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  3. Engineering (general)

a la limite...

English translation: just at the point where it changes to...

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:a la limite du passage à (or: en)... [a meter reading, setting, etc.]
English translation:just at the point where it changes to...
Entered by: Tony M

09:27 Feb 23, 2006
French to English translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Engineering (general) / industrial surfaces - treatment
French term or phrase: a la limite...
I have checked the Kudoz glossary entries and other sources for the various uses of this term. I have it appearing in a technical specification, and want to be completely sure of what it means in this context - which in this case is a centrifuge for laboratory use.

Le connecteur sur J3 est décalé de 2 crans vers le haut. Ajuster P2 pour lire -01 sur l’afficheur : à la limite du passage à -02

I have understood this to mean:

The connector on J3 is moved 2 notches up. Adjust P2 to obtain a reading of -01 on the display: -02 at the very most.

It's the bit 'à la limite du passage à -02' that I find slightly confusing (I feel the 'du passage à' could be removed and it would still mean the same)...have I understood this correctly?
French2English
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:53
NO, not at all!
Explanation:
Here, it means specifically "set it to read -01, but just so that it doesn't quite go to -02" --- in other wods, you set it at the 'upper' end of -01, let's say it might be -01.99 So you adjust it till the figure just changes to -02, and then you tweak it back just a tad...
Get the idea?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 mins (2006-02-23 09:38:37 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Exactly as DS says -- though your "ask Asker" note wasn't showing when I started posting!
Selected response from:

Tony M
France
Local time: 23:53
Grading comment
Glad that my question caused such 'titillation', if you'll pardon the expression. Dusty, the overwhelming agreement on this one gets you the points! Thanks also to David Sirett - answer was very helpful.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +7NO, not at all!
Tony M


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +7
à la limite du passage...
NO, not at all!


Explanation:
Here, it means specifically "set it to read -01, but just so that it doesn't quite go to -02" --- in other wods, you set it at the 'upper' end of -01, let's say it might be -01.99 So you adjust it till the figure just changes to -02, and then you tweak it back just a tad...
Get the idea?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 mins (2006-02-23 09:38:37 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Exactly as DS says -- though your "ask Asker" note wasn't showing when I started posting!

Tony M
France
Local time: 23:53
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 640
Grading comment
Glad that my question caused such 'titillation', if you'll pardon the expression. Dusty, the overwhelming agreement on this one gets you the points! Thanks also to David Sirett - answer was very helpful.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tom Bishop
11 mins
  -> Thanks, Tom!
agree  MurielP (X)
20 mins
  -> Thanks, Muriel!
agree  reubenius
50 mins
  -> Thanks, Reubenius!
agree  Rebecca Lowery
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Rebecca!
agree  Marc Glinert: a tad - that a technical term? only kidding you're quite right Dusty and the lesson is beware of idiomatic expressions being used in a non-idiomatic sense
3 hrs
  -> Thanks, Marc! Oh yes, and haven't you heard of a 'fag paper' and a 'gnat's ... hair'? ;-)))
agree  Sylvia Smith: building on Marc's point, if you want to talk about colourful engineering terms, how about a nipple or male/female connections? ;-)
4 hrs
  -> Thanks, Sylvia! Puh-leeze! Don't let's go down THAT road...! ;-)))
agree  sporran
6 hrs
  -> Thanks, Sporran!
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