Mar 23, 2001 21:04
23 yrs ago
42 viewers *
French term
Mention: A. Bien
Non-PRO
French to English
Other
This expression appears on an Algerian engineering diploma.
What does the "A." stand for in this expression?
The diploma is written in French and Arabic. The Arabic side literally says, "Average: Nearly Good." which sounds aweful in both Arabic and English. I wonder if the French side sheds some light on the meaning of this expression. Is anybody familiar with the Algerian grading system? How would you put this expression in proper English (the target language for this translation)?
Thank you all.
What does the "A." stand for in this expression?
The diploma is written in French and Arabic. The Arabic side literally says, "Average: Nearly Good." which sounds aweful in both Arabic and English. I wonder if the French side sheds some light on the meaning of this expression. Is anybody familiar with the Algerian grading system? How would you put this expression in proper English (the target language for this translation)?
Thank you all.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 0 | fairly good; honor roll |
LAC
|
| 0 | Assez bien |
Albert Golub
|
| 0 | satisfactory |
Madeleine van Zanten
|
| 0 | state the mark? (see explanation) |
Buzzy
|
Proposed translations
5 hrs
Selected
fairly good; honor roll
Golub's explanation is accurate... although you don't get a "bien" until you actually reach 14 itself. (i.e. 13.49999... stays 13. Much to my chagrin for one of my French university degrees, I missed out on AB by 0.1 points.)
The "mention" is a form of "honors" (even though the range of possible "honors" is dubious on the lower end: "satisfactory" or "passing" for "passable" and "insufficient" not being very honorable at all).
Generally, if you've received less than AB (assez bien), you don't mention the specifics on a cv...
In France at least, given the general strictness of the grading system, AB would correspond roughly to being on the "honor roll" in the US (albeit near the bottom).
If you're looking for "UK equivalents", someone else may be able to help.
Hope this helps.
The "mention" is a form of "honors" (even though the range of possible "honors" is dubious on the lower end: "satisfactory" or "passing" for "passable" and "insufficient" not being very honorable at all).
Generally, if you've received less than AB (assez bien), you don't mention the specifics on a cv...
In France at least, given the general strictness of the grading system, AB would correspond roughly to being on the "honor roll" in the US (albeit near the bottom).
If you're looking for "UK equivalents", someone else may be able to help.
Hope this helps.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks to you, to golub, and to all the others, for the full explanation. Very helpful indeed.
Fuad"
1 hr
Assez bien
étant aussi professeur depuis 15 ans, je connais ces mentions.
elles vont de (ordre hiérarchique descendant) très bien,bien,assez bien,passable,insuffisant
assez bien correspondrait a la fourchette de 10 à 13/20
that's about what the 'a' stands for
a british colleague will certainly answer the second part of your question
sbah el hrir
elles vont de (ordre hiérarchique descendant) très bien,bien,assez bien,passable,insuffisant
assez bien correspondrait a la fourchette de 10 à 13/20
that's about what the 'a' stands for
a british colleague will certainly answer the second part of your question
sbah el hrir
3 hrs
Madeleine van Zanten
Switzerland
Switzerland
Native in French
Switzerland
excellence and reliability
Native in: French 
Works in: English to French, German to French, Dutch to French, and 2 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
65
satisfactory
Depending on how many distinctions are used, satisfactory or maybe largely satisfactory would well express these results
6 hrs
state the mark? (see explanation)
Some terms from UK diplomas:
I've seen "diplomas" and various other exams where you can get Pass, Merit or Distinction (sorry, don't know what marks these correspond to). Only three divisions instead of the French four.
Or, from the top down, actual degrees go First Class (only very few get these - marks above 70% I believe), Second Class Upper Division (2:1)(probably 60-70%), Second Class Lower Division (2:2)(probably 50-60%), Third Class (also fairly rare and not seen as terribly good), and even Pass if you don't deserve Third Class.
Personally I've never come across "Satisfactory" in these areas - but the terms often depend on the type of test/exam.
"Assez bien" to me suggests something better than "Pass", but not as good as "Merit". Since nothing seems to quite correspond, how about putting the actual mark, if you have it?
Hope this is useful.
I've seen "diplomas" and various other exams where you can get Pass, Merit or Distinction (sorry, don't know what marks these correspond to). Only three divisions instead of the French four.
Or, from the top down, actual degrees go First Class (only very few get these - marks above 70% I believe), Second Class Upper Division (2:1)(probably 60-70%), Second Class Lower Division (2:2)(probably 50-60%), Third Class (also fairly rare and not seen as terribly good), and even Pass if you don't deserve Third Class.
Personally I've never come across "Satisfactory" in these areas - but the terms often depend on the type of test/exam.
"Assez bien" to me suggests something better than "Pass", but not as good as "Merit". Since nothing seems to quite correspond, how about putting the actual mark, if you have it?
Hope this is useful.
Reference:
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