French to English translations [PRO] Bus/Financial - Management
French term or phrase:Chargé d’Affaires
" ... il rejoint en 19**, une entreprise de Négoce International, comme Chargé d’Affaires". Sorry, no further context except that this is a resumé of someone's career and that his previous post had been that of Sales Director in a local subsidiary of an international company.
Since you mention that the previous title was Director of Sales, I would be inclined to use Director for this one, rather than Manager, to keep from creating an impression that there this position was inferior to the other.
I have not yet found a specific reference that is not diplomatic in nature, but will research more. I'm working from a literal perspective, since you/your client did not indicate a diplomatic orientation. Chargé= responsible and d'affaires = business.
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Answers
14 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): -2
Chargé d’Affaires (in this context)
Diplomat or Diplomat in charge
Explanation: I agree with Hooksett416, it depends on the company or organization.
It is a term in itself
Verginia Ophof Belize Local time: 00:32 Meets criteria Specializes in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 4
4 hrs confidence:
Chargé d’Affaires (in this context)
Officer in charge of...
Explanation: have to know what he was exactly in charge of.
desertfox Israel Local time: 08:32 Does not meet criteria Works in field Native speaker of: French, Hebrew
Explanation: Always a pain, this one. There MUST be ample previous discussion of it here too: I seem to remember contributing to at least one prior debate.
Whenever I've asked customers what the role of a chargé d'affaires is, they've been at a loss for words, and it appears to me that in many cases it is a title they give to someone they wish to keep on the payroll until a particular position lined up for him becomes vacant, or for some reason .
Reasons might include being the lover/mistress of the PDG or a member of his/her family, having information about fraudulent company activities that would be divulged to the authorities if the person were to be given the boot, etc.
Note that they never actually state what sort of affaires the person is in charge of, which is suspicious to say the least.
Anyway, whenever customers have been at a loss for words, they've generally come up with "project manager" as what they feel the title should be in English. Again, no mention of the particular project involved.
These people are often the modern-day, corporate equivalent of the remittance man of colonial times, someone who had done something disgraceful or was required to be kept out of the way for some other reason, but whom the family (aristocratic) could not bring themselves to disown (the shame!) and so was sent to the far-flung colony, there to live a life of luxury at the family's expense on the condition that the never again set foot in Blighty.
The chargé d'affaires roams the world, purportedly defening the Company's business interests, and usually at a salary totally disproportionate to the value of the work he does.
Bourth France Local time: 07:32 Does not meet criteria Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 36
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks Bourth for a delightful rant, even if I am not going along with the suggested translation.
5 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +3
Chargé d’Affaires (in this context)
(New) Business Manager
Explanation: Depending on the company and the post itself, this could be interpreted as (New) Business Development or (New) Business Manager
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 20 mins (2009-09-25 23:53:09 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Is the company international? I'm thinking you might research their website for titles, in English.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 55 mins (2009-09-26 00:27:20 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Since you mention that the previous title was Director of Sales, I would be inclined to use Director for this one, rather than Manager, to keep from creating an impression that there this position was inferior to the other.
Travelin Ann United States Local time: 01:32 Meets criteria Works in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks hooksett. I did research the companies that were named for the other posts this person held during his career. In this case, the company is not named. I am very interested in your suggestion that this is a Business **Development** or **New** Business Manager. Do you have any refs. to support this translation?
Reference comments
3 hrs
Reference: explanations (in French )
Reference information: Dans la banque et la finance
Le chargé d'affaires est un chargé de clientèle, il possède un portefeuille de comptes clients composé soit de clients particuliers, soit de clients professionnels (artisans, TPE, PME, grandes entreprises). Il a une double casquette de gestionnaire et de vendeur. Il est chargé de gérer les comptes de ses clients, de surveiller l'évolution de ceux-ci en vérifiant l'existence éventuelle de comptes à découvert. Le chargé d'affaires est aussi chargé de vendre les produits financiers de sa banque pouvant être soit pour de l'épargne (LEP, PEL, etc...), soit pour des prêts (prêt classique, crédit-bail) ou encore plus récemment avec l'avènement de la bancassurance des produits d'assurance pour la maison, la voiture, la santé, la survie de l'entreprise, etc...
Dans la construction et les travaux publics
Le chargé d'affaires dirige et surveille un ou plusieurs chantiers. En relation avec ses clients, il établit le devis des travaux à effectuer. Il planifie et commande les ressources nécessaires
Ingénieur d'affaires
Le métier d'ingénieur d'affaires (appelé également ingénieur technico-commercial, ingénieur commercial, ou ingénieur avant-vente) consiste à démarcher des entreprises afin de leur présenter les produits de sa société et d'identifier les produits pouvant répondre à leurs besoins.
Project engineer
The profession of a project engineer, also called a sales engineer, involves contacting businesses in order to introduce them to his/her company's products, and identifying products which may fulfill their needs.
mohan venkatraman India Does not meet criteria Native speaker of: Tamil
Note to reference poster
Asker: Thanks mohan. I'm afraid the use of the title "engineer", when the job is not engineering at all, is one of my pet hates. It makes me think of dustmen being called waste removal engineers.
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peer agreement (net): -2
