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Arc des Caraibes

English translation: Caribbean Arc

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:Arc des Caraibes
English translation:Caribbean Arc
Entered by: Hattie Hill

16:39 Nov 17, 2008
French to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Geography
French term or phrase: Arc des Caraibes
This is in an insurance policy, listed under the "coverage territory."

Is there a term for this in English?

Thanks!
Hattie Hill
Local time: 07:29
Arc of the Caribbean
Explanation:
Les Antilles sont un vaste archipel américain situé dans la mer des Caraïbes. L'archipel forme un arc de cercle de 3500 km de long.
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antilles Google "Arc of the Caribbean" if you wish ...

Selected response from:

Jean-Claude Gouin
Canada
Local time: 07:29
Grading comment
I found plenty of examples of Caribbean Arc, and as someone else mentioned, it is just vague enough for an insurance policy. Merci bien.
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3Arc of the Caribbean
Jean-Claude Gouin
4Caribbean chain
Emma Cypher-Dournes (X)
5 -1The West Indies
kashew
3the Caribbean archipelago or islands
Melissa McMahon
1Antilles (specific context) Caribbean Basin (general context)
andres-larsen
Summary of reference entries provided
Caribbean arc
Bourth (X)

Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Arc of the Caribbean


Explanation:
Les Antilles sont un vaste archipel américain situé dans la mer des Caraïbes. L'archipel forme un arc de cercle de 3500 km de long.
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antilles Google "Arc of the Caribbean" if you wish ...



Jean-Claude Gouin
Canada
Local time: 07:29
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 3
Grading comment
I found plenty of examples of Caribbean Arc, and as someone else mentioned, it is just vague enough for an insurance policy. Merci bien.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jean-Louis S.: or Caribbean arc
4 mins
  -> Merci Jean-Louis ...
agree  Laura Tridico: Caribbean arc. See http://ec.europa.eu/development/geographical/regionscountrie...
1 hr
  -> Merci Laura ...
disagree  kashew: In a geological context OK, but we are in insurance, geographical context.
2 hrs
  -> Merci pour votre opinion, kashew. Moi, j'aurais dis en français, "dans les Caraïbes" et en anglais, "in the Caribbean" ... mais on nous demandait de traduire "Arc des Caraïbes" ...
agree  Bourth (X): Caribbean Arc, as an economic/trading entity.
8 hrs
  -> Merci Bourth pour votre appui ...
agree  jean-jacques alexandre
17 hrs
  -> Un gros merci, Jean-Jacques ...
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21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Caribbean chain


Explanation:
lots of GHits

Emma Cypher-Dournes (X)
Spain
Local time: 13:29
Native speaker of: English
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -1
The West Indies


Explanation:
WEST INDIES

The West Indies is a large group of islands that separate the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. They comprise three main island groups:

Bahamas (north)
Greater Antilles (central)
Lesser Antilles (southeast)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-11-17 19:00:24 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Ask a good British schoolchild where Jamaica is and the answer will be in the West Indies - not in the Caribbean Chain or Arc.

kashew
France
Local time: 13:29
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Jean-Claude Gouin: I am not a good British student. We were asked to translate "Arc of the Caribbean" not "Caribbean" ...
1 hr
neutral  Melissa McMahon: I'm with you most of the way (I don't like cricket, I love it), but not sure it's best for US
5 hrs
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5
Antilles (specific context) Caribbean Basin (general context)


Explanation:
The specific translation "Antilles" refers to the arc of Greater Antilles to Lesser Antilles islands beginning with Cuba and ending with Trinidad. The more general translation "Caribbean Basin" refers, on the one hand, to the geographic area of the continental land mass from, on the northern side (the U.S.), the western side (Central America) and the southern side (Colombia and Venezuela), and on the other, the abovementioned arc of Greater and Lesser Antilles islands.

sources:

Antilles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - The Antilles (the same in French; Antillas in Spanish; Antillen in Dutch) refers to the islands forming the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antilles - 39k -

Caribbean Basin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - The Caribbean Basin is generally defined as the area running from Florida westward along the Gulf coast, then south along the Mexican coast through Central ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribbean_Basin - 17k -

andres-larsen
Venezuela
Local time: 07:29
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Melissa McMahon: the Antilles is too specific as it doesn't include the Bahamas (between Cuba and Florida), which is included in the Caribbean arc
1 hr
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
the Caribbean archipelago or islands


Explanation:
This is obviously not a direct translation of "Arc des Caraibes" but I agree with kashew that "Caribbean arc" is a bit too scientific a register for an insurance policy (to the point where I don't think the meaning is clear - though not sure if meaning is clearer in French).

Hattie's clarification makes it clear that this is not quite just another way of saying "The Caribbean", because it excludes the mainland countries of the Caribbean region/West Indies (the Guyanas and Suriname): "Arc" has been used to pick out the islands rather than the mainland (probably different insurance risks apply) and so I'd translate it as the Caribbean archipelago (ie island group) or islands.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs (2008-11-18 00:46:24 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Actually, since you say the Guyanas etc. come under the same coverage territory, it sounds like they're just enumerating the parts of the West Indies - the islands on the one hand and coastal territories on the other - to distinguish from, eg. Central America, which might fall under a different heading.

Melissa McMahon
Australia
Local time: 21:29
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  rkillings: If Guyana and Surinam are in this "arc", why not Florida? Or Yucatan, for that matter? Nothing scientific about it at all.
7 hrs
  -> No, Guyana & Surinam are listed separately, not in the Arc, hence interpretation of Arc as the islands of the Caribbean (and not the whole region, which would include them)
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Reference comments


5 hrs peer agreement (net): +1
Reference: Caribbean arc

Reference information:
Ever since the invention of Europe's blue banana, people have been striving to find or invent other arc-like economic or sectoral entities. We have the Atlantic Arc, for instance, which is lobbying the EU for funds to develop the area from Ireland, through Wales and south-west England, along France's Atlantic seaboard and town to coastal Spain and Portugal. The feeling is that these areas would do well to promote intra-national synergies amongst themselves rather than seek to deal more intensively with Europe's eastward expansion. I've encountered other such arcs too (not that I can think of them at the moment).

I agree with Kashew that this amounts to the West Indies, but maybe we should move with the times. Quite frankly, Caribbean Arc is sexier, with frillier knickers.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 hrs (2008-11-18 01:47:14 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

That clinches it: if Surinam and the Guy/ianas are in there, then it has to be "Caribbean Arc". Unless it's that bone of US/European contention, the Caribbean Banana.

Bourth (X)
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 56

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  kashew: It all sounds suitably vague - ideal for an insurance clause!
10 hrs
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