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école maternelle vs. jardin d'enfants

English translation: Yes, all your terms are perfectly acceptable (for toddlers)


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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:école maternelle vs. jardin d'enfants
English translation:Yes, all your terms are perfectly acceptable (for toddlers)
Entered by: Anna Maria Augustine at proZ.com
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16:02 Sep 22, 2005
French to English translations [PRO]
Education / Pedagogy
French term or phrase: école maternelle vs. jardin d'enfants
I always thought "école maternelle" was a pre-school and "jardin d'enfants" a kindergarten, but in this brochure by a French city describing its day care programs they talk about "jardins d'enfants" preparing children for "l'école maternelle." So I was wondering if I could translate "l'école maternelle" here as kindergarten and "jardin d'enfant" as pre-school. They also discuss "jardins maternels," which prepare kids for "l'école maternelle" as well. This is for an international English-speaking audience, not specifically American or British so I'm trying to use generic terms like "day care centers" and "pre-schools."

Thanks, Karen


Les jardins d'enfants

Municipaux et associatifs, ils assurent pendant la journée l'accueil de enfants agés de 2 à 4 ans. Leur fonctionnement ressemble à celui des crèches et ils preparent à l'ecole maternelle.
La participation familiale est calculée en fonction des revenus.
Karen Tucker
United States
Local time: 03:36
Yes, all your terms are perfectly acceptable
Explanation:
Absolutely correct and comprehensible.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2005-09-22 16:08:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

All appropriate for toddlers...
Selected response from:

Anna Maria Augustine at proZ.com
France
Local time: 09:36
Grading comment
It was extremely difficult trying to find equivalents that would make sense to both a UK and US audience as well as explain the French system. If I said that a kindergarten prepared kids for pre-school, American parents would be very baffled because it's the other way around for us (and kindergarten is the first grade in elementary schools; I believe it's required in most or all states). So I ended up using "pre-school" for "jardin d'enfants" and "kindergarten" for "ecole maternelle." The British editor can change the terminology if she wants! Thanks to everyone. I really appreciate the thorough explanations.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +9nursery, then kindergarten (kindergarden)
NancyLynn
4 +1Kindergarten then Nursery school (or Pre-school)
irat56
5Yes, all your terms are perfectly acceptableAnna Maria Augustine at proZ.com
3nursery / infant school -vs - kintergarten, toddler day care
Nikki Scott-Despaigne


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +9
école maternelle vs. jardin d'enfants
nursery, then kindergarten (kindergarden)


Explanation:
...

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Note added at 3 mins (2005-09-22 16:06:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

oops, nursery school then kindergarten

NancyLynn
Canada
Local time: 03:36
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Elizabeth Lyons
2 mins
agree  xxxNick Somers: Clearer than preschool or daycare centre: http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=10&e=parentresourceex...
2 mins
agree  Natacha Gillardeau
6 mins
agree  Jocelyne S
11 mins
agree  Estelle Demontrond-Box
21 mins
agree  RHELLER: In France "ecole maternelle" is public and starts at 3 years of age (jardin would be private)
27 mins
neutral  David Goward: Is that how it is in the U.S./Canada - nursery school before kindergarten?
3 hrs
  -> I can only speak for Ontario, but yes
agree  ketter: I was taught that 3 year olds start in an "école maternelle" in France. In the immersion school I taught at, we called kindergarten "la maternelle." It seems here that Jardin is nursery school, and Maternelle is kindergarten.
4 hrs
agree  xxxdf49f: yes - and crèche would be equivalent to day-care (in France they even accept babies just a few months old)
5 hrs
agree  1045: Garderie, pré-maternelle, maternelle, jardin d'enfants ...
10 hrs
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2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
école maternelle vs. jardin d'enfants
Yes, all your terms are perfectly acceptable


Explanation:
Absolutely correct and comprehensible.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2005-09-22 16:08:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

All appropriate for toddlers...

Anna Maria Augustine at proZ.com
France
Local time: 09:36
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 24
Grading comment
It was extremely difficult trying to find equivalents that would make sense to both a UK and US audience as well as explain the French system. If I said that a kindergarten prepared kids for pre-school, American parents would be very baffled because it's the other way around for us (and kindergarten is the first grade in elementary schools; I believe it's required in most or all states). So I ended up using "pre-school" for "jardin d'enfants" and "kindergarten" for "ecole maternelle." The British editor can change the terminology if she wants! Thanks to everyone. I really appreciate the thorough explanations.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Kindergarten then Nursery school (or Pre-school)


Explanation:
In fact, in the French system, school is compulsory from 6 y.o. Before children may attend directly a nursery school if they are accepted (must be "clean" and limited number of "pupils"). If not they may attend un "jardin d'enfants" (you know, cabbages for boys and roses for girls ;-)) where they are not supposed to lean anything but "socialization".

irat56
France
Local time: 09:36
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 27

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  xxxPFB: Are they allowed to "lean" against each other? That would be "socialization" all right! ;-)))
11 mins
  -> 'Course they are!
agree  David Goward: Yes, I'd say it was this way round too!
3 hrs
  -> Thank you!
neutral  xxxdf49f: c'est l'inverse! first comes nursery school (or pre-school) then comes kindergarten (at least in Calif where my daughter went to school)
5 hrs
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17 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
école maternelle vs. jardin d'enfants
nursery / infant school -vs - kintergarten, toddler day care


Explanation:
The asker is being helpful here when she says that her target reader is to cover BE and US English.
Educational terms do vary from country to country and even from time to time from region to region. I've even found that such terms have changed as educational habits and care/schooling trends change.

Never the less, the basic compulsory schooling age tends to start around 6 yrs old. Lots of countries offer formal of informal child care and/or schooling for children under 6.
Anything within a school structure can perhaps usefully be described as follows, bearing in mind the asker's specifications :
- nursery school
- infant school
- baby school (colloquial)
This would loosley cover the 3-6 yr old group.

Before that, then you are generally out of a school structure and thus within the realms of "pre-school". Do bear in mind that the "école maternelle" is definitely a school structure in France, so that idea has to be rendered in your translation. (I would exclude "pre-school" for anything prior to the compulsory age of coruse, and most probably restrict it to 2-4 yr olds outside formal school structures.

Suggestions :
- kintergarten
- toddler day care
- play groups
- child day care centres

Before that, then you are within creche and "garderie" type structures whcih I would egenrally consider as pre-"pre-school".

An on-going debate....
My kids went to the creèche in Carnac from 3 mths to 2 1/2 then into infant school. They sometimes returned to the "crèche" which set up a "garderie" section offering day care to 1 mths - 6 yr olds.




Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Local time: 09:36
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 40
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Changes made by editors
Sep 22, 2005 - Changes made by NancyLynn:
LevelNon-PRO => PRO
Sep 22, 2005 - Changes made by writeaway:
LevelPRO => Non-PRO


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