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article de vulgarisation

English translation: article for a non-specialist readership


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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:article de vulgarisation
English translation:article for a non-specialist readership
Entered by: French Foodie
Options:
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- Include in personal glossary

10:02 Apr 12, 2005
French to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Education / Pedagogy / course title
French term or phrase: article de vulgarisation
Part of the title of a university course (for a post-graduate degree in scientific and technical communication):

La reformulation d'articles de vulgarisation

Popular articles?
Popularized articles?

Your opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance :-)
French Foodie
Local time: 09:44
article for a non-specialist readership
Explanation:
I think this is an article which aims to "communicate science to the public". It may need a bit of reformulation or tweaking to put the ideas across more clearly.

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Note added at 42 mins (2005-04-12 10:45:46 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Communicating Science to the Public:
A Handbook for Researchers
La vulgarisation scientifique : un guide à l\'intention des chercheurs
http://www.nserc.gc.ca/seng/how1fr.htm

\"Vulgarisation\" is used in this sort of context in French.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 46 mins (2005-04-12 10:49:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In the plural, it could be \"articles for non-specialist readers\".

TL Forum 97: Leggett- communication skills for scientific ...
... required students to write an article for a non-specialist audience. ... In the editing process, students were acting as non-specialist readers. ...lsn.curtin.edu.au/tlf/tlf1997/leggett.html

UWEC English Graduate Courses
... 305/505.001: Communicating Science – General Audiences (3 cr.) ... with an eye toward appealing to interested and educated non-specialist readers. ...www.uwec.edu/English/Courses/gradcourses.htm


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 52 mins (2005-04-12 10:55:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

So the \"reformulation\" may take place on the basis of trying out the articles on non-specialist (but educated, reasonably well-informed) readers - students may try out articles on each other, as in my Leggett reference above.
Selected response from:

Dylan Edwards
Local time: 08:44
Grading comment
This is what I ended up going with, but several answers could have worked well. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2article for a non-specialist readershipDylan Edwards
3 +3non-academic articlexxxNick Somers
4 +1articles for laymen
DVGreen
5articles for the general public
Cynthia Johnson
4rewriting articles for the general publicxxxCMJ_Trans
3 +1popularisation of scientific articlesDr Sue Levy
4popular article
Attila Piróth
4popular science articles
olganet


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
popular article


Explanation:
Robert-Collins Super Senior gives "popular scientific work" for "ouvrage de vulgarisation scientifique".

Attila Piróth
Local time: 09:44
Native speaker of: Native in HungarianHungarian
PRO pts in category: 4
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6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
articles for laymen


Explanation:
I would think this course teaches how to write articles for the layman without a specific technical or scientific background.
Reformulation would be rewording.
Another suggestion: rewording articles for the layman.

DVGreen
France
Local time: 09:44
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in ItalianItalian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Gayle Wallimann: I have seen this used.
28 mins
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8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
non-academic article


Explanation:
As an alternative to popular ... or non-specialist
http://sistem.gemtech.fr/cours.php?Id=62&menu=1

xxxNick Somers
Local time: 09:44
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Vicky Papaprodromou
27 mins
agree  1045
3 hrs
agree  Patrice
9 hrs
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12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
popularisation of scientific articles


Explanation:
The title, "reformulation" implies to me that this is about taking existing scientific articles and rewriting them for the general public. If so, I think you could reword the title.

Dr Sue Levy
Local time: 09:44
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 36

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  xxxNick Somers: I think you're right, but isn't the author's logic a bit wonky? Shouldn't it be "vulgarisation d'articles scientifiques"? Or perhaps it means rewriting popular articles. Who knows?
17 mins
  -> it should but people don't always write what they mean and I went with my instinct :-D
agree  Jane Lamb-Ruiz: yes: or writing popularized versions of scientific articles...I would hope the course teaching how to do this
4 hrs
  -> thanks Jane :-)
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46 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
popular science articles


Explanation:
Accounting for Explanation in ***Popular Science Text*** – A scheme and a case study. Public Understanding of Science, Vol 13, no 4, 331-346, 2004.
More than story-telling – Reflecting on ***popular science***
Chapter 3, pp46-62 of Science Communication in Theory and Practice.

Master's course in Creative Non-fiction Writing (aimed at aspiring ***popular science*** authors) run by the Science Communication Group at Imperial College London, and set for Autumn 2005 launch.
http://www.jonturney.dsl.pipex.com/

Teaching Key Groups to Communicate Science to Nonspecialists

Much as publishing successful journal articles requires both authors and editors to be suitably skilled, communicating science effectively to nonspecialists calls for appropriate abilities on the part of both scientists and professional communicators. Opportunities now exist for instruction not only in scientific writing and editing, but also in ***popular science*** communication
http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/publications/secureDocu...

olganet
Local time: 03:44
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 8
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47 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
rewriting articles for the general public


Explanation:
.....

xxxCMJ_Trans
Local time: 09:44
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 51
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39 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
article for a non-specialist readership


Explanation:
I think this is an article which aims to "communicate science to the public". It may need a bit of reformulation or tweaking to put the ideas across more clearly.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 42 mins (2005-04-12 10:45:46 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Communicating Science to the Public:
A Handbook for Researchers
La vulgarisation scientifique : un guide à l\'intention des chercheurs
http://www.nserc.gc.ca/seng/how1fr.htm

\"Vulgarisation\" is used in this sort of context in French.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 46 mins (2005-04-12 10:49:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In the plural, it could be \"articles for non-specialist readers\".

TL Forum 97: Leggett- communication skills for scientific ...
... required students to write an article for a non-specialist audience. ... In the editing process, students were acting as non-specialist readers. ...lsn.curtin.edu.au/tlf/tlf1997/leggett.html

UWEC English Graduate Courses
... 305/505.001: Communicating Science – General Audiences (3 cr.) ... with an eye toward appealing to interested and educated non-specialist readers. ...www.uwec.edu/English/Courses/gradcourses.htm


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 52 mins (2005-04-12 10:55:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

So the \"reformulation\" may take place on the basis of trying out the articles on non-specialist (but educated, reasonably well-informed) readers - students may try out articles on each other, as in my Leggett reference above.

Dylan Edwards
Local time: 08:44
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
This is what I ended up going with, but several answers could have worked well. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Graham macLachlan: I think this works well in the context
9 mins
  -> Thanks
agree  Jane Lamb-Ruiz: yes but is there only one?? I would say: writing for a non-specialised readership
3 hrs
  -> Yes - this is possible - but I suspect it's all about honing your ability to write for a non-specialist readership. It's the editing process (editing articles for non-specialist readers), as described in my lsn.curtin.edu.au reference.
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2366 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
articles for the general public


Explanation:
be careful with the suggestion "non-specialist article" or variants--in academic language, "non-specialist' readers are still professors or researchers who work in a different field; ie, the article is about sociology of the working class, but a historian of Russia would be a non-specialist reader. the general public is just that, and requires a different kind of adaptation than for the non-specialist reader.

Cynthia Johnson
France
Local time: 09:44
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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