English translation: power / signal (circuits, installations, etc.) [but see question for full discussion]
Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.
You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.
French to English translations [PRO] Tech/Engineering - Electronics / Elect Eng / French regional/local government
French term or phrase:courants forts, courants faibles
X met à la disposition de ses clients ses expertises pour les installations tertiaires. Pour les grands projets, X réalise et maintient les installations courants forts, courants faibles, sécurité des biens et des personnes, systèmes anti-intrusion.
Should I translate this literally as 'high and low current installations'?
Explanation: Need to be very careful here! Francis may well be right, this COULD be referring to high and low current (though I'd prefer to say 'power') installations --- for example, the circuits in buildings often referred to as 'lighting' (= low power) and 'power' (= high power)
HOWEVER, and it's a big one!
In the list as given, and in the logic of your overall context, I think it probably means something different, along that lines that John was suggesting, though I can't agree with his way of expressing it.
Often, in these kind of circumstances, what they are talking about in terms of 'courants forts' is conventional electrical power, whilst by 'cournats faibles' they really mean the (incredibly ultra-low power) signal circuits used for things like phone systems, computer networks, etc.
Because the French use of 'courant' is VERY ambiguous here, you need to tread very carefully; this is why in English I would prefer the use of 'power' rather than 'current'
Look in the rest of your context to see if it is made clearer later, but my money would be on this interpretation, given the other items on your list.
You might also like to check the gloss., 'cos this has certainly come up before...
One of the things that complicates the matter is that this term is used in 2 disitnct ways in FR, which really demand separate treatment in EN.
If you are an electrical distribution company, you tend to distinguish between high voltage / low voltage, referring to the (extremely!) high voltages (several kV) used for electricity distribution; to them, 'low voltage' [BT in FR] simply means 'the ordinary 220 V (etc.) mains supply'
HOWEVER, coming back down to the earth inhabited by us mere mortals, an electrical installer would talk about 'high voltage' meaning 'main supply voltage', and by 'low voltage' would mean things like 24 V emergency lighting supplies, supplies to tungsten-halogen lighting, and of course the whole range of 'signal' cables --- phones, video, networks etc. etc.
Now I mention this question of 'voltage', because we have already established that FR tend to refer to 'current' where we might more readily use 'voltage' or 'power' (it comes to roughly the same thing in the latters situation, but in the former, power distribution context, HV implies lower current and vice-versa, in order to minimize losses --- but that's a whole other issue, not relevant here...)
Now that site quote by F2E actually falls into this same trap --- at one and the same time, it is making the distinction between high voltage / low voltage installations (they talk about substaions, and the sort of major high voltage, high power stuff used at the power inputs to big buildings), and then in the next breath, they carry on talking about the difference between mains power supplies (lighting, power...) and signal circuits (video surveillance, phones, ...)
Really and trul, there are 3 thing here:
One contractor may take care of the really hefty, dangerous, specialist stuff where the power enters the building at high voltage and is transformed down in a substation to the more 'normal' mains voltage
A second contractor may well look after the installation of all 'mains' electrical circuits, including the relatively low power lighting and the higher current 'power' circuits (motors, plant, lifts, heating, etc.)
And yet a third contractor will handle all the non-dangerous low voltage/power/current 'signals' stuff like phones etc.
All I can say is that fewer projects (except the largest) have the first one, so your choice of perming 'any 2 from 3' is narrowed down slightly by that question of probability.
Also note that it would be pretty unusual to have 2 contractors separately doing the installation of 'lighting' and 'power' circuits, unless it was something like a factory, generating station or other really hefty user.
But you DO very often have separate installers for 'dangerous' mains wiring and 'non dangerous' signals stuff, since each requires a special and different set of skills.
Yes, that IS a useful site --- but do still be wary though, as there are 2 quite distinct areas of application here. Please see further note added to my oown answer for longer explanation
Yes, that source certainly seems to support Tony's answer - unfortunately the Routledge Fr-En Tech Dict is silent on the matter of "courants forts/faibles".
...the answers provided so far have led me to do the further research I clearly needed to do and I have come up with this very useful website (in both French and English) that gives a good explanation of courants forts and courants faibles and the distinction between them in what looks like the appropriate field: http://www.europe.snclavalin.com/eng/accueil.php?menu=h&id_m...
As for grading the answers, this will be very difficult as all of the answers were helpful. Thanks to everyone.
...the current question might spark an electrifying debate...(eeks) and I was right. I was worried about the whole current/power/voltage question and I see that I was right to be. Looks to me at the moment like Dusty is barking up the right tree here...I really do think that there is more to it than meets the eye. Sadly my further context isn't generous, so I feel I must tread carefully, with a possible note to client to be on the safe side.
Check out http://www.proz.com/kudoz/1087921 and
http://www.proz.com/kudoz/528249. Maybe you'll be the first to believe me!
01:45 Mar 11, 2006
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
5 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +2
high/low current installations/applications
Explanation: Electronic Products - [ Traduire cette page ]Bobbin-type LiSOCl2 cells are particularly well suited for low-current ... High-current-pulse applications typically require low continuous current (or no ... www.electronicproducts.com/ ShowPage.asp?SECTION=3700&PRIMID=&FileName=dectad1.dec2002 - 37k
Francis MARC Local time: 10:45 Native speaker of: French PRO pts in category: 134
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +2
