organes de force

English translation: law enforcement agencies

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

French term or phrase:	organes de force
English translation:	law enforcement agencies
Entered by:	Clare Macnamara

09:40 Feb 21, 2006

French to English translations [PRO]
Government / Politics / Ukraine politics

French term or phrase: organes de force

Hi all!

This is from an interview with a prominent Ukranian politician. He's describing the situation in Ukraine in the late 1990s:

"A cette époque, dès qu’une entreprise commençait à prendre un peu d’importance, vous étiez confronté au phénomène de l’extorsion. Tout le monde voulait vous prendre de l’argent : les autorités fiscales, les **organes de force**".

He then goes on to tell a personal story that has nothing to do with the "organes de force"

However, the term is used elsewhere in the text, as follows:

"Au début des années 80, on y trouvait des signes de « nationalisme bourgeois » comme disaient les **organes de force**, de la propagande, de la littérature propageant des idées nationalistes".

There are very few g-hits for "organes de force" in FR and over 100 for "organs of force" in EN, but it doesn't sound "Englishy" to me. One entry describes "organs of force" as "the police, the courts, prisons, the army and the navy", which is what I assume it means but isn't there another way of putting it? Perhaps security forces? I do want the term to be specific to the CIS environment.

MTIA

Clare Macnamara KudoZ activity Questions: 154 (none open) (1 closed without grading) Answers: 1241
Local time: 21:29

(law) enforcement agencies

Explanation:
http://tinyurl.com/oxd8j

Selected response from:

Adam Lankamer
Poland
Local time: 21:29

Grading comment

Thanks Adam. I'm choosing this answer rather than Awana's because, although the the suggestion is good, I don't agree that the specific service/force should be named.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +1

(law) enforcement agencies

Adam Lankamer

Security services/forces

Romanian Translator (X)

coercive organizations

MatthewLaSon

not for grading

Sandra Petch

Discussion entries: 7

Answers

2 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

(law) enforcement agencies

Explanation:
http://tinyurl.com/oxd8j

Adam Lankamer
Poland
Local time: 21:29
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Polish
PRO pts in category: 8

Grading comment

Thanks Adam. I'm choosing this answer rather than Awana's because, although the the suggestion is good, I don't agree that the specific service/force should be named.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Sylvia Smith

5 mins

neutral

writeaway: Même si les "siloviki" (organes de "force" : police et armée) soviétiques web.radicalparty.org/pressreview/print_right.php?func=detail&par=7172 just posting a Google page with the English term is not a very convincing ref.

14 mins

-> please be more specific ;-) law enforcement agencies are law enforcement agencies no matter whether they work for a communist regime or for a democratic state

neutral

Romanian Translator (X): Law enforcement agency is a very broad term could mean any of these agencies but I do not think that the police or the Customs would ever be involved in propaganda...this was the domain of the secret services (more like MI5/KGB stuff...don't you think?)

38 mins

-> I don't think so; pls read carefully: "...trouvait des signes de « nationalisme..» comme disaient les **organes de force**, de la propagande, de la ..." means signes de nationalisme, signes de la propaganda etc. organes de force is a kind of interjectio

4 mins confidence:

Security services/forces

Explanation:
it speaks of the police and of the government security services (secret services).

Name these Security Services for is better understood in English.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 mins (2006-02-21 09:48:27 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"MI5 | HomeThis is the official website of the Security Service, commonly known as MI5. The Service is responsible for protecting the UK against threats to national ..."
www.mi5.gov.uk/

"US Air Force Security Forces
Organization overview, policy pages, directory, news, details about Defender
Challenge, library, and articles about security forces heritage."
http://afsf.lackland.af.mil/

"Lebanese Republic - Internal Security Forces
Contacts, addresses, telephone numbers of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces."
www.lebanon.com/isf/

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 mins (2006-02-21 09:49:40 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

92,000,000 hits on Google for Security Forces

Israeli Security Forces - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Israeli Security Forces (ISF) are several organizations collectively responsible
for Israel's security. The organizations are independent but cooperate ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_Security_Forces

RAND | Newsroom | Commentary | Iraqi Security Forces: Numbers and ...
Iraqi Security Forces: Numbers and Needs. By Olga Oliker ... Getting substantial
numbers of capable and well-trained Iraqi security forces in place is ...
www.rand.org/commentary/102004KRT.html

Romanian Translator (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:29
Native speaker of: Romanian

3 hrs confidence:

not for grading

Explanation:
If it's any help at all...

From Wikipedia

A Silovik (силови́к, plural: siloviks or siloviki, силовики́, from a Russian word for force) is a Russian politician from the old security or military services, often the KGB and military officers or other security services who came into power in the teams of Boris Yeltsin or Vladimir Putin. Sometimes the term is translated as "strongman". The drawback of this translation is lost background of these persons, mentioned above.

From www.mosnews.com

Traditionally an informal name for the heads of “power” ministries (i.e. the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Interior Affairs, etc.) and military or intelligence agencies, in recent years the word siloviki (rooted in a Russian term for power) is more commonly used to refer to a clan of former and present members of security or military services, often the KGB (and its post-Soviet successor the FSB), who came to power during the Yeltsin years and had significantly increased their influence after Vladimir Putin became President.

From www.monitor.upeace.org

Russia today is ruled by Vladimir Putin's siloviki, former K.G.B. men and military officers who have the nation by the throat. That power-hungry mafia (the Russian word is rooted in "power") brooks no opposition from either the small band of democratic reformers or the political leftovers from the Yeltsin regime.

Sandra Petch
Local time: 21:29
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 15

14 hrs confidence:

coercive organizations

Explanation:
An "organe de force" is the equivalent of an "organisme de force".

This would be organization that uses force or coercive measures.

A prison is an example of a coercive organization.

I hope this helps

Reference: http://www.geocities.com/athens/forum/1650/htmlpower.html

MatthewLaSon
Local time: 15:29
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 32

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