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21:04 Mar 4, 2011
French to English translations [Non-PRO] Bus/Financial - Economics
French term or phrase:a fortiori
Si le taux de croissance du PIB est supérieur au taux d’intérêt, le pays peut stabiliser sa dette en pourcentage du PIB tout en ayant un déficit primaire (et donc a fortiori des déficits budgétaires).
Explanation: Latin in the French --> same Latin in the English.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 32 mins (2011-03-04 21:37:00 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Re Asker's question below:
Huh. If you're going to get bogged down with niceties like 'understanding' what this stuff means, then I guess you're in for a long weekend!
Pick any of the (rather few) commonly-accepted interpretations of 'a fortiori' and see which one fits best. Then, translate it as 'a fortiori' to make sure that even if you picked the wrong one, your English readers will still be able to make sense of it.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 43 mins (2011-03-04 21:47:16 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
My reading:
If "le pays peut stabiliser sa dette en pourcentage du PIB tout en ayant un déficit primaire" then it is all the more true that "le pays peut stabiliser sa dette en pourcentage du PIB tout en ayant des déficits budgétaires".
Or, as they say in French and English, where verbal economy is money: "a fortiori"
Thank you for contributing an answer using a professional tone, making your comments in a straightforward way, and not adding inane remarks that just because words can be found in a dictionary, we shouldn't check their meanings here or that it would take all weekend to answer a simple question about the meaning of "a fortiori" in this context.
writeaway: it's in all ordinary Fr-En dictionaries as well!
See my reply below. Saying that a term appears in a dictionary reveals a complete lack of understanding of the question being asked. Most words asked on ProZ appear in a dictionary, but obviously, as we can see below, the choices or interpretations vary. Most words do appear in a dictionary but that is a completely inane observation, and it offers no suggestion as to which meaning is best.
It's in this context that I am asking the question
22:17 Mar 4, 2011
If I wanted to know all the meanings in the dictionary, I wouldn't ask here. If I ask the question here, it is because I would like to know what people think it exactly means in *this* context.
Well as I explained "a fortiori" is quite commonly used in French, meaning "therefore/consequently". I would see no point turning it into something complicated in English when a common equivalent would be perfectly understood.
I completely agree. The intended audience of this text will very probably understand it, and, if they don't, be intelligent enough either to comprehend from the context or seek help from some source, much as we are doing.
If the writer had put 'à plus forte raison', you'd translate that by 'a fortiori' too.
Are you supposed to be changing the register and NOT writing it as an English-speaking economist would?
I fail to see any justification for suggesting that "most people won't understand what this means", when the expression "a fortiori" gets close to 3 million Ghits, suggesting, at the very least, that it is in common use in human communication.
It must be borne in mind also that Latin a a very 'context-sensitive' language, and this expression is superemly context-sensitive among Latin expressions in every-day use. There is no 'one size fits all translation' (or meaning, or understanding) - it's precise meaning must be derived/deduced/guessed from the wider context on a case-by-case basis.
philgoddard: Most people won't understand what this means. We're a pretty educated bunch of people, and yet we're still discussing what it means (and have done several times before)
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Of course. I would prefer not stick a word in a translation when I am not sure what it means, just because most other people wouldn't know it either!
Did you check the glossary? I seem to remember this came up just a few weeks back, and there were several useful suggestions made then that might be of help to you here.
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Answers
16 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +2
therefore/consequently
Explanation: "a fortiori" is quite commonly used in French, meaning one of these common adverbs
Sylvie Mathis Spain Local time: 02:35 Native speaker of: French
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +2
