KudoZ home » French to English » Management

mode pompier

English translation: firefighting mode

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

French term or phrase:	mode pompier
English translation:	firefighting mode
Entered by:	Bianca AH

Options:
- Contribute to this entry

11:48 Sep 15, 2009

French to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Management

French term or phrase: mode pompier

Cette méthode favorise le pilotage par les objectifs. Il permet de ne plus raisonner sur un mode pompier mais d’être davantage sur les anticipations.

"Putting out fires" come to (my tired and fried) mind. I'm trying to keep an clin d'oeil re. "pompier" but haven't quite achieved that in what I've got so far:

This method encourages target-steered management and moves away from a "response mode" towards a more anticipatory approach.

I'd be interested in your comments and suggestions.

Many thanks in advance.

Bianca AH KudoZ activity Questions: 232 (1 open) (15 closed without grading) Answers: 71 France
Local time: 18:27

firefighting mode

Explanation:
I think this must be a quasi literal translation of this expression, which has become quite common in certain corporate circles in the UK.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 mins (2009-09-15 11:52:58 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Found this quote: "Centralized monitoring shifts focus from fire-fighting to forward planning" at http://www.symmetrixtech.com/monitoring/

Selected response from:

Rob Grayson
France
Local time: 18:27

Grading comment

Wonderful - thank you for your help.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +12

firefighting mode

Rob Grayson

Summary of reference entries provided

sightings

Martin Cassell

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

2 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +12

firefighting mode

Rob Grayson
France
Local time: 18:27
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 28

Grading comment

Wonderful - thank you for your help.

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

agree

polyglot45: and I think they are talking about MBO Management by Objectives

1 min

-> Thanks – and yes, sounds like MBO to me too

agree

jaynedmoore

2 mins

-> Thanks, Jayne

agree

savtrad: Just one example from many online, see http://www.chacocanyon.com/essays/firefighting.shtml

6 mins

-> Thanks

agree

Helen Shiner

7 mins

-> Thanks, Helen

agree

solarstone

8 mins

-> Thanks

agree

Philippa

10 mins

-> Thanks, Philippa

agree

Laurel Clausen

16 mins

-> Thanks, Laurel

agree

Martin Cassell: my first thought, too

25 mins

-> Thanks, Martin

agree

Francoise Vogel: Cet étrange français semble effectivement calé sur de l'anglais.

51 mins

-> Merci – effectivement, c'est la première fois que j'ai vu cette transmutation-là

agree

Clair@Lexeme

55 mins

-> Thanks, Clair

agree

rkillings

15 hrs

-> Thanks, Bob

agree

Michael J.H. Davies: Yes, definitely!

19 hrs

-> Thanks, Michael

Reference comments

37 mins

Reference: sightings

Reference information:
Used clearly in exactly the sense of "fire-fighting":

« Les critiques lues dans la presse: [...] Fonctionnement en mode "pompier" – Protection contre les failles exploitées, pas contre les failles exploitables »
[http://is.gd/3iw3B]

« 2ème étape - Refuser le mode "pompier"
L’expérience acquise par le CITIC 74 depuis de plus de 12 ans dans le domaine prouve qu’il est coûteux et inutile de se contenter d’intervenir pour réparer. »
[http://is.gd/3iwlN]

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 20 hrs (2009-09-16 08:23:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

As Françoise observes above, this is not a mainstream usage. I think the fact that these examples use double quotes is a hint that the writers feel the term is not naturalised in French; but clearly it exists and its imagery is found useful in some circumstances.

Martin Cassell
United Kingdom
Native speaker of:

English