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18:50 Nov 11, 2009
French to English translations [PRO] Tech/Engineering - Telecom(munications) / Routing of calls, Virtual Call Center
French term or phrase:Aboutement
Hello to everyone! Thanks for your help!
I am translating a text regarding telecommunications and routing of calls by means of a Virtual Call Center (VCC). I have come across the french term "aboutement".
I found that "Call-in Lead" was correct, though I am not very sure. For example:
"Traitement des appels en aboutement" would be something like "Processing of Calls in-Lead". That sounds about right, but then comes another phrase that doesn't quite help me:
"Le routage des appels est effectué par aboutement, tant que l'interface XXX n'est pas mis en place aujourd-hui".
I understand that "Aboutement" here is more like a method, as opposed to the previous example, so "The routing of calls is done by (means of) ___________, as the interface XXX has not been implemented yet".
I found this definition of aboutement:
"Action d'abouter des appels téléphoniques. Par exemple pour mettre en relation un client qui appelle et un téléconseiller sur un plateau de centre d'appels".
I understand that "abouter" would be something like "join" the calls, but the word "join" doesn't convince me much:
"The routing of calls is done by (means of) joining (the calls), as the interface XXX has not been implemented yet". This looks weird to me. It sounds like "Aboutement" is more than just joining the calls and I am trying to find a term in English for this, and I don't know whether is more like "Call-in Lead" or "Joining", or if it means this at all.
I really appreciate your help a lot and thank you very much!
Also, I would generally only use "joining" (with calls/video, etc.) if I were specifically referring to a teleconference, videoconference, chat, etc. (Something like how one would 'join' a conversation, etc.) Personally I would use "transfer" or "connect" (preferably the latter) rather than "join" except for in the aforementioned context.
Under the larger topic of "network protocols," your term might be similar to "multiplexing" (when message signals are combined) or something like "asynchronous transfer mode" (ATM), which according to Wikipedia "ATM exposes properties from both circuit switched and small packet switched networking, making it suitable for wide area data networking as well as real-time media transport. ATM uses a connection-oriented model and establishes a virtual circuit between two endpoints before the actual data exchange begins." (This uses multiplexing, but it also uses the idea of joining ends/making connections.
Personally as a native English speaker I have never heard "Call-in Lead," although none of the call centers I have worked at have not had call-waiting technology. (I'm not sure about this, but I would guess that a "Call-in Lead" would refer to automatic prompts given by machine when dialing a general number. I have heard "call waiting" (for automatic call centers and personal lines alike), "on hold" before manually transferring calls, and "Push-to-talk" features (for joining in on conference calls).
Aboutement comes from the word bout (end;tip). Aboutement means mettre bout à bout. Trusting what I found, it means end-to-end, one after the other.
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Answers
98 days confidence:
Tromboning
Explanation: Hi Zamzara,
I'm a VCC designer for Orange (French Telecom Provider) and often translate these type of docs from French to English. The term you're looking for is "tromboning". It refers to the a call which arrives at one location before it is then rerouted to the final target. In a normal operation (i.e. without abouement) the voice of the person calling goes directly from A (the caller) to C (the target person). With aboutement or tromboning the call goes from A to B to C. This creates a loop which is similar to the shape of a trombone :)
If you want to use the work 'join' then the term 'join end-to-end' is also acceptable.
The interface mentioned in the piece is most likely an interface with an Intelligent Network (RI in French) which would hold the call until the final target (C) was found. One located, i directs the call directly from A to C without having to pass through location B.
The translation workplace 
