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French to English translations [PRO] Bus/Financial - Finance (general) / Insurance
French term or phrase:à l'ultime
Context:
"Consolider les resultats techniques a l'ultime en vision economique 50/50 apres avoir effectue tous les retraitements necessaires..."
and
"garantir la pertinence de la vision economique 50/50 des resultats techniques a l'ultime et l'adequation du niveau des reserves techniques comptabilisees de ses entites"
and
"vision a l'ultime 50/50"
I think I must have been at my desk too long because I just am not feeling 'a l'ultime' at all and cannot remember coming across it before used in this way. Is this 'the ultimate'? Or 'maximum'? And if so, how does that fit for example in the first sentence?
TIA for any help.
Explanation: Helen, I'm posting this as low confidence as I don't have any references to back it up and haven't time to look for any. However, I've been reading your context and a few Googled instances of "à l'ultime", and think it may simply mean "final" - i.e. "final technical results".
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 9 days (2009-12-01 12:13:13 GMT) Post-grading --------------------------------------------------
Funnily enough, I came acros the same term a couple of days ago in an insurance-related text. I ended up referring back to the client, and like you, was advised of different equivalents for different usages.
Hi Rob, thanks for your help. It turns out, as I think you know, that the client used this term in different ways at different points in the text. 'Vision...a l'ultime' to mean 'final view' and 'resultat a l'ultime' to signify 'ultimate results', an insurance-industry specific usage so you were partly right but I sensed that there was something else being attributed to it too which was why I was confused! Thanks to everyone else for your input too! 2 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
I know, Rob. The only thing is, I deliver tomorrow at 9 so whilst I will submit a query with my translation, I would like to have as likely a solution as possible and then highlight it for the client to check. Looking at the second sentence, the use of 'a l'ultime' seems to refer to 'garantir la pertinence' so I wondering whether in this instance at least, it means 'ensuring the *utmost* relevance...'. And even in the first sentence, it seems to refer to 'Consolider..les resultats techniques en vision economique 50/50.' and I wonder whether it could mean 'to the utmost' 'as much as possible'.....Maybe I have been looking at it too long...?
My feeling is that it isn't an important/useful expression of the text. I understand it as a mere "link word". If you it remove from the sentences, I don't feel that something is missing or that the meaning is modified.
But I may be wrong ...Could be interesting as well to know what your client says about this
Hi Stephanie - thanks for your input. I am interested to hear that you have never seen it before either being a native French speaker. I think you may be right - to me there is no logic in this simply meaning 'last or final results' because it would have just been 'ultimes resultats..." in my view. My concern is that it may mean something else though. Could it, in your view, mean 'ultimate' in the sense of maximum? Or is there any other possible interpretation in your view? I would appreciate your input as a native French speaker as I need to rule out what it couldn't be as I am going to have to make a decision. Thanks again.
I am not sure that it refers to "results". I'd rather say it refers to the verbs: "pour finir, consolider les résultats" and "garantir en dernier lieu/au final la pertinence"
If that is the meaning, then why not simply, "ultimes resultats techniques"? I am just really interested because I have never seen this collocation before.
Explanation: Consolidating technical results at their closing date on a 50/50 risk sharing basis appraisal after having undertaken all necessary adjustments
and
ensuring a pertinent 50/50 risk sharing basis appraisal on technical results at their closing date as well as an adequate technical reserve level at its entities on their books
and
50/50 risk sharing appraisal at its closing date
andres-larsen Venezuela Local time: 22:03 Specializes in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 30
Explanation: Helen, I'm posting this as low confidence as I don't have any references to back it up and haven't time to look for any. However, I've been reading your context and a few Googled instances of "à l'ultime", and think it may simply mean "final" - i.e. "final technical results".
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 9 days (2009-12-01 12:13:13 GMT) Post-grading --------------------------------------------------
Funnily enough, I came acros the same term a couple of days ago in an insurance-related text. I ended up referring back to the client, and like you, was advised of different equivalents for different usages.
Tout est bien qui finit bien!
Rob Grayson United Kingdom Local time: 02:33 Specializes in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 623
Grading comment
Hi Rob, thanks for your help. It turns out, as I think you know, that the client used this term in different ways at different points in the text. 'Vision...a l'ultime' to mean 'final view' and 'resultat a l'ultime' to signify 'ultimate results', an insurance-industry specific usage so you were partly right but I sensed that there was something else being attributed to it too which was why I was confused! Thanks to everyone else for your input too!
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +1
