
agree  Sandra & Kenneth Grossman: door opener
18 mins
  -> thanks
neutral  kashew: door-opener n. is slicker! As Sangro says.
27 mins
  -> sure, another possibility
agree  ST Translations
53 mins
  -> thanks
agree  Carmen Schultz: a good option
1 hr
agree  Yvonne Gallagher: opens all doors
2 hrs
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33 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +11
passport


Explanation:
essential (I'd avoid intangible) passport?

kashew
France
Local time: 17:05
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 32

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Patrick Jones: This solution works quite nicely for me too.
15 mins
agree  Carol Gullidge: I like passport. Not sure about doing away with intangible though. (sorry, accidentally pressed button prematurely before!)
16 mins
  -> virtual passport - yes? (Diplomatic?) I'm just brainstorming!
agree  Noni Gilbert Riley: I like passport v much - especially because it gives international status!
21 mins
agree  cranium: nice solution to keep the parallel between nouns
21 mins
agree  mimi 254
24 mins
agree  ST Translations: Agree with Carol
27 mins
agree  Alison Sabedoria (X)
33 mins
agree  Evans (X)
41 mins
agree  David Salas
49 mins
agree  Carmen Schultz: In fact this is what was chosen when this question was asked recently-- this was the answer posted in the glossary:http://www.proz.com/?sp=gloss/term&id=15877621
57 mins
  -> Great minds! I swear I didn't pinch your term!
agree  Yvonne Gallagher: and so it does! who's the striker then? (and goalie?):-)
2 hrs
  -> That makes a soccer team!
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38 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
revolving door


Explanation:
I believe in this context revolving door works quite nicely since it is succinct.

Patrick Jones
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:05
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Fabio Barbieri: And does not mean what the asker asked for - a safe and universal pass to every context.
6 mins
neutral  Alison Sabedoria (X): This has other associations, usually for people in difficult and/or unstable circumstances: being in and out of employment, benefits, addiction...
28 mins
  -> Also in politics it works in a situation where people help each other out and "scratch each other's backs". So yes, it does have other meanings. With hindsight I agree that "passport" and "intangible key" would be better solutions.
neutral  Yvonne Gallagher: sorry not correct here, as Wordeffect says has negative connotations as for recidivists in prison, in and out through the revolving door
2 hrs
  -> Yep, having seen other better solutions I agree this is not the best one.
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12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +7
master key


Explanation:
Another slightly different idea.

anglais véhiculaire: (English as) teaching language/working language.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 53 mins (2011-01-19 11:20:53 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Pass key (less clunky?!).

A secret key (trying out ways of avoiding using intangible)...

Noni Gilbert Riley
Spain
Local time: 17:05
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank !! I did not like common English, but could not think of something different!!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  kashew: Hi! Key is a good idea - but does it go with "intangible"?
17 mins
  -> It's not a great combo is it? And, prob q rightly, Patrick calls this clunky! But maybe a secret pass-key/master-key.
agree  Fabio Barbieri: Why not. An intangible master key could be understood as part of a system of communication - which is what the asker was speaking of anyway. This is the only answer that actually deals with her request.
31 mins
  -> Thank you Fabio
agree  Carol Gullidge: Simply "intangible key" is OK :)
46 mins
  -> Thanks Carol, and yes, that wd solve the clunkiness!
agree  Patrick Jones: Yes, I agree that "intangible key", without the "master", would work nicely.
53 mins
  -> Thanks Patrick
agree  Alison Sabedoria (X): With Carol and Patrick
57 mins
  -> Thanks Wordeffect
agree  David Salas
1 hr
  -> Thank you David.
agree  Carmen Schultz: I think this works too -but passport seems more ubiquitous
1 hr
  -> Thanks Carmen
agree  cc in nyc: especially nice juxtaposed with the "key to Euclidean geometry"
7 hrs
  -> Thanks cc!
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