English translation: watershed for the groundwater supply zone
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French to English translations [PRO] Tech/Engineering - Engineering (general) / water treatment
French term or phrase:bassin versant du champ captant
Wondering how best to translate this phrase (see right at the end of the context below), given the fact that both terms are often translated as 'catchment area'. The context appears to suggest here that the 'bassin versant' is the wider area - the whole area or basin in which this particular 'champ captant' is located. I have seen 'champ captant' translated in some water contexts as 'pumping field' (i.e. literally the field, i.e. area from which the water is pumped to wherever...but I am not sure that it is a very usual term. Is there another term I could use here for 'champ captant'.
Would be very grateful for some help on this one, as have temporarily lost the use of my left hand (severe case of RSI - be warned, fellow translators!) and so after one-handedly posting this question I won't be doing much googling. Luckily, the rest of my translation is pretty much done. Phew!
Depuis plus de 10 ans, ce champ captant était l’objet de plusieurs inquiétudes :
- La protection de la ressource était difficile du fait de la grande étendue concernée et du développement industriel, urbain du bassin versant direct.
- La qualité de l’eau était un autre sujet d’inquiétude, par rapport à la concentration de nitrates dans l’eau potable qui atteint les 40 mg/l pour une norme fixée à 50 mg/l, les deux principales sources d’azote étant d’une part les rejets d’assainissement en {Major French River} de l’agglomération {French city} et d’autre part l’activité agricole sur ***le bassin versant du champ captant***.
I am grading this on peer agreement, even though I didn't use 'watershed' (which I agree would have done for a US readership). Watershed to me has too strong an implication of sending one's kids to bed before 9pm although of course I am aware of its other meanings. In fact, I think I used something a bit closer to Nathalie's answer, which was closest the translation I had in my head at the time. Anyway, all answers were helpful and I thank everyone hugely for the work they put into this. Oh, and on another subject, my RSI turned out to be.... wait for it.... not RSI at all but.... an invisible spider bite! (The bite, I mean - I am sure the spider was very visible, had I seen it!) Anyway, it completely paralyzed my hand for 3 days! Translators beware! 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
I second Bruce's comment about Dragon for your RSI wholeheartedly. I struggled for years with the same problem before switching earlier this year. It really does make a huge difference and doesn't take long to get going....
...the Proz entry on Champ captant in the plural - I had searched it in the singular and found nothing...
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Answers
19 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +4
watershed for the groundwater supply zone
Explanation: bassin versant is watershed
champ captent is a area of wells, springs, etc supplying water
For the RSI, try Dragon NaturallySpeaking; highly recommended.
Bruce Popp United States Local time: 17:32 Works in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 6
Grading comment
I am grading this on peer agreement, even though I didn't use 'watershed' (which I agree would have done for a US readership). Watershed to me has too strong an implication of sending one's kids to bed before 9pm although of course I am aware of its other meanings. In fact, I think I used something a bit closer to Nathalie's answer, which was closest the translation I had in my head at the time. Anyway, all answers were helpful and I thank everyone hugely for the work they put into this. Oh, and on another subject, my RSI turned out to be.... wait for it.... not RSI at all but.... an invisible spider bite! (The bite, I mean - I am sure the spider was very visible, had I seen it!) Anyway, it completely paralyzed my hand for 3 days! Translators beware!
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +4
