643 - L'Anglais Des Affaires Pour Les Nuls

L’anglais des
affaires
Claude Raimond

L’anglais des affaires pour les Nuls

« Pour les Nuls » est une marque déposée de John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.
« For Dummies » est une marque déposée de John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.

© Éditions First, un département d’Édi8, Paris, 2020. Publié
en accord avec John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Éditions First, un département d’Édi8
92, avenue de France
75013 Paris – France
Tél. : 01 44 16 09 00
Fax : 01 44 16 09 01
Courriel : firstinfo@efirst.com
Site internet : www.pourlesnuls.fr

ISBN : 978-2-412-05377-5
ISBN numérique : 978-2-412-05698-1
Dépôt légal : janvier 2020

Correction : Jacqueline Rouzet
Mise en page : Soft Office

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Ce livre numérique a été converti initialement au format

EPUB par Isako www.isako.com à partir de l'édition papier
du même ouvrage.
À propos de l’auteur
De formation financière et commerciale, Claude
Raimond a été confronté dans sa carrière de
manager à l’anglais dans un cadre professionnel. Il
enseigne aujourd’hui cette langue aux actifs
désireux de se perfectionner. Il est notamment
l’auteur de L’anglais correct pour les Nuls et du Petit
livre de L’anglais correct chez First.
Introduction
B ienvenue dans L’anglais des affaires pour les Nuls,

l’anglais de la vie professionnelle, pour lecteurs
francophones aux prises avec l’anglais.
Est-ce à dire que cette langue nous oppose des

obstacles que ne rencontrent pas les autres ?
Serait-elle plus difficile pour nous, alors qu’elle
comporte tant de mots proches du français ?
Eh bien oui ! L’anglais est difficile pour tous, et il

comporte des difficultés supplémentaires pour les
personnes de langue maternelle française. Mais
avant d’examiner ces difficultés et la manière de les
surmonter, il importe de dissiper un malentendu.
Le mythe de l’anglais facile

L’anglais paraît facile aux résidents d’Europe
continentale parce qu’ils peuvent aisément acquérir
assez d’anglais pour communiquer tant bien que
mal entre eux. Leurs langues offrent avec l’anglais
des analogies résultant de sources communes
comme le latin et les parlers germaniques. Et
comme les langues d’Europe ont beaucoup
emprunté les unes aux autres, elles foisonnent de
mots qui se ressemblent. Ces ressemblances sont
autant de passerelles vers un premier niveau
d’anglais que certains appellent globish, contraction
de global English, et que d’autres, peut-être parce
que globish rime avec rubbish, préfèrent appeler
international English.
Malheureusement, il n’y a pas de passerelle et

encore moins d’ascenseur vers l’étage supérieur des
anglophones natifs. Pour s’en approcher, il faut
gravir la pente et surmonter une à une les
difficultés de leur langue :
» ampleur du vocabulaire ;
» nombreux homonymes ;
» nombreux homophones, ces mots de

prononciation identique mais d’orthographe et de
sens différents ;
» foisonnement d’expressions idiomatiques ;
» le sens de nombreux mots change de manière

subtile ou radicale selon le contexte ;
» la prononciation n’est pas une mince affaire :
• plus de phonèmes – plus de sons différents –

que dans presque toutes les autres langues ;
• un même son peut s’écrire de trois à cinq

manières différentes, et une même
combinaison de lettres produire de trois à cinq
sons différents ;
• la prononciation change d’un pays à un autre ;
» les différents pays anglophones n’utilisent pas

tous les mêmes expressions idiomatiques ni la
même orthographe, et ne désignent pas de la
même manière divers objets ou fonctions de la vie
courante.
Allez-vous baisser les bras, renoncer à

communiquer avec le monde anglophone ? Si vous
ne pouvez pas vous offrir ce luxe, la seule option
disponible est alors de retrousser vos manches et de
prendre le taureau par les cornes. Rassurez-vous,
ce livre vous aide à surmonter les difficultés de
l’anglais, et en prime, il vous indique des
passerelles du français vers l’anglais, en vous
précisant où poser les pieds quand leur usage
comporte des risques. En voici une à emprunter en
toute sécurité : the only option available then is to roll
up your sleeves and to take the bull by the horns, avec
deux images rendues exactement de la même façon
dans les deux langues.
Conforté par ces promesses, vous désirez

maintenant des précisions sur les handicaps des
francophones.
Les handicaps des

francophones
Pas doués pour les langues ?
Toute langue entendue par un enfant lorsqu’il
apprend à parler influe sur ses aptitudes
linguistiques. S’il n’en entend qu’une, elle peut
entraîner des handicaps difficiles à surmonter.
Les Asiatiques distinguent mal les sons ‘l’ et ‘r’, et

pour les Hispaniques, le ‘b’ et le ‘v’ sont difficiles à
départager. Leur mauvaise prononciation de ces
consonnes est reconnue comme un accent étranger,
mais ne nuit pas outre mesure à la compréhension
lorsqu’ils parlent ou entendent une autre langue.
Les particularités du français sont plus lourdes de

conséquences. Le français est la seule langue
d’Europe dans laquelle la position de l’accent
tonique et la durée des sons de voyelle ne servent
pas à reconnaître les mots. Dans les autres langues,
ces deux éléments établissent entre les mots des
distinctions apportant du sens. Ils sont marqués par
les locuteurs et sont remarqués par eux. Un
francophone pur et dur n’entend pas d’accent
tonique et n’a pas conscience de la durée des sons
dans sa langue, ce qui ne servirait à rien, mais pas
non plus dans les autres, ce qui l’empêche souvent
de comprendre ou d’être compris. L’affirmation
« les Français ne sont pas doués pour les langues »
est en partie justifiée par cette incapacité découlant
de propriétés du français. Les effets en sont encore
plus néfastes à l’égard de l’anglais, car ils se
combinent à ses autres difficultés.
Le problème des différences

L’anglais nous rappelant le français, sa pratique
active de manière intempestive des éléments du
répertoire de phrases et de sons français accumulés
dans notre subconscient. L’influence du français
peut nous aider à comprendre ou à nous exprimer,
mais elle est plus souvent pernicieuse. Elle est
responsable de la quasi-totalité de nos
incompréhensions ou erreurs lors des tests ou
examens d’anglais ou dans nos contacts avec des
anglophones.
Cette influence peut être atténuée en multipliant

les contacts avec l’anglais ou en l’apprenant par
immersion. Elle peut être déjouée par une approche
préventive, en signalant pour toute phrase anglaise
les points où l’influence du français risque de
provoquer la mauvaise prononciation, le
malentendu, la faute d’anglais. C’est l’approche
utilisée dans ce livre.
À qui s’adresse ce livre

Plusieurs hypothèses relatives à votre rapport aux
langues, vos besoins et vos préférences m’ont guidé
dans la préparation de l’ouvrage :
» Vous parvenez à vous débrouiller en anglais avec
des Allemands, des Italiens ou des Chinois, mais
vous ne comprenez pas tout ce que vous lisez et
vous comprenez encore moins ce que disent les
anglophones.
» L’interprétation simultanée ne fait pas encore

partie des services dont vous disposez pour vous
rendre à l’étranger ou téléphoner à des
personnages importants.
» Vous savez que la plupart des employeurs exigent
désormais un niveau d’anglais certifié par des tests
comme le TOEIC (Test Of English for International
Communication), et vous cherchez un emploi ou
aimeriez en changer.
» Vous souhaitez progresser rapidement mais

sûrement, en consolidant à chaque pas votre
acquis antérieur.
» Vous ne pensez pas qu’il faille souffrir pour

apprendre une langue et vous ne voulez pas vous
soumettre à des exercices fastidieux.
Si vous vous reconnaissez dans cette liste, ce livre

est fait pour vous.
Organisation du livre
Le livre répartit le vocabulaire professionnel et ses
modalités d’utilisation sur trois parties divisées en
chapitres. Ces chapitres sont écrits en anglais avec
des aménagements vous permettant de les
comprendre.
En annexe, un lexique français/anglais reprend tout

le vocabulaire anglais du livre.
Trois parties allant du général au
particulier
La première partie, Le travail en général, traite de
sujets communs à la plupart des activités :
recherche d’emploi ; trajets pour se rendre au
travail ; réunions internes ; retraite. Dans la
deuxième partie, À l’intérieur d’une organisation,
vous verrez tourner certains rouages de tout
organisme professionnel : le téléphone ; les
rapports, mémos et courriers électroniques ; la
comptabilité. La troisième et dernière partie,
Échanges et commerce, est consacrée aux échanges et
aux activités qui les sous-tendent : les
présentations commerciales ; les négociations ; la
distribution ; les banques de détail.
Organisation des chapitres

Chaque chapitre est organisé selon un modèle
unique conçu pour relever les défis de l’anglais :
ampleur du vocabulaire, aléas de la prononciation,
expressions idiomatiques, et pour nous autres
francophones, surdité à l’opposition sons
brefs/long et au placement de l’accent tonique,
dérapages sous l’influence du français.
Un chapitre est divisé en trois sections : textes,
commentaires, lexique français/anglais.
Certains mots ou expressions apparaissant pour la

première fois dans le chapitre sont en gras. Leur
équivalent français figure dans la section
Vocabulaire Anglais/Français.
Vous verrez aussi, insérés de loin en loin dans les

textes et commentaires (entre parenthèses et en
italique), des équivalents anglais pour comprendre
sans traduire. Vous connaîtrez déjà certains de ces
synonymes, et vous en comprendrez d’autres,
proches du français. Exemple : ‘John, as head
(chief) of the regional office, chairs (presides over)
the meeting’.
Ce procédé tire parti de la surabondance du

vocabulaire anglais tout en vous aidant à la
maîtriser.
Des textes anglais centrés sur un

même thème
La première section entre dans le vif du sujet avec
de l’anglais directement utilisable dans votre vie
professionnelle : discussion, exposé, lettre, courrier
électronique ou autre document. D’autres textes
apportent des précisions ou des éclairages pour
vous aider à formuler en anglais vos propres choix
ou orientations.
Commentaires
Ces commentaires portent sur des mots ou groupes
de mots figurant dans les textes. Quatre sous-
sections portent chacune sur une classe de
commentaires : prononciation, confusions
possibles, associations de mots fréquentes,
ressemblances utiles avec le français. Les fragments
de texte sont reproduits et commentés dans l’ordre
d’apparition à l’intérieur des textes.
Un commentaire ne se limite pas à un élément du

fragment reproduit. Il donne d’autres exemples qui
vous aident à assimiler les règles, exceptions ou
mises en gardes présentées tout en étendant votre
vocabulaire.
Des infos sur la prononciation et

l’accentuation
La première classe de commentaires, Prononcez
correctement ! utilise des extraits des textes pour
illustrer des schémas récurrents de prononciation
ou d’accentuation ou des exceptions à ces schémas.
Les mots qui ressemblent à d’autres pour qui ne
perçoit pas la durée des syllabes sont opposés à
ceux avec lesquels ils peuvent être confondus :
paper/pepper, bin/been, sheep/ship, cost/coast…
Pour indiquer la prononciation, cette sous-section

établit des analogies avec des mots courants.
Exemple : le ow du Dow Jones index est prononcé
comme le ow de cow ou le ao de ciao, non comme le
oa de road ou le o de spoke.
Les différences
Cette classe de commentaires est intitulée Un
homme averti en vaut deux. Elle vous met en garde
contre des erreurs résultant de la méconnaissance
de certaines différences.
Dans le cas de différence entre l’anglais et le

français, le but est d’éviter l’influence du français,
par exemple l’emploi du present perfect au lieu du
simple past, là où nous utiliserions le passé
composé, proche du present perfect. Ainsi dans la
phrase : I saw an outstanding film yesterday (J’ai vu
hier un film excellent), nous devons nous retenir de
dire ou d’écrire I have seen…, comme le suggère
notre réflexe francophone.
Les commentaires peuvent souligner des
différences entre des expressions anglaises que
nous risquons de confondre, comme row (rangée)
qui rime avec slow, et row (dispute) qui rime avec
cow, ou des différences d’usage entre l’anglais des
Américains et celui des Britanniques, comme car
park (au Royaume-Uni) au lieu de parking lot aux
États-Unis.
L’effet préventif du commentaire est renforcé en

citant d’autres cas du type d’erreur ou de confusion
signalé. Exemple : le français termine par un ‘e’ de
nombreux mots dont les homologues anglais ne
comportent pas cette lettre. Un commentaire le
rappelant à propos de synonym pourrait citer
paradox, act, autodidact, paragraph, enthusiasm,
sarcasm, herb.
Des mots qui vont très bien

ensemble
Ce titre évocateur annonce des associations de mots
figurant dans les textes du chapitre, et que vous
rencontrerez à coup sûr en pratiquant l’anglais. Si
vous les mémorisez, la rencontre d’un de leurs
éléments vous rappellera l’autre ou les autres,
accélérant votre compréhension et votre
production.
Par exemple, il est fréquent d’associer au mot

career l’un des adjectifs successful, brilliant, exciting,
long, ou uneventful, boring. Ayant entendu le début
de phrase After a long and successful…, vous attendez
le mot career.
Une association de mots présentée dans cette classe

de commentaires est complétée par d’autres
associations d’un ou plusieurs de ces mots.
Des passerelles
Après avoir vu les difficultés que présente l’anglais,
voici un peu de réconfort ! Ce chapitre vous montre
des formes ou des mots proches du français que
nous comprenons aussitôt et pouvons utiliser sans
risque.
Lexique anglais/français
La troisième section donne une traduction française
des mots ou expressions en gras dans les textes ou
commentaires. Un même terme peut figurer dans
un autre chapitre et dans son lexique avec un sens
différent.
Et maintenant…
Informé en détail sur le contenu du livre, vous
pouvez l’utiliser à votre guise. Un chapitre comble
d’éventuelles lacunes lexicales ou grammaticales,
consolide et développe vos connaissances, mais sa
lecture ne conditionne pas la compréhension des
autres. La seule raison qui pourrait vous inciter à
tout lire d’un bout à l’autre, c’est qu’ainsi vous
seriez sûr de n’avoir rien oublié.
Vous pouvez commencer par le chapitre

correspondant le mieux à vos soucis du moment et
même le lire dans l’ordre qui vous convient. And
now, go for it !
PARTIE 1
LE TRAVAIL EN GÉNÉRAL
DANS CETTE PARTIE…
Cette partie vous permet de vivre et d’évoquer en

anglais des moments classiques de toute vie
professionnelle. Le chapitre 1 porte sur la
recherche d’emploi. Le chapitre 2 est consacré au
trajet, transition entre travail et vie personnelle.
Le 3e chapitre, Réunions internes, décrit les
inévitables réunions. Le quatrième et dernier
chapitre, La retraite, examine différents aspects de
l’aboutissement normal d’une vie professionnelle.
Chapitre 1
La recherche d’emploi
DANS CE CHAPITRE :
» L’importance du CV
» La lettre de motivation
» Pensez à Internet
» L’entrevue
Un mail encourageant
After sending dozens of letters in response to job
ads in the trade press, you received a number of
replies, some bluntly rejecting your application,
others extolling your credentials (qualifications) but
mentioning with regret that a candidate more
suitable has been selected and wishing you good
luck with your job search. You were beginning to
despair when the following e-mail finally arrived.
***
From : Caroline Weatherspoon
<carolinew@rubberfoam.com>
Date : July 10, 2009
To : Robert Bourgeois <bobbourgeois@gmail.com>
Subject : Your application
Mr Bourgeois,
Thank you for responding to (for answering) our

recruiting ad. Your professional experience as well
as your educational background are impressive and
seem to correspond to our requirements (exigencies)
for the position. We have retained your application
for further consideration and I would like to discuss
it with you.
We are inviting several applicants (candidates) to

meet with me and possibly with John Riverside,
head of our manufacturing department within
which the person eventually hired will manage
quality assurance. We would like to reach (come to,
arrive at) a final decision by the end of this month.
Could you come to my office for an interview next
Wednesday, July 15 at 10 a.m.? Should this date and
time be inconvenient, please call Nancy Woods
on 881 809 331 to make other arrangements.
We are looking forward to meeting you (making
your acquaintance) very soon (shortly, in the coming
days).
Best regards,
Caroline Weatherspoon, Manager, Human

Resources.
***
This e-mail is your reward for having prepared and

used your application documents according to
sensible ideas such as those presented in the two
following texts. But you’ve only won the first
battle. To win the war – to get a job offer – you
must shine (be brilliant) during the interview, the
challenges of which are described in the last text of
the chapter.
Questions à considérer avant

de préparer et envoyer un CV
Many people are ill at ease (uncomfortable,
embarrassed) when looking for a job, thinking they
lack (don’t have) what it takes (what is required) to
sell themselves. Yet (however) being asked to an
interview is similar to enticing a potential
customer to enter a shop, and obtaining a job offer
is akin to (of a similar nature as) completing (closing)
a sale.Looking at the problem from the buyer’s
perspective (viewpoint) raises following questions :
1. What kind of talent are they really looking for

(trying to find) and why?
2. What might cause them to reject your

application?
3. What elements in your profile might they

regard as pluses?
4. What elements in your profile might they

regard as minuses?
5. How many application letters are they likely to

receive?
6. How many candidates will they likely

interview?
If you are sending off your CV to an organisation

advertising a job vacancy, the ad itself will answer
the first question, but only a tiny (minuscule)
fraction of questions 2, 3 and 4. To answer them,
you need much more information than that
provided by the recruiting ad. You want to know
what type of organisation it is ; if a company,
whether it is privately owned or public, in the latter
case, who the shareholders (stockholders) are ; how
many people it employs in your region and
elsewhere ; how the organisation has evolved since
its inception (beginning) and how it is likely to
evolve in the future.
Twenty years ago, getting answers to all above

questions would have been a daunting (an
intimidating) task. Today, you can get at least
tentative (preliminary) answers to most of them in
half an hour to an hour of Internet surfing. Once
your résumé has been tweaked (adjusted) in the
right direction, you can then write a motivation
letter expressing your interest in this particular
company and your eagerness to contribute to its
success.
It’s now time to worry about questions 5 and 6.

Bear (keep) in mind that the only objective (goal,
aim, purpose) of your correspondence is to pass the
first hurdle, namely to be selected for a job
interview. If you think the number of applicants
with a profile similar to yours is very large, expect
the person who opens your letter to look mainly
(primarily) for reasons to put it on the rejection pile.
Suppose there are one thousand replies. Then the
person in charge of the selection will try to reduce
this to a more manageable (practicable) number, say
fifty applications. To eliminate nine hundred and
fifty letters, very coarse (crude, rough) negative
criteria will be used at this stage, e.g. the legibility
of the letter and CV, spelling mistakes, age above or
below preset limits, sex and/or marital status,
minimum number of years of experience or higher
education.
If you have any reason to assume the number of

candidates will be very large, avoid giving details
that might cause your application to land on the
rejection heap, proofread your motivation letter
and CV several times and have someone check
(verify) them for spelling or grammatical mistakes
(errors).
You might try a trick (ploy, ruse) to cause your letter

to receive more attention than those of your
competitors : delayed sending. There is of course
the risk that it won’t be examined at all, but if it is,
chances are that the reader will no longer be in
elimination mode and will notice positive points.
But the best way to have an edge on (an advantage

over) your competitors is to send your letter and CV
before the ad is published. How can you do that?
You can do it by sending spontaneous (unsolicited)
applications to companies you would like to work
for, doing so at a time your application has a
chance to trigger a positive reaction. There is no
point in writing to a company in trouble, which is
more likely to decrease than to increase its staff. By
contrast, a company currently undergoing or
planning changes is likely to show an interest in
your spontaneous application if your profile has
any relevance to its present or forthcoming
challenges. To discover changes that are likely to
(will probably) cause a company to look for new
talent, use the Internet.
Forme du CV et de la lettre
d’accompagnement
The above paragraph underscores (underlines)
issues to consider when defining the content of the
two documents materialising your application: your
résumé, also called CV, your cover letter, also called
motivation letter.
Before going any further, ask yourself what the

reader wants to know and doesn’t want or shouldn’t
want to know about you. Remember, this person is
very busy and will not be pleased to learn about
circumstances of your life or achievements you may
be proud of but that have no relevance to the job
you are applying for. Be careful, however, when
deemphasizing portions of your life that are not in
any way related to the coveted position. Don’t
eliminate them completely. A gap in a CV is suspect
and may cause the reader to fear you might have
spent in gaol (behind bars, in prison) the year
between employer X and employer Y.
In line with considerations above, CV writing

experts stress that persons involved in the selection
process prefer CVs in reverse chronological order
(so they can make sure the candidate is not an ex-
convict (gaolbird)).
The problem with the chronological approach,

however, is that you may have acquired the
particular experience that best qualify you for the
job at an earlier time. If such is the case, do not use
the chronological order to list your achievements,
list them by decreasing order of relevance to the job
you are seeking, and include a brief paragraph
called ‘employment history’, with month/year to
month/year – name of employer – place (only city
and country).
L’interview
Congratulations ! You’ve passed the first hurdle
(barrier, obstacle). You are invited to an interview.
Now how do you prepare for it? Again, suppose you
were the interviewer instead of the interviewee and
ask yourself how you would handle a dozen or so
applicants. They already have undergone a pre-
selection process based on the analysis of their
letters and CVs, and have been ranked according to
predefined criteria.
These documents give only an incomplete and

maybe inaccurate (fallacious, inexact) image of the
candidates. Incomplete, because they may lack
important information. Inaccurate, because some
may grossly exaggerate their own merits or even
downright invent nonexistent characteristics or
experience. Among the things that are difficult to
discover by looking at their papers are candidates’
social skills, their ability to perform under stress,
their adaptability, their creativity, in other words,
the set of characteristics that make up their
personality. Not all job positions require or rule out
(exclude) specific character traits, but most of them
require some degree of certain natural dispositions.
The purpose of the interview, then, is on the one

hand to check the accuracy (truthfulness, exactitude)
of the claims (statements, allegations) in the CV and
letter, and on the other hand to find out (determine)
whether the candidate possesses a set of character
traits that will contribute to his or her success in
the job.
As a candidate, you should expect questions

corresponding to these concerns and prepare for
them. Be ready to substantiate (demonstrate the
actuality of) positive points listed in your CV with
genuine (authentic), interesting, and if possible
verifiable details or anecdotes. Furthermore, try to
find out in advance the character traits necessary
for the coveted position (the position longed for) and
imagine questions whose answers could reveal their
presence. Desirable attributes are a function of the
job itself and of your prospective employer. To
learn about them, talk to people with experience of
the job or knowledge of the company. And, of
course, use the Internet.
Commentaires
Prononcez correctement !
…We would like to reach – reach/rich. Entraînez-
vous à marquer la distinction entre voyelles
longues/courtes : peach/pitch, sleet/slit, read/rid,
bead/bid, treacle/trickle.
…obtaining a job offer is akin to – akin est accentué

sur la dernière syllabe, comme beaucoup de mots
de deux syllabes commençant par a : aboard, again,
about, aback, abreast, ago, ahead, anew, across, around,
amiss, amidst, apart, away, awash, awry, ahoy.
…defining the content – Le nom content (what is

contained in something, e.g. table of contents) est
accentué sur la première syllabe. L’adjectif et le
verbe content (satisfied, satisfy) sont accentués sur
la dernière syllabe. Autres exemples : conduct n,
conduct v ; contrast n, contrast v ; convert n, convert v ;
convict n, convict v, present n + a, present v.
…spent in gaol – L’orthographe américaine de gaol

est jail, également acceptée en Grande Bretagne et
qui reflète mieux la prononciation.
Un homme averti en vaut

deux !
…the person eventually hired – eventually (in the
end, finally, sooner or later, at the end of the
process) ne veut pas dire éventuellement, dont
l’équivalent anglais est possibly. Même différence de
sens entre éventuel et eventual. Curieusement,
éventualité et eventuality ont exactement le même
sens.
…reject your application – application (formal

request for a job, a position, a distinction, a favour ;
it is presented by an applicant, who applies for the
object of the application). Les mots candidate,
candidature (US candidacy) s’emploient aussi, mais
surtout pour des positions officielles (mayor,
senator, president…) des titres académiques ou
honorifiques.
…much more information – Le substantif

information fait partie des non-count nouns, et est de
ce fait toujours au singulier. Pour distinguer un ou
plusieurs éléments situés dans un non-count noun,
on utilise des expressions telles que a piece of
information, information items. On dirait alors many
more information items au lieu de much more
information. L’anglais comporte un grand nombre
de non-count nouns, et certains d’entre eux sont
des count nouns dans un sens et des non-count nouns
dans un autre. Par exemple, time : time is money
(non-count) ; he repeated his question several times
(count). Quelque autres non-count nouns :
intelligence, knowledge, patience, furniture, baggage,
luggage, clothing, footwear, bread, milk, meat, air,
hydrogen, sunshine, weather, glue, asphalt, wool, sugar,
corn.
…privately owned or public – Dans ce contexte,

public signifie whose shares may be bought and sold by
the public. Public company se dit en français société
cotée.
…of your correspondence – Remarquez le e au lieu

du a dans le mot français homologue. Autres
exemples : absorbent, ambience, ambient,
condescendence, consistence, independence,
independently, insistence, insistent, persistence,
persistent. À l’inverse, le français exemple devient
example en anglais.
…underscores (underlines) issues – Le sens de issue

correspondant à celui du mot français est daté,
voire périmé. An issue is a question, a problem, or
the publication of a regular paper or magazine. I
read it in yesterday’s issue of the Daily Mirror.
…substantiate (demonstrate the actuality of) positive
points – Le sens de actuality n’a rien à voir avec
celui du français actualité, en anglais current events.
Même remarque pour actuel et actual (real, factual
as opposed to what is hoped for, dreamed about or
purported).

ensemble
…your educational background : the economic
background, the political background, background
music, to stay in the background.
…a potential customer : a prospective customer, a

regular customer, a faithful customer, an awkward
customer.
…from the buyer’s perspective : from a new

perspective, from another perspective, to put
something into perspective, to open up new
perspectives.
…advertising a job vacancy : a hotel vacancy (an

available room), a job opening, a job opportunity.
…what type of organisation : an organisation chart,

a non governmental organisation, a non-profit
organisation, the World Health Organisation.
…chances are that the reader : to take a chance at

something, by chance, a chance encounter, to have
a chance to succeed.
…a chance to trigger a positive reaction : to trigger

a debate, to trigger a riot (an upheaval, an uproar).
…In line with considerations above : in line with

expectations, in line with the law, in line with
forecast.
…You’ve passed the first hurdle : to clear a hurdle,

the final hurdle, the main hurdle.
…your prospective employer : a prospective buyer,

his prospective wife
Des passerelles
…people are ill at ease – De nombreuses
expressions anglaises utilisent ill avec le même
sens que des expressions françaises contenant mal
ou mauvais : ill at ease, ill humour, ill-humoured, ill-
assorted, ill-conceived, ill-defined, ill-disposed, ill-treat
v, ill-treatment, ill-gotten (ill-gotten goods never
prosper). Mais ill will (animosity, hostility) est plus
négatif que mauvaise volonté, et goodwill
(friendliness, kindness) a un sens plus large que
bonne volonté. Goodwill est aussi le prix
supplémentaire payé pour la réputation d’une
firme que l’on rachète (en français survaleur ou
goodwill).
…what type of organisation – La famille de mots

organise, organiser, organisation a les mêmes sens en
français et en anglais. L’anglais pour organisateur,
organisatrice est organiser, et s est remplacé par z en
anglais américain.
…the only objective (goal, aim, purpose) of your

correspondence – Les mots correspond,
correspondent, correspondence ont les mêmes sens
que leurs homologues français, sauf lors des
voyages, où une correspondance se dit a connecting
flight ou a connecting train.
…the coveted position – Le mot position a tous les

sens de son homologue français : a ship’s position, the
enemy positions, a standing position, his position in
society, a position in a company, France’s position on tax
havens.
…even downright invent – invent v, inventor,

invention : mêmes sens qu’en français.
Vocabulaire anglais/français
aback (take choquer, (prendre quelqu’un) de court
someone)
abreast de front
accuracy exactitude
actuality réalité
ad annonce
(advertisement)
ahoy ohé
akin to de même nature que
amidst au milieu de
amiss qui ne va pas
applicant candidat
application candidature
awash inondé
awkward for incommode pour
awry de travers
bead perle
bid offre
coarse cru
complete (a réaliser (une vente)
sale)
convict détenu
corn maïs (US), blé (Angleterre), avoine

(écosse)
credentials qualifications
daunting redoutable
deemphasize accorder une moindre importance à
eagerness empressement
edge avantage
extoll faire l’éloge de
eventually finalement
footwear chaussures, bottes, sandales, etc
forthcoming à venir
gaol prison
gaolbird prisonnier
genuine authentique
glue colle
goodwill bonnes dispositions, survaleur
hire embaucher
hurdle haie, obstacle
ill will hostilité
inception début, origine, création
jail prison
job vacancy poste disponible
look for rechercher
marital status situation matrimoniale
meet faire la connaissance de
meet with rencontrer
peach pêche
pitch poix, hauteur (du ton), tangage,

discours pour convaincre (commerce,
politique)
potential client potentiel

customer
proofread relire
public company société cotée
purport prétendre
reach atteindre, arriver à
require nécessiter
rid débarrasser
riot émeute
rule out exclure
shareholder actionnaire
sleet chute de neige fondante
slit trancher
staff personnel
stage stade
stockholder actionnaire
tentative préliminaire
trade press presse professionnelle
treacle mélasse
trick truc
trickle ruisseler
trigger déclencher
tweak tordre, ajuster
underscore souligner
upheaval soulèvement
wool laine
Chapitre 2
Les trajets
DANS CE CHAPITRE :
» Trajets
» Vivre en ville ou à la campagne
» Covoiturage
» Télétravail
Une discussion sur les

trajets
During a coffee-break, three people are gathered
(assembled) around the coffee-machine : Eileen, a
lively brunette who works in the accounting
department, Thomas, an intern who recently
moved from accounting for a one-month stint in
sales, and Sabrina, in charge of customer relations.
Eileen :
– Hi Thomas, how are you doing today?

Thomas :
– Fine, Eileen, except my train was late and it

was 9 : 20 when I arrived at the office. That’s the
problem when you live in a far-away (remote)
suburb and work in town : you depend on public
transports that are not always reliable. But it’s not
so bad, I can put up with it, my internship comes
to an end (will be over) next month.
Sabrina :
– We’ll miss you. But you’ll have been lucky not to

have to use a car like me. Living in the country, I
have to contend (put up) with a one-hour to one-
and-a-half-hour commute twice a day.
Eileen :
– Yeah, you complain, but at least the air you

breathe is clean and you wake up (awake) every
morning to the music of chirping and twittering
birds instead of traffic noise.
Sabrina :
– That’s true. It’s a choice, really. I miss some of

the things the town has to offer, like good movie-
theaters, chic department stores with the kind of
clothes I like to wear, a variety of restaurants
downtown and the architecture of houses in the old
city center, but I love my garden and its
surroundings.
Le pourquoi des trajets

A century or two ago, most of our forebears
(ancestors, forefathers) spent nearly all their lives in
the village where they had first seen the light of day
(been born). Farmers, labourers or craftsmen
(artisans) resided and toiled (worked hard) in the
same place. The cobbler repaired and made boots
and other footwear in a workshop on the ground-
floor of a small house that sheltered his family ; the
same could be said of the blacksmith who spent his
days in the forge hammering out shoes and
applying them to the hooves of neighbouring
farms’ horses; a mill straddled (spanned) a small
river whose gushing (rushing, spurting) waters
moved a tall wheel that slowly turned a grinding
stone. The miller lived there and supplied villagers
with flour to bake bread once a week in the village
oven. Other landmarks were the wash house
bordering the river upstream of the mill, the
church and its graveyard, and the pub. The village
catered to (provided for) the main material and
spiritual needs of its inhabitants. Visits to the
nearest town took place on special occasions like a
fair, or to buy items not available locally. Going
farther afield was even rarer, except maybe for a
pilgrimage or, in the case of young craftsmen,
going from town to town to hone (sharpen, improve)
their skills.
But in the nineteenth century, the advent (arrival)

of engines powered by fossil fuels unleashed the
industrial revolution, fostering (encouraging the
development of) specialisation, trade, cheap and
massive transportation of goods and people across
land and sea, and gradually changed the placid ways
of country life. Nowadays, a single farmer driving a
tractor produces more food, albeit with the help of
artificial fertilisers and pesticides, than a dozen
farmers and labourers leading horses or oxen could
obtain from the same surface a century ago.
Mechanisation freed country people to move to

cities to live and work there or in factories (plants)
on their outskirts. But these new opportunities
proved unstable, and soon a great many workers
could no longer find work in the vicinity of (near)
their home, or an affordable home a short distance
from work.
Today, this unbalance is widespread and affects
people in all walks of life. Commuting, the modern
term for daily plying (going daily back and forth)
between work and home, is viewed as a normal
state of affairs.
Remèdes classiques, limites et

inconvénients
Since commuting has become a regular feature of
modern life, political authorities have implemented
solutions to make it happen on a larger scale, more
smoothly and faster. They have enlarged roads,
built networks of motorways leading to and around
large cities as well as railway systems linking them
to their immediate or extended suburbs.
Providing more transportation capacity on roads

and rail reduces traffic congestion, but the
necessary investments grow more costly as new
lines or roads require expropriations across ever
more densely populated areas.
Another limit is the resulting pollution, especially

at peak commuting times when traffic slows down
or comes to a standstill. Various approaches reduce
the negative impact of road usage. One consists of
providing efficient mass transit systems and
enticing car owners to use them. Another is car
pooling, in which several people travel together in
the same car. Yet another is flexible working times,
called flextime in the US and flexitime in the UK.
Flexitime kills two birds with one stone : it reduces
peak-time traffic and gives employees leeway
(freedom) to combine professional activities with
other aspects of their lives.
One of the most publicised measures to reduce

traffic congestion and the associated pollution is
the ‘congestion charge’ introduced by the first
London Mayor Ken Livingstone after his election
in 2000, as a solution to the seemingly (apparently)
intractable (unmanageable) traffic problem in
central London. According to the official Web site of
the London government, ‘Drivers in central London
spent 50% of their time in queues, and every
weekday morning, the equivalent of 25 busy
motorway lanes of traffic tried to enter central
London’. High resolution cameras now register car
plate numbers entering or leaving central London
and feed them to computers that compare them to a
data base of authorised vehicles. Residents as well
as some particular users are exempted, but for all
others, the cost of driving a car there on weekdays
between 7 : 00 a.m. and 6 : 00 p.m. is £8 per day.
The scheme has resulted in a dramatic reduction of
congestion as well as an increase in the use of
public transport, and thus proven its value.
However, few cities in the world have introduced
congestion charges as yet (so far), among them
Berlin, Cologne, Hanover, Milan, Singapore and
Stockholm.
Des déplacements plus fluides

et plus propres
More promising solutions are made possible by the
electronic and digital technologies. The industrial
revolution brought sweeping (extensive) changes
but did so over several generations. Figures
measuring high tech improvements from one
decade to the next are staggering : the number of
components on a chip, memory capacity and
computing speed have been roughly doubling every
couple of years since half a century ago, and they
continue to increase exponentially. Advances in
optics, electronics, communications and software
bring about dramatic changes everywhere and in all
aspects of our lives, including new ways to solve
the commuting conundrum (problem, quandary).
Car sharing and bicycle sharing systems are

becoming commonplace. The general principle is to
let users subscribe for a period such as a day, a
month or a year. The user finds a vehicle directly or
through the Internet, unlocks it with a special card
that automatically triggers all necessary managing
and controlling functions : recording the time and
place, charging the user account etc. When the
vehicle is no longer needed, the user parks it at the
nearest station, in some cases at any authorised
public parking place, making it available for
another user. Pilot projects experimented with this
approach a few decades ago, but it is now coming
of age (becoming fully established). Such schemes are
much more flexible than classic car hire. They
reduce the number of vehicles parked or moving
around, prompt some city dwellers to give up car
ownership and improve the flow of traffic, for the
mutual benefit of city residents as well as
commuters.
Personal Rapid Transit systems are another, even

more promising solution for moving people to and
inside cities. In this concept, comparatively small
and light cabins seating about 6 persons reach their
individual destinations along narrow guide-ways,
propelled by electric motors. Passengers board a
cabin at one of a number of stations positioned
alongside but apart from the guide-ways, so
stationed cabins do not impede traffic flow. Users
choose their destination and start immediately.
Cabins are automatically directed towards their
target station each time they pass a switching point
in the network of guide-ways. Computers control
the entire operation of the network and cabins,
guiding cabins at switching points, keeping them at
a safe distance from one another, slowing them
down as needed, etc.
The concept was first implemented (put in place)

in 1975 and is operating on the Morgan Town
university campus in West Virginia. A PRT moves
passengers to and from car parks at the
Amsterdam/ Schiphol airport, and a similar system
will start operating shortly at London/Heathrow for
the same purpose. An all-purpose version is
planned to start operating at the end of 2009 in
Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s post-petroleum city,
where streets will be only frequented by
pedestrians and cyclists.
Éviter les trajets complètement
A growing proportion of the workforce in any
advanced country is either working in an office in
front of a computer or visiting prospects,
customers, suppliers or other contacts outside their
organisation. In today’s computerised, Internet-
based world, none of these activities requires a
physical presence on the premises of an
organisation. Considerations of costs are no longer
an obstacle to the new form of employer/employee
relationship called ‘telecommuting’ or ‘telework’,
where employees work from home at least a
fraction of the workdays.
Telework is only practiced today by a minority of

organisations, but several factors may cause it to
spread :
» for employees, commuting time is wasted time
which they could use to learn new skills, take care
of their families or just enjoy life ;
» for employers, letting employees benefit from the

advantages of telework is a way to motivate and
retain the best ;
» for communities, telework means less need for

costly investments in roads and transportation
systems ;
» for the planet and for humans in general, it means

less carbon dioxide emissions.
In a not so distant future, governments might grant

carbon credits to firms that let their employees
work from home, city dwellers might start
migrating back to villages, and new businesses
might spring up in the country, where some people
prefer to live and work. This movement has already
started, but it is only a trickle, possibly the
bellwether of (the harbinger of, heralding) a
complete reversal of the migration started in the
nineteenth century.
Commentaires
…During a coffee-break – break : même
prononciation que brake. De même : steak/stake,
great/grate.
…chic department stores – department. Le suffixe

ment ne modifie pas la position de l’accent
tonique : depart → department, defer → deferment,
manage → management, merry → merriment, require →
requirement.
…but at least the air you breathe – least opposition

syllabe longue/ courte : least/list, bead/bid,
cheap/chip, heal/hill, leave/live, meal/ mill, reap/rip,
steal/still, wheat/wit.
…clothes I like to wear – wear. Même prononciation

que ware (pottery), et where en anglais britannique
seulement : l’anglais américain fait précéder les
mots where, what, why, which d’un son ‘h’. Lorsque
wh est suivi de o, le h est prononcé comme s’il n’y
avait pas de w : who, whom, whore (prostitute).
…a single farmer driving a tractor produces more

food – produces. Utilisé comme verbe, produce est
accentué sur la deuxième syllabe, comme
substantif, sur la première : farmers take their
produce twice a week to the village market. Autres
exemples : contact v, contact n ; present v, present n +
a ; project v, project n ; frequent a, frequent v.
Attention, ce n’est pas une règle générale : concern
v + n, control v + n.
food. La double voyelle oo produit un son voisin de

celui du français ou, long ou court. Son long : food,
mood, pool, cool, soon, smooth, root. Son court : foot,
boot, cook, took, wool.
…spent 50% of their time in queues – queue

(people waiting in line) se prononce comme cue
(signal to start).
…has resulted in a dramatic reduction – dramatic.

Les mots se terminant par ic sont le plus souvent
accentués sur l’avant-dernière syllabe : historic,
economic, patriotic, acerbic, mechanic n, monolithic,
pathetic. Mais histrionic, catholic, periodic.
…have been roughly doubling – rough : gh se

prononce comme un f : rough, tough, enough, (ou
prononcé comme u dans cut, tug, up) cough (ou
prononcé comme o dans top, rob, rock) ou bien ne se
prononce pas : high, height, thigh, tight, light,
thorough, although, through, eight, weigh, weight,
thought. Le chiffre eight se prononce comme ate
(passé de eat). Weight se prononce comme wait n +
v.
…possibly the bellwether of (the harbinger of,

heralding) a complete reversal – wether (male
castrated sheep), a deux homophones, whether, et
weather. Bellwether (leading sheep with a bell round
its neck).
deux !
…an intern who recently moved from accounting –
Le mot qui oblige à employer le simple past et non
le present perfect du verbe move est recently. En
l’absence de ce mot, on dirait … an intern who has
moved from accounting. Le present perfect décrirait
alors une situation présente, celle du stagiaire qui
ne travaille plus à la comptabilité. Le simple past
associé à recently met l’accent non sur un état
présent, mais sur un mouvement passé.
…to contend (put up) with a one-hour to one-and-

a-half-hour commute – Les traits d’union servent
à fabriquer les adjectifs one-hour to one-and-a-half-
hour qui décrivent commute et sont placés devant.
Ils disparaissent dans la phrase my commute lasts one
hour to one and a half hour.
…like good movie-theaters – Cette conversation a

lieu entre des Américains, qui boivent du café
plutôt que du thé pendant les pauses. C’est aussi
pourquoi il est question de movie-theaters et non de
cinemas, où l’on voit des movies et non des films. En
outre, le mot theatre est écrit theater, et plus loin
dans la même phrase apparaît le mot center, qui
s’écrit centre en anglais britannique. Les mots
anglais litre, lustre, lacklustre, mitre, reconnoitre,
spectre, calibre, fibre, sabre, et sombre se terminent
tous en er en anglais américain.
…the hooves of neighbouring farms’ horses –

neighbouring s’écrirait neighboring en anglais
américain. Même différence d’écriture : flavour,
honour, harbour, armour, colour.
…spiritual needs of its inhabitants – Les mots

inhabit, inhabited, inhabitable, inhabitant ont les
mêmes sens que les mots français habiter, habité,
habitable, habitant. L’anglais inhabitable a pour
équivalent français habitable. Le français
inhabitable a pour équivalent anglais uninhabitable.
…networks of motorways – motorway (highway for

fast traffic) en anglais britannique. Anglais
américain : expressway, turnpike (expressway with
toll).
…High resolution cameras – Le mot anglais camera

a un sens plus large que son homologue français, et
inclut les appareils photos.
… Advances in optics, electronics, communications

and software bring about dramatic changes –
dramatic (related to theatre, sudden and
important). Le premier sens est le même que celui
de dramatique, le second sens correspond au
français spectaculaire).
…classic car hire – car hire anglais britannique, car

rental anglais américain.
…a physical presence on the premises – Le mot

anglais premise, au singulier, a le même sens que
le français prémisse. Au pluriel, premises, il désigne
le lieu où travaille un groupe de personnes
appartenant à une institution ou une société.

ensemble
…three people are gathered (assembled) around the
coffee-machine : A coffee-break, a brand of coffee,
a cup of coffee, coffee beans, white coffee, black
coffee.
…It’s a choice, really : A good choice, it’s your

choice, I don’t have the choice, there is no other
choice.
… flour to bake bread : A slice of bread, bread and

butter, bread and water, the daily bread.
…unleashed the industrial revolution : To unleash
passions, to unleash the dogs, to unleash violence.
…a regular feature of modern life- A regular

occurrence, at regular intervals, a regular verb.
…The industrial revolution brought sweeping

(extensive) changes : Sweeping changes, a sweeping
statement.
…the bellwether (harbinger) of a complete reversal :

the bellwether (an indicator of something), the
bellwether of change. Au sens propre, the bellwether
est le mouton porteur d’une cloche en tête du
troupeau.
Des passerelles
…you depend on public transports – transport n,
transport v ont tous les sens propres et figurés des
mots français transport, transporter. Le mot anglais
transportation est synonyme de transport au sens
propre.
…unleashed the industrial revolution – Les mots

revolution, revolutionise, revolutionary ont tous les
sens des mots français révolution, révolutionner,
révolutionnaire. L’anglais possède en plus le verbe
revolve (move around an axis, spin, turn around).
…the placid ways of country life – placid, placidity,
placidly : mêmes sens que les mots français
correspondants.
…the necessary investments – invest, investment,

investor, investiture ont les mêmes sens que leurs
homologues français. Toutefois le sens militaire
(investir une forteresse) de invest est désormais
archaïque. On utilise à la place surround.
bead perle
bellwether signe annonciateur
bid offre
blacksmith forgeron
brake frein
car hire location de voitures (anglais

britannique)
car pooling covoiturage
car rental location de voitures (anglais

américain)
car sharing autopartage

cater to satisfaire
chirp pépier
cobbler cordonnier
come of age (to) arriver à maturité
commute n + v trajet, se rendre au travail et en

revenir
contend with surmonter
conundrum dilemme
cue signal
dramatic spectaculaire
expressway autoroute (anglais américain)
flexitime horaires flexibles
footwear chaussures
forebear ancêtre
forefather ancêtre
foster encourager
gather rassembler
graveyard cimetière
grate râper
grinding stone meule

gush bouillonner
hammer marteler
harbinger signe annonciateur
heal guérie
herald annoncer
hill colline
hone affuter
in all walks of life de toutes sortes
inhabit habiter
intern stagiaire
internship stage
intractable quasi insurmontable
landmark repère
leeway marge de manœuvre
mass transit transports collectifs
meal repas
mill moulin
miller meunier
motorway autoroute
movie-theater cinéma (anglais américain)

organic biologique
outskirts faubourgs
ox, pl. oxen bœuf
pathetic pitoyable
pedestrian piéton
Personal Rapid Système PRT

Transit
pilgrimage pèlerinage
ply aller et venir
premise prémisse
premises locaux
produce produit de l’agriculture
produce produire
quandary embarras
reap récolter
revolve tourner
rip déchirer
setup arrangement
spurt jaillir
stagger chanceler
stake enjeu
standstill arrêt
stint passage
straddle enjamber
suburb banlieue
sweep balayer
switch aiguillage, aiguiller
telecommuting travail à distance
telework travail à distance
thigh cuisse
toil travailler dur
traffic congestion embouteillages
turnpike autoroute à péage (anglais

américain)
twitter gazouiller
uninhabitable inhabitable
unleash déchaîner
upstream en amont
ware poterie
wash house lavoir

wether mouton mâle castré
wheat froment
white coffee café au lait
whore putain
wit esprit
Chapitre 3
Réunions internes
DANS CE CHAPITRE :
» Utilité des réunions internes
» Divers types de réunion
» Conduite à tenir avant et pendant la réunion
Exemple de réunion
Participants are department managers at the
regional office of a sizeable (fairly large) provider of
IT services. They meet every Monday morning
at 10 a.m. sharp (at exactly 10 a.m.) to review
ongoing projects and discuss new business
opportunities. John, as head (chief) of the regional
office, chairs (presides over) the meeting. Other
participants are Mohammed, who heads the group
of personal computer and networking specialists;
Elisabeth, whose team of object-oriented
programmers participates in projects requiring a
high level of technical expertise ; Margaret, the
sales manager ; Patricia, who heads a large pool of
programmers and analysts ; and Alan, who handles
budgets and accounting and closely monitors the
costs incurred by (associated with) and the revenue
accrued from (resulting from) each project.
John :
– Morning everyone, I’m delighted to see you all

smiling and apparently in good shape. Today’s
agenda comprises two ongoing projects, Strawberry
and Apple-tree, as well as an RFP (request for
proposal) on which we have decided to bid (make an
offer).
As indicated in my e-mail about the agenda, Alan

has raised concerns about project Strawberry’s
latest figures, and suggested we look for ways to
keep its costs within its budgeted limits. Alan, can
you please give us the facts?
Alan :
– Yes John. Programming expenses for phase two

of the project overshoot (exceed) forecasts by 5%,
and acceptance tests are not completed yet. Should
rework be necessary, it might well eat up our profit
margin.
Margaret :
– Before anyone thinks Patricia and her

programmers are to blame (to be held responsible),
let me state that the client has requested belated
changes to a portion of the specifications agreed
upon, causing delays and additional work.
Circumstances such as this are covered by an
unambiguous provision (article, paragraph) in the
contract. We pointed it out to the customer when
they requested the changes. We have presented
them with an estimate of the corresponding
(associated) price increase, which they approved and
that we can use as base for additional invoicing.
John :
– That settles agenda point number one, then.

Thank you Margaret. Now to point number two,
about delays in project Apple-tree, managed by one
of Elisabeth’s experts. Elisabeth, will you please
tell us more about it?
Elisabeth :
– John, the fact is we are in trouble and must do

something to avoid further serious consequences.
We have been missing two key project team
members since the end of last month, and their
absence has already caused significant damage.
Jacqueline Durham is on sick-leave and won’t come
back until the week after next. And as you know,
Jonathan Smith recently had a skiing accident and
broke a vertebrae, causing him to lie flat on his
back in hospital for at least another month and a
half. Both of them have specialised expertise not
available in our regional office.
Margaret :
– This is unfortunate. We are committed (we have

pledged) to complete the assignment on time and
face stiff penalties should completion be postponed
(if completion is postponed).
John :
– This obviously calls for immediate action. As

soon as the meeting is over I’ll phone Bob Smith of
HRM (human resource management) at head office
and sound (query) him about possible
reinforcements. Elisabeth, please prepare a concise
report on the status of the project, the required
profiles and the reasons why you need them. It’ll
serve as ammunition to obtain the necessary
assistance from our head office. Don’t worry, they
won’t let us down. Apple-tree is a highly visible
project, top management was involved in the final
negotiation and knows the reputation of our
company is at stake. Let’s now look at our chances
to get the order for project Hickory. Margaret,
please explain the situation.
Margaret :
– Hickory falls into Mohammed’s domain of

responsibility and expertise, and we’ve already
done a lot of work together on this project. The
prospect wants to replace their entire network of
personal computers with a state-of-the-art
solution satisfying existing and foreseeable
requirements regarding the availability and security
of data and programs throughout the company.
They have a large number of agents constantly
moving around Europe, who need seamless and
protected access to centralized data and
applications as well as to their e-mails.
Mohammed :
– The solution we are proposing is based on the

latest version of ABDC and guarantees a perfect
integration of all network components. Systematic
data encryption makes data theft or network
intrusion virtually impossible. Applications will
reside on central servers, which obviates (renders
unnecessary) software updates on users’ terminals.
The only problem is the cost, as the solution calls
for the replacement of a large number of hardware
components that are now outdated and too slow to
cope with forecasted workloads.
Alan :
– Do either of you know whether they are

considering leasing the equipment?
Margaret :
– Not to my knowledge, but we’ll discuss the

project’s financial aspects with the prospect this
coming Friday and we’ll review with them various
ways of financing the operation.
John :
– What about competition?
Margaret :
– We know we are not alone. But we have two large

users of ABDC among our clients, and both are
extremely happy with the solution we have
installed for them. Our competitors have practical
experience with SOXA, but installed versions of that
product do not offer as much data security as ABDC,
and the new version is not yet available.
John :
– Let’s keep our fingers crossed. Keep me abreast

of any new developments on this front, and let me
know if I can help you in any way. Thank you all for
your contributions and comments.
À propos des réunions

There are many kinds (sorts, varieties) of meetings
depending on the size of an organisation and the
level at which the meeting is taking place. Board
meetings held at the top of large corporations
serve to establish or review (examine, investigate)
overall strategies. A new strategy may entail
(imply) momentous decisions with beneficial or
harmful consequences for a company’s various
stakeholders : shareholders, clients, suppliers,
employees and communities to which they belong
(which they are part of).
At the other end of the spectrum you find smaller,

less formal meetings in modest organisations, for
instance a weekly meeting at group level. Their
purpose may be simply to review and solve
problems that cropped up (appeared) during the
previous (preceding) week and assign tasks to
participants for the following days. They are short
and informal. For example it is rarely deemed
(considered, thought) necessary to write down
minutes and distribute them to participants.
For a meeting to be productive, participants should

subscribe to its aims and cooperate to meet those
aims. To induce cooperation, the chairperson
should briefly remind participants, before
broaching a new point on the agenda, of the
pursued goals and of problems that need to be
addressed (treated, spoken about). Participants
should avoid attitudes or remarks that might
trigger (provoke) confrontational reactions.
It is sometimes necessary to interrupt a speaker to

ask for clarifications or bring up (make, utter) at the
right time an important comment or objection. The
negative impact (effect) of interruptions should be
softened (reduced, attenuated) by saying the
speaker’s name, thus acknowledging him or her,
and using polite language, for example : ‘Sorry to
hold up the discussion, Jack, but if I may, I’d like to
point out right now that there is absolutely no way
the new product can be ready at the time mentioned
in our plans.’
Commentaires
…a large pool of programmers – Pool contient un
son de voyelle long comme tool, mood, moot, root,
boot, rule. Des oreilles françaises peuvent confondre
pool et pull.
… participates in projects – Beaucoup de mots de

deux ou trois syllabes peuvent être des noms,
comme ici, ou des verbes : to project. En tant que
noms, ils sont accentués sur la première syllabe, et
en tant que verbe, sur la dernière. Autres
exemples : conduct n, conduct v ; contrast n, contrast,
v ; convict n, convict v ; present n or a, present v ;
overshoot n, overshoot v.
…overshoot forecasts… – oo dans overshoot est un

son de voyelle long comme dans boot, root, stoop,
mood, moot, route, soup. Le double oo produit souvent
un son court, par exemple dans foot, cook, book, rook
(a sort of raven, also a chess piece initially placed
at opposite ends of the first rank), took, should. Dans
le mot blood, oo est court également, mais produit
le même son que u dans rug, cut, rub, tug.
…unfortunate. – Les préfixes n’influent

généralement pas sur la position de l’accent
tonique. Ainsi : fortunate → unfortunate; praise →
appraise ; way → away ; cause → because ; courage →
encourage ; pure → impure ; understand →
misunderstand. Mais dans les mots utilisables
comme noms ou comme verbes, le préfixe du nom
peut être accentué comme dans overshoot n.
…employees – Tous les mots se terminant par ee

sont accentués sur la dernière syllabe. Le suffixe ee
correspond au é ou ée du participe passé français.
Ajouté à un verbe, il désigne une entité affectée par
le verbe. Autre exemple : addressee (person to
whom a letter is addressed), referee (person to
whom one refers, a judge).
…right now – right possède deux homophones : le

verbe write et le nom rite (same meanings as in
French).

deux !
…this coming Friday – Les noms de jour et de mois
sont des noms propres en anglais et prennent une
majuscule. Leurs équivalents français sont traités
comme des noms ordinaires. He was born on a
Sunday. Grapes are harvested from July to October in the
Northern Hemisphere and from January to June in the
Southern Hemisphere.
…tests are not completed yet – L’adverbe yet

lorsqu’il se traduit par encore, est placé en fin de
proposition. Lorsqu’il est synonyme de in spite of
that, nevertheless, il est placé en début de
proposition : She is old and sick, yet she continues to
sing.
…and her programmers – Patricia’s programmers.

Les accords en genre marchent de manières
entièrement différentes en français et en anglais. Le
choix de her au lieu de his veut dire que le
possesseur d’une chose, en l’occurrence la
personne responsable d’un groupe, est du genre
féminin. Le pronom possessif français s’accorde
avec le genre de l’entité possédée (son chien, sa
voiture), quel que soit le genre du possesseur.
…committed to complete the assignment – To

complete (to finish a task or an assignment). Ce mot
possède un autre sens rappelant celui du verbe
français, bien qu’un peu différent, dans
l’expression to complete a form. On dit en français
remplir, et non pas compléter un formulaire.
…at the top of large corporations – corporation (very

large company with countless (innumerable)
shareholders, typically listed on a stock exchange).
Un sens bien différent de celui du français
corporation.
…that need to be addressed – Dans address n + v,

remarquez la double consonne, alors qu’il n’y en a
qu’une en français. Autres exemples : traffic, gallop,
abbreviation, baggage, carrot, cotton. Exemples
contraires : literature, literal, literary.

ensemble
… a large pool of programmers : A pool of talents,
to pool resources, a swimming pool.
…has raised concerns : To raise an objection, to

raise hopes, to raise false alarms, to raise a child, to
raise chickens.
…serious consequences : To avoid consequences, to

bear the consequences, to face the consequences, as
a consequence of.
…less formal meetings : Board meeting, official

meeting, the meeting place, an informal meeting,
the minutes of a meeting, the agenda of the
meeting.
…momentous decisions : A fateful decision, a

courageous decision, a wise decision, a final
decision, to reach a decision, to make a decision,
the decision process.
…and solve problems : An insoluble problem, no

problem, that’s your (his, her, their) problem.
…confrontational reactions : Positive reactions, a

negative reaction, an immediate reaction, a sudden
reaction, a knee-jerk (automatic, involuntary)
reaction.
Des passerelles
…a high level of technical expertise – expert (skilled
and knowledgeable in a specialised area) et expertise
(expert skill or knowledge in a specific field) ont
une partie des sens de leurs homologues français.
Pour les autres sens, les mots qui conviennent sont
assessor (person who assesses something or
someone, for instance insurance assessor) et
assessment (evaluation). Expertiser est en anglais to
assess.
…of attention and discipline – Ces deux mots

français sont des passerelles vers leurs équivalents
anglais et les mots de même famille : attention,
attentionate, disciple, discipline, disciplinary. Mais faire
attention se dit en anglais to pay attention.
…ask for clarifications – clear, clarify, clarity,

clarification ont les mêmes sens que leurs
homologues français.
acceptance test test de réception
accounting comptabilité
accrue résulter
acknowledge reconnaître la présence ou

l’importance de
addressee destinataire
agenda ordre du jour (d’une réunion)
appraise jauger, estimer
area domaine
assess estimer
assessment estimation
assessor expert
assignment mission
at stake en jeu
available disponible
belated en retard
belong appartenir
bid n, v proposition, faire une proposition
board meeting réunion de direction
bring up soulever (une question)
broach aborder (un sujet)
chair présider
commit to s’engager à
committed engagé
complete achever
completion achèvement
concern souci
cope with faire face à (une situation, une

charge de travail)
corporation grande société
crop up surgir
data encryption chiffrement des données
deem considérer
delay retard
delighted ravi
department chef de service

manager
depending on selon
eat up dévorer
encryption chiffrement
entail entraîner, provoquer
fateful crucial, grave
flat à plat
following suivant
forecast prévision
foreseeable prévisible
grape raisin
handle traiter
harmful néfaste
harvest vendange, moisson, récolte
harvest vendanger, moissonner, récolter
head office siège
impact incidence
imply impliquer
incur entraîner
induce inciter à
insurance assessor expert d’assurance
IT (Information technologie de l’information

Technology)
keep abreast se tenir au courant
keep (someone) tenir (quelqu’un) au courant

abreast
kind sorte
knee-jerk automatique
level niveau
meeting réunion
minutes compte-rendu de réunion
momentous lourd de conséquences
monitor surveiller
moot incertain, sujet à discussion
necessary evil mal nécessaire
obviate rendre inutile
obviously évidemment
ongoing project projet en cours
outdated périmé
overall strategies stratégies d’ensemble
overshoot dépasser
pool groupe
pool regrouper, mettre en commun
praise faire l’éloge de
previous précédent (adj)
provision article (d’un contrat)
pull tirer
purpose intention
raise lever, soulever, élever
raven corbeau
referee arbitre
request for proposal demande de proposition
require avoir besoin de

rework réfections
RFP voir request for proposal
rook freux (oiseau), tour (échecs)
root racine
rug couverture
seamless sans à-coup
settle régler
size dimension
sizeable de grande dimension
soften adoucir
stakeholder partie prenante
state-of-the-art à la pointe du progrès
stiff sévère
stock exchange bourse de valeurs
stoop se pencher, s’abaisser
supplier fournisseur
theft vol
throughout dans tout le (toute la)
to my knowledge à ma connaissance
trigger déclencher
tug tirer brusquement, remorquer
unfortunate malencontreux
utter exprimer
virtually pratiquement
weekly hebdomadaire
within à l’intérieur de
workload charge de travail
write down rédiger

Chapitre 4
La retraite
DANS CE CHAPITRE :
» Penser à sa retraite
» Une institution née avec la révolution industrielle
» Retraite par capitalisation ou par répartition
» Naissance et évolution des régimes de retraite
Exemple pratique
d’indemnité de retraite
Any person who has worked in the USA, paid
contributions to Social Security, worked a total
number of years in the USA and elsewhere large
enough to be eligible, receives retirement benefits
after reaching retirement age.
Every year, Social Security sends the beneficiary an

official document like this one :
* **
Your New Benefit Amount
BENEFIARY’S NAME: GAIL M FORREST
– Your Social Security Benefits will increase

by 5.8 percent in 2009 because of a rise in the
cost of living.
HOW MUCH WILL I GET AND WHEN?
– Your new monthly amount (before deductions)

is
$114.00
– The amount we are deducting for Medicare

medical insurance is
$0.00
(If you did not have Medicare as of Nov. 20, 2008,

or if someone else pays your premium, we show
$0.00)
– The amount we are deducting for your

Medicare prescription drug plan is
$0.00
(If you did not elect withholding as of Nov. 1, 2008,

we show
$0.00)
– The amount we are deducting for US federal
taxes is
$29.10
– The amount we are deducting for voluntary

federal tax withholding is
$0.00
(If you did not elect voluntary federal tax

withholding as of Nov. 20, 2008, we show
$0.00)
– After taking any other deductions, we will

deposit into your bank account on Jan. 2, 2009,
$84.90
If you disagree with any of these amounts, you

should write to us within 60 days from the date you
receive this letter. We would be happy to review the
amounts.
***
This example shows two $0.00 withholdings

(deductions) related to the US health insurance, for
which the person is not eligible (to which the person
is not entitled) : Medicare, for health care proper,
and the Medicare prescription drug plan, for
medicines. Of the two lines regarding the U.S.
federal taxes, one is always $0.00. In the case of a
beneficiary who has not elected voluntary federal
tax withholding, i.e. who does not declare revenues
to the American tax authorities, as in the example,
a federal tax of 25.51% is deducted.
La retraite et l’individu
Retirement is a subject some people don’t worry
about, since they are too busy and focused on the
challenges and rewards of the present to think
about such a remote (distant, far-away) part of their
life. But in the minds of a large majority, retiring is
the obligatory counterpart of working. Some don’t
enjoy working and find solace (comfort, consolation)
in dreaming about the freedom (latitude, leeway,
liberty) they’ll enjoy once it’s over for good, others
like (enjoy) working and are wary of idleness and
boredom (ennui, dullness) beyond their active life,
yet others concentrate on financial aspects and
make plans to live comfortably as retirees.
Confronted with the unknown, some will just hope

for the best, others will think it makes it even more
necessary to plan. Leaving aside catastrophic
scenarios, a reasonable person could ask the
following questions.
– At the time set for retirement, will I want to

continue to work (go on working) and will it be
possible?
– Conversely, will I want to retire earlier and

will it be possible (will it be an option)?
– Where will I want to live once retired?
– When no longer active professionally but

hopefully still physically and mentally healthy,
how will I wish to spend my time?
– Where and how should I choose to live if and

when my physical and possibly my mental
health require special attention?
– How much money will I be able to spend every

year after retirement?
La retraite, un problème de
société
The amount of money available during retirement
determines the degree of freedom in answering all
other questions. This amount depends on many
factors on which individuals have little control. In
most advanced societies, planning for retirement is
not left entirely to each person, contribution to a
pension plan is enforced on both employers and
employees, and rules and safeguards make sure
abuse (wrongdoings), economic and other upheavals
(disruptions) will not reduce retirees to poverty.
There are basically two mechanisms providing

money to retirees. One is capitalisation, the other is
pay-as-you-go. Both require contributions from
workers, employees and often also the state, in
other words the taxpayers. In the former approach,
the money contributed is put aside and invested to
build up capital available at retirement time. In the
latter approach, the money contributed by
employers and employees is used immediately to
provide pensions to retirees.
The goal of both systems is to make sure retirees

will indeed (actually) receive amounts that fairly
correspond to the sums deducted from their
earnings during their active life. The capitalisation
system is favoured in Great Britain and in the USA,
whose pension funds invest in securities (stocks and
bonds) worldwide and play a major part in the long-
term financing of the global (wordwide) economy.
At least in theory, this system is immune to (not
affected by) demographic fluctuations, as retirees
will receive their pensions independently of the
number of people at work. However, it is subject to
variations in the value of investments. It has been
tried with doubtful results in France before the first
World War, when institutions managing
capitalisation funds went bankrupt.
Pay-as-you-go systems, mostly used in

Continental Europe, are not exposed to this kind of
risk, but since pensions are paid by deductions
from active workers’ earnings, if the total amount
of pensions increases (goes up), the total amount of
deductions must also increase, even if there are
fewer active people to support each retiree. When
this happens, as it is all over Europe where people
live longer and give birth to fewer children, several
measures can prevent the system from breaking
down (collapsing), none of which meets unanimous
approval: increasing the rate of deductions,
reducing pensions, raising retirement age,
increasing immigration or finding ways to boost
(increase) natality.
Genèse des systèmes de

retraite modernes
Retirement systems were first invented for servants
of the State. France created a retirement fund
in 1673 for crews of its Royal Navy, and a similar
institution was founded in 1768 in favour of all
employees of the ‘ferme générale’, whose role was
to collect taxes across the kingdom. The French
Revolution then established a retirement system for
all civil servants, later applied also to the military.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, private

sector workers started organising schemes called
‘caisses de secours mutuel’. But each of these
benefited only a defined category of workers. For
instance, a ‘caisse’ was created for miners
in 1894 and another in 1909 for state railway
workers.
The first attempt at a general system for all

categories of French workers is the ‘retraites
ouvrières et paysannes’ created by law in 1910. The
system, based on capitalisation, collapsed (broke
down) as a result of the first World War, as
subscribers were mobilised and could no longer pay
contributions. It was replaced in 1930 by the
‘assurances sociales’, originally based on
capitalisation, and later replaced by a pay-as-you-
go system.
The earliest old age insurance system covering
workers of all categories was instituted in 1889 in
the German Reich by Bismarck. Contributions were
mandatory (compulsory, obligatory). They were
taken from employees as well as employers and
supplemented by the state. The retirement age was
initially set at 70 years. At the time, the life
expectancy of a German worker was 72 years, so
that a worker could expect to spend, on average,
two years of his life in retirement. The retirement
age was lowered to 65 years during the first World
War. It has remained at this level for a long time,
but according to a law voted in 2007 by the
Bundestag it will be raised gradually to 67.
The German old age insurance system has survived

two devastating wars, political upheavals,
dictatorships as well as economic disasters. It is
still operating (working) today on principles
established more than a century ago. It served as a
reference when Franklin D. Roosevelt established
retirement funds within the framework of the
Social Security Act in 1935, as part of the ‘New
Deal’.
La retraite dans l’avenir

Rules and systems governing pension schemes are
based on a set of assumptions (suppositions,
hypotheses) about work and the qualifications it
requires, the successive stages of life, aging and its
effects. These are no longer entirely valid.
Decades ago, a majority of jobs required physical

strength, an attribute that still decreases with age
but is much less in demand in our knowledge-
based economy.
Until about fifteen years ago, the scientific

community was convinced (sure, certain) that
humans acquired new neurons until 24, then
continuously lost more and more until death. This
was consistent (in agreement) with a working life
starting with learning, continuing with a productive
stage in a given activity, followed by inexorable
decline. The same pattern was thought to apply
equally to activities demanding mental abilities as
to those requiring physical strength.
The fairly recent discovery that neurogenesis, the

process of forming new brain cells, continues
throughout life, has abolished the dogma formerly
associating aging with mental decline. We now
know that healthy individuals can continue to learn,
adapt to change and remain creative throughout
their lives.
A number of baby boomers are already looking for

alternatives to the traditional retirement pattern.
Some do not want to retire at all, others would like
to learn new jobs, yet others would prefer to work
part time. The problem, however, is that the dogma
of inevitable mental decline endures (continues,
persists) outside of the scientific world. Employers
are still determined to get rid of their aging
personnel or refuse to grant them any special
treatment.
Maybe realities will eventually become stronger

than ignorance and prejudice. Maybe new life
patterns will come to be adopted, with working
periods alternating throughout life with periods
where people learn additional skills or prepare to
embrace (take up) entirely different professions.
Commentaires
…large enough to be eligible – eligible. Les suffixes
ible et able n’influent pas sur le placement de
l’accent tonique : to digest → digestible, indigestible,
horror → horrible, to believe → believable, unbelievable,
to inhabit → inhabitable, uninhabitable, to elect →
electable. Certains mots terminés par ces suffixes ne
dérivent pas clairement d’un autre mot, et dans ce
cas l’accent est placé sur une syllabe antérieure :
eligible, formidable ou formidable.
…Medicare, for health care proper – health. La

combinaison de voyelles ea compte cinq
prononciations : son bref identique à celui de red,
bed, pet dans breakfast, health, head, read (passé de
read) ; son i prolongé comme dans les mots
contenant ee (meet, beet, steep), dans heal, heap, peat,
feat, reap, read (infinitif de read) ; son diphtongué
composé du son i suivi du son e de because dans
dear, fear, clear, near ; son diphtongué composé du
son e de red suivi du son e de the lorsqu’il est suivi
d’un mot commençant par une consonne, dans bear,
tear, wear ; son diphtongué composé du son e de red
suivi du son i de big dans steak, break.
…retiring is the obligatory counterpart – obligatory

counterpart. Plus les mots comportent de syllabes,
plus il y a de chances qu’ils comportent un accent
tonique principal (primary stress) et un accent
tonique secondaire (secundary stress), lequel précède
assez souvent l’accent tonique primaire :
unbelievable, economical, unavoidable, perspicacity,
photographic, mais pas toujours : photograph
secundary, necessary, obligatory, counterpart. L’accent
tonique principal n’est pas toujours au même
endroit dans les mots de même racine : economy,
economical ; photograph, photographer, photographic ;
catastrophe, catastrophic. Notez que le e de catastrophe
n’est pas un e muet mais se prononce comme dans
la dernière syllabe de trophy.
…money available during retirement determines –

determines. Dans ce mot, la syllabe mi est non
accentuée et se prononce comme la note de
musique mi en français (et le s ajoute un son z).
Dans le mot undermine, la syllabe mi comporte un
accent tonique secondaire et de ce fait se prononce
comme le possessif my.
… none of which meets unanimous approval –

unanimous. Dans le dérivé unanimity, l’accent
tonique est déplacé d’une syllabe vers la droite.
…each of these benefited only – benefited. Dans le

dérivé beneficial, l’accent tonique est déplacé de
deux syllabes vers la droite.
…and supplemented by the state – supplement n,
supplement v, supplemental a.
…discovery that neurogenesis, the process of

forming new brain cells – neurogenesis. Ce mot fait
partie d’un ensemble de mots composés à partir de
deux mots grecs dont le second comporte plus de
deux syllabes. En pareil cas, la première syllabe du
premier mot comporte un accent tonique
secondaire, et l’une des syllabes du second,
généralement la première, comporte l’accent
tonique principal : agoraphobia, endomorphism,
idiosyncracy, metamorphose v, metamorphosis n,
metempsychosis, metropolitan, microsurgery,
microtechnique, monosyllable, nanotechnology,
psychotherapy, thermonuclear.

deux !
…for health care proper – proper (strictly so called).
Placé après l’expression qualifiée, signifie
proprement dit(e). N’est pas synonyme de clean.
Autres sens : a proper job (a real job); a proper
behaviour (a suitable, an appropriate behaviour) ;
proper nouns.
…how will I wish to spend my time – time
correspond ici au français temps, comme dans
l’expression time is money. Il correspond souvent à
d’autres mots : what time is it ?, how many times have
you gone (been) to England ?
…whose pension funds invest in securities –

securities. Au singulier, security, ce mot a les mêmes
sens que le français sécurité. Ici, au pluriel,
securities, il désigne des titres, actions ou
obligations, généralement cotées.
…later applied also to the military – the military.

The + adjective désigne les membres d’un ensemble
auxquels s’applique l’adjectif : the poor, the dead, the
blind, the innocent. Ce sont des adjectifs pluriels (les
adjectifs ne portent jamais la marque du pluriel), le
nom est sous-entendu. Les mots français
correspondants sont des noms au pluriel.
…humans acquired new neurons until 24 – 24. En

anglais, on ne précise pas qu’il s’agit de l’âge, alors
que c’est nécessaire en français.

ensemble
…contributions to Social Security : A social worker,
social benefits, social graces (polite and pleasant
behaviour), social ladder.
…for which the person is not eligible : Eligible for a

discount, a highly eligible bachelor (very suitable
prospective husband).
…beyond their active life : To save someone’s life, a

matter of life and death, life insurance, a friend for
life, life expectancy.
…when my physical and possibly my mental

health : Health insurance, health care, a firm’s
financial health.
…the long-term financing of the global economy :

Global warming.
…according to a law voted in 2007 : Law and order,

a law-abiding citizen, the rule of law, to break the
law, the law of the jungle, to take the law into one’s
own hands.
… in our knowledge-based economy : Knowledge

workers, scientific knowledge, knowledge
management.
Des passerelles
…in the minds of a large majority – A large majority,
the silent majority, in the majority of cases, to attain the
age of majority, mêmes sens et mêmes constructions
qu’en français.
…no longer active professionally – To profess,

professor, profession, profession of faith, the oldest
profession, professional, professionalism, une famille de
mots et d’expressions parallèles dans les deux
langues.
…will not reduce retirees to poverty – Reduce,

reduction, reducible s’utilisent comme en français
dans des domaines aussi variés que les
mathématiques, la cuisine, les dépenses, les
effectifs. Mais irreducible n’a pas le sens figuré du
français irréductible (qui refuse de se rendre ou de
changer d’avis).
…it will be raised gradually to 67 – Les mots

gradually, gradual ont les mêmes sens que leurs
homologues français. Ils dérivent de grade, mais ce
mot a des sens différents dans les deux langues.
Grade (a level of quality or size, a mark assessing
the work of a student, a level corresponding to age
or ability in a school system : my daughter is in fifth
grade) n’a pas le sens du français grade dans les
forces armées, qui se dit rank en anglais.
assumption supposition
beet betterave
boredom ennui
break down s’effondrer
collapse s’effondrer
compulsory obligatoire
consistent (with) en accord (avec)
contribution cotisation
decade décennie
eligible qui à droit à
endure se maintenir, continuer
feat exploit
framework cadre
grade niveau de qualité
health santé
heap tas
insurance assurance
mandatory obligatoire
neurogenesis neurogenèse
pay-as-you-go par répartition
peat tourbe
pension fund fonds de pension
pet animal domestique
prejudice préjugé
premium prime (d’assurance), cotisation
proper proprement dit(e)
rank grade
reap récolter
retirement retraite
retirement benefits versements au titre de la retraite
securities titres
social ladder échelle sociale
steep abrupt, très en pente
take up se lancer dans
tax impôt
trophy trophée
PARTIE 2
À L’INTÉRIEUR D’UNE
ORGANISATION
Dans cette partie, vous verrez fonctionner certains

rouages essentiels de toute organisation. Le
chapitre 5, Le téléphone, contient d’utiles
indications sur l’utilisation de cet outil dans le
monde anglophone, le chapitre 6, Rapports,
mémos et e-mails, est dédié aux trois formes les
plus répandues de communication écrite interne et
le chapitre 7, La comptabilité, évoque les
documents et concepts essentiels de la
comptabilité, indispensable à toute organisation
professionnelle.
Chapitre 5
Le téléphone
DANS CE CHAPITRE :
» L’accueil téléphonique
» Quelques situations d’appel
» Surmonter les incompréhensions
La hot line du fournisseur

de services Internet
You have signed up for the offer of Biggafone, a
large telephone operator and Internet service
provider, to provide you with high-speed Internet
access and television through your telephone line in
addition to voice transmission.
This is wonderful when it works, as it does most of

the time. However, this three-pronged service
requires the proper functioning of a long chain of
components comprising the ISP’s computers and
their programs, the telephone line, the boxes
connecting everything together, the proper
connection of different cables, and in your
computer, adequate parameters for programs that
send and receive e-mails, let you surf on the
Internet and protect you from hackers, viruses and
other calamities. If one of the items in the chain
breaks down or is maladjusted, you are deprived of
one or all of the services you’ve paid for. When this
happens, you first try to fix the problem by
yourself, and as often as not (fairly often), you don’t
succeed. You then call up Biggafone’s number. You
are anxious (eager) to describe (you are looking
forward to describing) your problem, but you must
first listen to recorded information and instructions
such as these :
“Welcome to Biggafone.
You will not be charged for the time until we put

you through to your advisor.
This call will be charged at the tariff of a local call

if you call using one of Biggafone’s fixed lines or
our Internet telephone service. If you are
interested in detailed information about this
tariff, dial 9.
For a malfunction, or for assistance with the
installation or use of services provided by
Biggafone, dial 1.
For our offers, contracts, information about your

invoice or the follow-up of your order, dial 2.”
You don’t want detailed info about the tariff (list

price) of a local call, you just would like help to
solve the problem at hand, so you dial 1, and the
recording instructs you to :
“Dial the ten digits of the fixed line for which you
are calling our assistance service”
Having done so, you hear :
“Have you thought of restarting your Biggabox

by unplugging the electric cable from its socket
and plugging it again? This simple manipulation
often is enough (suffices) to solve a problem.”
After this, there are three possibilities. If it’s one of

your lucky days, you can talk with a person
immediately, but more often than not (in the
majority of cases), you are advised of (told about,
informed about) the approximate number of minutes
you’ll have to wait to start describing your
problem. And if it’s a bad day, you just hear another
recording :
“All our advisors are occupied (busy). Please call

again later.”
The problem is not that you mind (are against, object

to) having to choose between options offered to you
automatically. It is that presenting them via voice
recordings is only possible sequentially and
therefore slowly. Unlike a display of text and
images presenting different options, like on an
ATM (automatic teller machine, cash dispenser), where
you identify instantly the option that matches
(corresponds to) your particular need and press on
it, voice recordings describe possibilities one by
one. Moreover, the process is designed to work with
everybody, not only with a normal person like you
who is in a hurry, understands rather well and
knows what she or he wants. Hence the initial
comment to reassure an overanxious caller that
there will be no charge for the waiting time,
followed by an option to listen to details on the
tariff of a local call.
Biggafone, whose raison d’être is to provide

telephone services, knows full well (perfectly well)
that the telephone is meant for interaction between
humans. But it is big and wants to take advantage
of its bigness to save (economise) on personnel
costs. A trained switchboard operator can determine
the motive of a call and assign it to the relevant
(appropriate) specialised service in about 20 seconds
if the caller is a normal person and maybe twice as
long when dealing with a moron (stupid individual)
or a person under stress. The robotised solution
thus saves about half a minute of personnel costs
per call, never mind that it wastes five minutes of
client time. The time lost by clients does not cost
Biggafone anything, at least in the short term, and
as long as its competitors also disregard (ignore,
don’t take into account) the time lost by calling
clients.
Conversations téléphoniques
The telephone is great (very convenient) for any
discussion with people we already know, because
the sound of a familiar voice causes us to see a
person in our mind's eye, which our memory and
our imagination supply with an animated picture in
keeping with (reflecting) the evolution and the tone
of the conversation.
In professional life however, most phone
conversations take place between persons who
haven’t met, but tacitly agree to speak together for
a specific purpose. For the exchange to be
satisfactory, something must be done to
compensate for the fact that the talkers don’t know
and don’t see each other. A ritual has emerged that
applies equally to all kinds (sorts) of professions
and situations. Following it goes a long way
towards the efficient use of the telephone.
Répondre au téléphone
Anyone answering a call in a professional context
should have three goals in mind :
» make a good first impression on the caller
» learn who is calling.
» identify the motive of the call
In the following sample answer, the person sitting

next to a ringing phone smiles, lets it ring twice,
then picks it up :
“Good afternoon, dental surgery John Smith,

Doctor Smith’s assistant Judith Barn speaking, how
can I help you (what can I do for you)?”
The caller appreciates (is glad) not to have to wait
more than two ringing tones, to be greeted by a
smiling person, then have confirmation that he or
she has reached the right place. The smile is not
visible but is pictured in the caller’s mind thanks to
the friendly tone of the answer. Hearing Judith Barn
give her first and second name, the caller might
automatically do likewise (do the same thing).
From that moment on, the ice is broken. The

exchange can proceed rapidly on a sound basis. If
the caller is in pain after a recent intervention by
Dr Smith, Judith might say :
“Please hold on a moment, Ms Breakwater, I’ll ask

Dr Smith”
Judith comes back with a tentative solution one

minute later :
“Ms Breakwater? Thank you for holding (waiting).

The doctor is with a patient and cannot take your
call. He says your symptoms are typical of a
wisdom tooth extraction and no cause for alarm.
Take three tablets of Marstakin 500 as marked on
your prescription and if it doesn’t work for you,
ring us again and the doctor will prescribe a more
potent painkiller (pain reliever).”
Appeler
When initiating (giving) a call, the caller should
always first return the greetings of whoever
answers, then state the motive of the call in a polite
and concise manner.
» “Good morning. I’d like to speak to Gerald
Hammersmith. I’m a friend of his, Jim Bourgeois.”
» “Good afternoon. My name is Mortimer Dupont.

I’m writing an article for the Bonesticktown News
about the proliferation of blackjack beetles in our
county. I’ve heard about your success with organic
products to eradicate some other pests and I need
more detailed information on the subject. Could
you please tell me who I might talk to?”
Déroulement et fin d’un

échange téléphonique
Once a business conversation is initiated on the
phone, it is important to bring it speedily (rapidly,
swiftly) to a positive conclusion for both sides.
When the persons know each other, or are
discussing a situation that is of interest for both
parties, this goal is easily achieved. In other cases,
the caller and his or her counterpart should strive at
the initial stage of the call for (endeavour at the
initial stage of the call to achieve) a shared (common)
understanding of its purpose. The conversation can
then proceed smoothly, paying attention to a few
simple rules.
» Be polite. Say please and/or use a modal such as
may I, could you please, would it be possible to,
would you mind if we…
» Make sure you understand and are

understood. Factual data such as names, places,
numbers can be securely exchanged, by repeating
what you’ve heard to allow for correction, and if
necessary, asking the other person to spell certain
words: I’m not sure I got it right, could you please say
that again? And how do you spell (your, this, her, his,
its, that) name? Could you please spell it for me?
» Before ending the conversation, it is essential

to recap its main points and results so that
both parties memorise them in the same way.
Otherwise, the exchange may do more harm than
good, raising expectations that won’t be fulfilled,
breeding suspicion and rancour: Good, so you’ll e-
mail us to confirm your agreement on a 10 percent
rebate from your list price for a shipment
of 58 broondicks to be delivered to our factory before
the end of next month. But this is not all. The calling
party should thank the other party, say goodbye
and wait for his or her goodbye in response before
hanging up.
Surmonter la barrière des

langues
All above recommendations pertain to telephone
conversations between Anglophones. They should
be followed even more by a person whose English is
not yet up to par (satisfactory, adequate, up to scratch),
with a particular emphasis on mutual
understanding.
At each stage of the conversation, check your

understanding by acknowledging what you’ve
heard, repeating it in your own words and asking if
it is what was meant. And if you don’t understand a
word, a phrase, a whole sentence, or if the person
has rattled off (spoken at great speed) a string of
utterances (words) that make no sense to you, don’t
ever pretend you’ve understood (don’t ever do as if
you had understood). Don’t ever hesitate (never
hesitate) to say that you don’t understand. You
won’t lose face. After all, it’s not your fault if the
other person speaks a language that takes (requires,
demands) years of efforts to be perfectly understood
instead of another that can be mastered in a few
weeks or months, like Italian. Also, this person is
certainly aware that you are not a native English
speaker and should feel compelled (obliged) to
facilitate your task. Here are some ways to obtain
your counterpart’s cooperation.
» I’m sorry to interrupt you, but I can’t hear you very
well, could you please speak up a little? (could you
speak a bit louder, please?)
» No, it’s not because we have a bad line. It’s

because I don’t speak English well enough yet.
» I’m afraid I don’t get (understand) what you’ve just

said. Could you please repeat it, if possible using
other (different) words?
» What word did you use after/before consignment?

Could you spell it for me?
» I’m still in the process of learning English. Would

you mind speaking more slowly?
To spell difficult words, most people tend to use

names of well-known places such as Paris or
London or first names (forenames) such as John or
Hubert. You might use instead the list known as
Nato phonetic alphabet, which is in fact the
international alphabet for radiotelephony :
» Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf,
Hotel, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November,
Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango,
Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.
Maybe it will help you to remember it all if you

notice that this list contains six first names :
Charlie, Juliet, Mike, Oscar, Romeo, Victor; four places:
India, Lima, Quebec, Sierra ; two dances : Foxtrot,
Tango ; two kinds of people : Yankee, Zulu ; two
Greek letters Alpha, Delta ; and ten words without
any affinities between them : Bravo, Echo, Golf, Hotel,
Kilo, November, Papa, Uniform, Whiskey, X-ray.
Commentaires
…Biggafone, a large telephone operator – Attention
à la position des accents toniques primaire et
secondaires : telephone operator.
…one of the items in the chain breaks down – A
driver brakes to slow down his or her car. Breaks et
brakes sont des homophones, comme steak et stake.
…there are three possibilities – possible, impossible

appartiennent à la même famille de mots mais sont
accentués autrement que possibilities.
…options offered to you automatically – automat,

automatic, automatically.
…hold on a moment, Ms Breakwater – Ms (Ms. en

anglais américain) est la bonne façon de s’adresser
à une personne de sexe féminin quand on ne sait
pas (ou quand on ne veut pas montrer que l’on sait)
s’il s’agit d’une femme non encore mariée ou d’une
femme mariée, divorcée ou veuve (widowed),
auquel cas la formule polie serait Mrs Breakwater.
Ms se prononce d’une manière qui ressemble à Miss,
en remplaçant le son s par un son z. Mrs se dit
comme si le mot s’écrivait Missez.
…You won’t lose face – Le o de lose (verbe) et le oo

de loose (antonyme de l’adjectif tight) sont tous
deux des sons longs, mais lose rime avec booze,
snooze et loose rime avec moose (américain pour elk)
and chocolate mousse. (Moose et mousse sont
homophones.)
deux !
…try to fix the problem by yourself – problem fait
partie d’une longue liste de mots anglais avec les
mêmes sens qu’un mot français, mais qui en
diffèrent par l’absence d’un e final : system, syntax,
symptom, bard, cabal, optimist, visit, limit, citadel, violet,
parallel, list.
…detailed info about the tariff – Un certain nombre

de mots ont une double consonne en anglais au lieu
d’une seule en français : tariff, address, gallop, carrot,
traffic, baggage, abbreviation.
…half a minute of personnel costs – Le nom

personnel est ici ce qu’on appelle en anglais a non-
count noun (comme furniture, luggage, equipment,
garbage et beaucoup d’autres), synonyme de staff.
L’équivalent de l’adjectif français personnel est
personal.
…as long as its competitors also disregard –

L’anglais possède toute une famille de mots pour
rendre l’idée de compétition : compete, competitor,
competition, competitive, competitively, competitiveness,
uncompetitive. Ces mots s’utilisent dans n’importe
quel contexte (sports, politique, affaires,
biologie…). Le mot anglais concurrent
(simultaneous, coincident, done or happening at
the same time) est seulement un adjectif et son
sens diffère de celui du français concurrent.
…hold on a moment, Ms Breakwater, I’ll ask Dr

Smith – Ms, Mrs, Mr, Dr s’écrivent Ms., Mrs., Mr. et Dr.
en anglais américain.
…ring us again and the doctor will prescribe – ring

au lieu de call en tant que verbe ou nom pour un
appel téléphonique est de l’anglais britannique
typique. Une américaine entendant I’ll give you a ring
tomorrow pourrait mal comprendre et espérer se
voir offrir une bague.
…I’ve heard about your success with organic

products – I’ve heard est le present perfect de hear.
Le choix du present perfect au lieu du simple past
indique que l’appelant ne se souvient pas – ou ne
veut pas dire – quand ou dans quelle circonstance il
en a entendu parler. Sinon il utiliserait le simple
past : Listening to the radio, I heard about your success.
En français nous utilisons le passé composé, qu’il y
ait ou non une indication de circonstance ou de
temps.
ensemble
…it’s one of your lucky days : one of your lucky days,
my salad days (period of youthful inexperience), in
my student days, one of these days.
…at least in the short term : in the short term, in the

long term (in the long run).
…answering a call in a professional context : a

professional context, a professional attitude or behaviour,
a professional football player, someone’s professional
expertise.
…a more potent painkiller : a painkiller, a serial killer,

a killer application.
…a positive conclusion for both sides : a positive

conclusion, a foregone conclusion (inevitable result,
decision made before the evidence is known), to
jump to conclusions (make a hasty judgment or take a
decision before knowing all the facts).
…you won’t lose face : to lose face, to lose one’s

reputation, nothing to lose.
…because we have a bad line : a bad line, a good line,

in the same line of thought, our product line.
Des passerelles
…as it does most of the time. – parallèle à notre
expression la plupart du temps. De même, time is
money, I don’t have the time, just in time.
…there are three possibilities – possible, impossible,

possibility, impossibility : mêmes sens que les mots
français correspondants.
…whose raison d’être is to provide telephone

services – raison d’être fait partie d’une longue liste
d’expressions directement empruntées au français,
dites à la française, utilisées avec le même sens
dans les mêmes contextes. Beaucoup
d’anglophones natifs n’ont même pas conscience
qu’il s’agit d’un emprunt : entre nous; the mot juste;
to give someone carte blanche; an aide-mémoire; the
maître d’hôtel; the savoir faire; a bon mot; the éminence
grise; a fait accompli; a coup d’état; the coup de grâce;
noblesse oblige; a femme fatale; de rigueur; a faux pas;
comme il faut; comme ci, comme ça; après vous ; et bien
d’autres.
Deux expressions extrêmement courantes sont

absentes de cette liste car elles introduisent une
connotation inexistante en français : tête à tête, et
rendez-vous. Vous pourriez avoir rendez-vous avec
votre pire ennemi pour tenter de régler un différent
en tête à tête. In English, if your wife has a rendezvous
with her dentist, it can only be for a tête-à-tête that does
not concern her teeth. If she tells you about it, she will
use the word ‘appointment’.
…the sound of familiar voices – family, familiar,

familiarity, familiarise, familiarisation: mêmes sens
que les mots français correspondants.
…all kinds (sorts) of professions – profession,

professional, professionalism : mêmes sens que les
mots français homologues.
…the ice is broken – expression parallèle.
acknowledge confirmer la réception ou
compréhension
ATM (automatic GAB (guichet automatique de

teller machine) banque)
booze alcool (familier)
brake frein, freiner
breed susciter
caller appelant
cash dispenser automate bancaire
compel obliger
consignment lot (expédié)
convenient commode
elk renne (britannique)
endeavour effort, s’efforcer
goal but
greeting salutation
hold on rester en ligne
in one's mind's eye dans son esprit
Internet Service fournisseur de services Internet

Provider
intersection carrefour
local call appel local
loose lâche (contraire de serré)
lose perdre
match correspondance, correspondre
mind esprit, faire attention à
moose renne (américain)
moron demeuré
pain reliever médicament contre la douleur
painkiller médicament contre la douleur
pertain concerner
pest insecte nuisible
plug brancher
prescription ordonnance
rattle (faire) un bruit répétitif et

saccadé
relevant approprié
ring anneau, sonnerie, téléphoner à

(brit.)
snooze somme, faire un somme
speed vitesse
spell épeler
stage stade
swift rapide
telly télé
to be in pain avoir mal
to go a long way contribuer efficacement à

towards
three-pronged à trois volets (littéralement à

trois dents de fourche)
TV télé
unplug débrancher
utterance chose prononcée
waste gaspillage, gaspiller
widow veuve
Chapitre 6
Rapports, mémos et e-mails
DANS CE CHAPITRE :
» Rapports, mémos et e-mails
» Anglais formel ou informel
» Écueils à éviter
T spoken
he preceding chapter dealt with business English
over the phone and focused on
communication with outside contacts, as opposed
to discussions among members of an organisation.
By contrast, this chapter pertains (is dedicated) to
written documents circulating inside an
organisation to guide or facilitate its operations.
These are reports, memos and e-mails, all three
abundantly used in most organisations. Reports and
memos are by nature internal documents. E-mails
are used both among members of the organisation
and for communications with outsiders. In the
latter case, they often replace letters, and have the
same value as proof in the eventuality of litigation.
À propos des rapports

A report presents a higher echelon (level) of
management with the results of a study, survey,
research or other investigation conducted by a
person or a group on a question of some
importance on which decisions need (have) to be
taken.
A report usually starts with a reminder of the

circumstances that motivated (caused) the
investigation, a mention of the contribution of each
participant and a description of the resources and
methodology used to find the facts it describes. A
key part of such a document is its middle part,
which presents results, i.e. facts. Objectivity is of
the essence (critically important), and some of the
findings may be qualified with a degree of certainty
or the mention of foreseeable developments that
could invalidate them. The final part is a set of
recommendations, i.e. practical steps that ought to
(should) be taken in view of the realities reflected in
the report.
A report should be as concise and clear as possible,
but it always contains a large number of pages,
which makes it impossible to insert a meaningful
sample in this chapter.
À propos des mémos

Memos usually serve to disseminate information
among groups larger than the targets of reports.
Most often, responsibility for the contents of a
memo is assumed by a single person, who is also
its writer. Requirements of objectivity and
concision are less stringent than for a report, but
the information should be convincing and well
presented. Memos are sometimes distributed via e-
mail, but they are meant to be kept in printed form
for further reference. Actually, memo is the
abbreviation of Latin memorandum, which in
English means to be memorised. The meaning is
close to that of aide-mémoire, an informal
document used in diplomatic circles. A memo is
thus likely to survive much longer than transitory
texts like e-mails, which justifies the time and
effort invested in its preparation.
Exemple de mémo
Memorandum
From : Thomas Morelson, Bonesticktown plant

director
To : All staff, Bonesticktown plant
Re : Sustainable development policies
All of you are aware of the risks a unit such as ours

would present to the environment without all the
safeguards (precautions) implemented (put into
effect) before we started production three years ago.
We went far beyond the minimal requirements set
forth (described) in the charter for the preservation
of the environment. For example, we recycle 90%
of the water pumped out of the Frimostek River for
our manufacturing processes and thus limit our
water consumption to a tenth of our needs. As a
result, our impact on the river is negligible
compared with that of irrigation by farms bordering
its banks. And our plant has never leaked toxic
effluents, as evidenced by thriving schools of trout
downstream of our site.
After discussing the matter with our personnel

representatives, some of whom are keen nature
lovers, we are now introducing new measures to
further reduce our collective environmental
footprint.
1) Garbage sorting.
Starting next month, you will notice coloured bins

in the entrance halls of all our buildings. They will
replace the larger green garbage containers whose
contents have been so far taken weekly to
Bonesticktown’s landfill.
Plastic items, such as bottles, cups, etc. brought

from outside or coming from vending machines on
our premises should be dropped into the blue
coloured bin marked ‘plastic’.
Empty tins of soda, mineral water, fruit juice and

other drinkable liquids are to be dropped into the
white bin marked ‘aluminium only’.
Cartons, magazines, newspapers as well as

company documents shredded for confidentiality
reasons are to go into the large yellow bin marked
‘paper and carton’.
Glass objects are to be collected into the beige bin

marked ‘glass’.
All other items to be discarded should go into the

green bin which will replace the larger green
container. It is for miscellaneous garbage, with two
notable exceptions.
a) Batteries. You will find, affixed to the wall, a red

metallic box for used batteries of all kinds and
sizes, which over time may leak toxic substances
and are not meant to end up in a landfill.
b) CFLs. You have probably noticed that our

maintenance has replaced incandescent light bulbs
by CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs) in all our
buildings. This represents an important saving and
a major step in favour of the environment, as CFLs
pay for themselves in about six months and
dramatically reduce the overall emission of CO2 and
other harmful substances. CFLs are not to be
discarded with any other items, but must be taken
to specialised recycling facilities that take care of
the small yet hazardous quantity of mercury stored
in them. As they are fragile (breakable), there is
also a risk of breakage while installing or
dismounting them. (Should you decide to install
CFLs at home – a highly commendable (laudable,
praiseworthy) option – you could ask Marjory
Finnagan, in Maintenance, how to install or
dismount a CFL without breaking it and what to do
with a dismounted CFL.)
I count on your cooperation for properly sorting
out discarded items. They will be taken once a
month to the relevant (appropriate) regional
recycling centres.
2) Bicycles, public transport and car-pooling.
Our car park comprises 70 slots, of which

about 50 are currently occupied. The remaining
capacity of 20 is not enough for the additional
employees who will join us starting next
September, should they need or chose to come by
car. Extending the surface of the car park is
possible, but expensive. The green faction among
employee representatives made a few interesting
suggestions. After careful review, they eventually
matured into a viable alternative which will come
into effect December 1st of this year.
As you know, all persons entering our premises,

whether visitors or staff members, are subject to
identity checks necessitated by the sensitive
character of our activities. This makes it possible to
reward those who make use of public transports or
car pooling, or cycle to come to work. Pedestrians,
car poolers and cyclists passing through the
checkpoint will be handed special tickets, each of
which will then be converted by HRM (Human
Resources Management) into a £0.8 premium
payable the following month.
This scheme, which is by nature voluntary, will

mean more money for those who take advantage of
it. It will reduce pollution and avoid the eye sore of
a sprawling car park.
***
Exemple d’e-mail
To : Melanie Stringstop
From : Joe Philibert
Subject : Information request
Hello Melanie,
I’ve heard you worked on the Red-Penguin account

back when you were down in our Sussex regional
office. Could you spare a moment to chat on the
phone? I am negotiating a new deal (agreement,
contract) with them, and it would sure help a lot to
hear about your experience with them, if you’ll
agree to share some of it with me.
Give me a call if and when your schedule permits
(your activities allow). I’ll be at my desk doing
background (office) work all tomorrow afternoon.
Looking forward to talking with you.
Joe
Joseph Philibert, account manager
478 811 42 88
***
À propos des e-mails

E-mails are the least formal variety of written
business (professional) communication. Writers use
conversational English, with the degree of formality
reflecting the type of relations they entertain with
recipients. E-mails contain a short text often
accompanied by one or several attachments of any
kind (spreadsheet, presentation, picture, video or
voice recording). They are normally sent to a single
recipient and usually address only one issue
(question), the so-called subject. Other persons are
sometimes copied when the subject is deemed
interesting for them (of interest to them), but a
downside (drawback, disadvantage) of this practice
is that people copied may feel obliged or entitled to
participate in an exchange initially meant to remain
short-lived and focused. This complicates the task
of sender and recipient alike and translates into a
costly loss of time for all people involved.
Properly used, e-mails can be a formidable means

to enhance (improve, reinforce, augment, increase) the
efficiency of an organisation. E-mails can be
quickly answered (replied to) or forwarded to other
recipients. Owing to their expected short lifespan,
they are mostly kept only in digital form, which
saves paper and ink, yet they can be retrieved
almost immediately thanks to (through) content-
based search functions of mail applications and
operating systems.
They can foster (encourage, develop) teamwork,

allowing people to ask colleagues with particular
experience or knowledge for assistance or advice.
They can speed up (accelerate) processes and
increase an organisation’s reactivity. They help put
relevant information, e.g. via attached documents,
in the hands of those who need it.
Unfortunately, e-mails are often misused. Some

unnecessarily inflate the number of recipients,
others always expect instant replies. A negative
consequence is people constantly checking their
smart phones for incoming e-mails instead of
doing productive work.
Commentaires
…in the eventuality of litigation – eventuality.
Accent tonique principal sur la syllabe a. (Event,
eventual, eventually.)
…a reminder of the circumstances – circumstances.

Accent tonique principal sur la syllabe cir.
…the resources and methodology – methodology.

Accent tonique principal sur la syllabe do. (Method,
methodical, methodically.)
…Memos usually serve to disseminate

information – disseminate. Accent tonique principal
sur la syllabe se. (Mais dissemination.)
…the abbreviation of Latin memorandum –

memorandum. Accent tonique principal sur la
syllabe ran.
…for our manufacturing processes – processes.
Comme nom, process est accentué sur la première
syllabe. Mais comme verbe, il est accentué sur la
seconde : to process.
…our plant has never leaked toxic effluents –

leaked. A leak, to leak, son long. Des oreilles
françaises pourraient confondre leak (long) avec lick
(court).
…as they are fragile – fragile. Le i est prononcé de

manière à ce que fragile rime soit avec angel, soit
avec mile, pile, style.
…Give me a call if and when your schedule

permits – schedule. Les prononciations américaine
et britannique sont très différentes. Britannique :
comme les mots shed + you’ll. Américaine :
première syllabe comme celle de skeleton, seconde
syllabe comme le début du mot July.
…and increase an organisation’s reactivity –

reactivity. L’accent tonique principal est sur la
syllabe ti. Mais dans le verbe react l’accent tonique
est sur a.

deux !
…A report presents a higher echelon (level) of
management with the results of a study –
Différence entre present en anglais et présenter en
français : One presents someone with something.
On présente quelque chose à quelqu’un. En anglais,
le complément d’objet direct est la personne, en
français, c’est la chose.
…steps that ought to (should) be taken in view of

the realities – in view of the realities veut dire as a
result of the realities, taking the realities into account.
Les mots en vue de expriment une intention ou un
but et sont rendus en anglais par with a view to : she
was saving money with a view to buy a car.
…memo is the abbreviation of Latin memorandum –

Latin : les noms des langues doivent
obligatoirement commencer par une majuscule en
anglais, mais pas en français. De même, les
adjectifs dénotant une nationalité, une religion ou
une origine doivent comporter une majuscule en
anglais, mais non en français : his Jewish father is
Dutch and his Catholic mother is Italian. Le mot french,
que beaucoup de Français aiment écrire parce qu’ils
pensent à tort qu’il indique leur nationalité ou
désigne leur langue, ne peut s’écrire en anglais avec
une minuscule que dans les expressions french fries
et french window (porte-fenêtre). Partout ailleurs,
F !
…as evidenced by thriving schools of trout – La

langue anglaise comporte plus de mots spécialisés
que le français pour les groupes d’animaux : a
school of fish, a gaggle of geese, a flock of birds, a pride
of lions, a herd of cattle, a pack of hounds.
…Empty tins of soda – L’équivalent américain de

tin est can.
…into the white bin marked ‘aluminium only’ –

aluminium. Ce mot est accentué et s’écrit
autrement en anglais américain : aluminum.
…CFLs – On forme le pluriel des acronymes en

anglais en leur adjoignant un s : CFLs, CDs, CEOs.
Même contraste avec le français pour les noms
propres : Yesterday we went out with the Duponts and
they invited us for a drink at their place tomorrow to
meet the Durands.
…CFLs pay for themselves in about six months and

dramatically reduce the emission of CO2 – dramatic,
dramatically peuvent signifier related to drama
comme les mots français correspondants. Mais
leurs sens figurés sont différents. Dramatic veut dire
spectacular, sudden and impressive, striking.
…Our car park comprises 70 slots – Car park est
l’équivalent britannique de l’américain parking lot.
…they eventually matured into a viable

alternative – eventual, eventually synonymes de final,
finally, ont un sens différent de éventuel,
éventuellement. Alternative : signifie ici une autre
solution que l’extension du parking. An alternative
est ce qui remplace ou pourrait remplacer des
choses ou des solutions existantes ou envisagées. Il
peut y avoir plusieurs alternatives au sens anglais du
mot. Une alternative est en français un ensemble de
deux possibilités qui s’excluent mutuellement et
entre lesquelles il faut choisir car il n’y en a pas
d’autre.
…reflecting the type of relations they entertain with

recipients – entertain dans ce contexte a le même
sens que le français entretenir des relations. Mais
entertain veut dire aussi provide someone with
amusement, ou receive people as guests and serve them
food and/or drinks: the clown was entertaining the
children; a beautiful country house where she likes to
entertain friends and family. Recipient : a person who
receives something ; récipient : un objet creux
susceptible de contenir quelque chose.
…E-mails can be quickly answered (replied to) – To
answer e-mails : e-mails complément d’objet direct
de answer. En français, répondre à des courriers
électroniques, complément d’objet indirect.

ensemble
…steps that ought to (should) be taken in view of
the realities : in view of, with a view to, a room with a
view, in my view (in my opinion), his political views.
…After discussing the matter with our personnel

representatives : personnel representatives, a
representative sample, the House of Representatives (one
of the two chambers of the United States Congress,
the other being the Senate).
…avoid the eye sore of a sprawling car park : an eye

sore (an unpleasant view). A sight for sore eyes
(somebody one is pleased to see, a welcome
visitor).
…e-mails can be a formidable means to enhance

(improve, reinforce, augment, increase) the efficiency :
a formidable means; a means to an end; she is living
beyond her means; by all means (positive reply to
person asking permission : certainly, of course) ; the
ways and means.
…colleagues with particular experience or

knowledge : knowledge, knowledge workers,
knowledge management.
Des passerelles
…the information should be convincing and well
presented – presented : Les sens de la famille de
mots present n + a + v, presentation, presentable,
represent sont les mêmes que ceux des mots présent
n + a, présenter, présentation, présentable, représenter.
…you will find, affixed to the wall, a red metallic

box – metal, metallic, metallize, metallization ont les
mêmes sens que leurs homologues français.
…must be taken to specialised recycling facilities –

special, specialise, specialist, specialisation; cycle, recycle
ont les mêmes sens que les mots français
correspondants. Recyclage est simplement recycling.
…this makes it possible to reward those – possible,

possibility, impossible, impossibility ont le même sens
que leurs homologues français. De plus, possible est
l’équivalent anglais du français éventuel.
Éventuellement n’a pas de traduction directe en
anglais. On peut contourner la difficulté en utilisant
un modal : nous prendrons éventuellement un taxi pour
y aller, we might take a cab to get there.
…Writers use conversational English – converse v,

conversation, conversational veulent dire la même
chose que leurs homologues français. Mais converse
a, n (something that is the reverse of a thing
previously mentioned) n’est en français qu’une
forme du verbe converser. L’adverbe conversely est
l’équivalent exact du français inversement.
actually en fait
address traiter
attachment pièce jointe
bank rive (d’une rivière)
battery pile
bin poubelle
can boîte
car-pooling covoiturage
CFL (compact fluorescent ampoule basse

light bulb) consommation
commendable méritoire
dedicated to destiné à, dédié à
deem considérer comme
downside inconvénient
downstream en aval
drawback inconvénient
employee representative représentant du

personnel
entertain distraire, accueillir
eye sore vue choquante par sa

laideur
flock groupe (d’oiseaux en

vol)
focused focalisé
footprint empreinte
foreseeable prévisible
further ultérieur
gaggle (of geese) troupeau (d’oies au sol)
garbage ordures
goose (pl geese) oie

harmful nocif
herd troupeau
HRM (Human Resources Gestion des Ressouves

Management) Humaines
inflate gonfler
in view of compte tenu de
join rejoindre
keen enthousiaste
landfill décharge, déchetterie
laudable méritoire
leak laisser s’écouler
lick lécher
lifespan durée de vie
litigation contentieux
loss perte
meaningful significatif
of the essence fondamental
pack meute
pedestrian piéton
pertain to concerner
plant usine
praiseworthy méritoire
premises locaux
pride famille (de lions)
recipient destinataire
relevant concerné, approprié
reminder rappel
reward récompenser
school banc (de poissons)
sensitive sensible
short-lived de courte durée
shred déchiqueter
slot place (de parking)
sort out trier
speed up accélérer
spreadsheet feuille de tableur
striking frappant
stringent strict
survey enquête
target cible
with a view to en vue de
Chapitre 7
La comptabilité
DANS CE CHAPITRE :
» Rôle de la comptabilité
» Documents comptables
» Ratios
» Étapes d’évolution
À quoi sert la comptabilité

To plan the activities of an organisation in such a
way that it prospers or at least is able to pursue
(continue) its activities, the people in charge need
information reflecting in some detail its assets
(what it owns), its liabilities (what it owes), and
the economic flows that have modified its assets
and liabilities over a given period. Providing such
information is the raison d’être of accounting.
To this end, accounting (bookkeeping) records each

elementary operation of the business as it occurs,
notes its value in a common monetary unit
(currency), indicates its type (sale, purchase,
payment made or received…) and various other
attributes such as date, beneficiary, etc.
Accounting then processes these records to

produce, among many others, two main
documents : The income statement synthesises the
activity of the organisation over a fixed length of
time such as a month, a quarter or a year ; the
balance sheet shows the economic situation of the
organisation at the end of the period. You will find
these two documents in the annual report of any
listed (public) company.
The income statement is constructed in the

following way to explain the bottom line, i.e. the
net income, a figure of particular interest to
shareholders (stockholders) of the company :
Total revenue - cost of revenue (cost of goods sold) =

gross profit (margin)
Operating expenses = research and development +

cost of goods sold + selling and general
administrative expenses
Gross profit - operating expenses = operating

income
Operating income +/- other income and expenses =
earnings before interest and taxes
Earnings before interest and taxes - interest =

income before tax
Income before tax - income tax = net income
A balance sheet separately lists assets and

liabilities, as in the following example :
ASSETS
Current assets
Cash 50,000.00
Stocks and bonds 200,000.00
Accounts receivable 350,000.00
Inventory 100,000.00
Total current assets 700,000.00
Long-term assets
Building 300,000.00
Depreciation (50,000.00)
Total long-term assets 250,000.00
Total assets 950,000.00

LIABILITIES
Current liabilities
Accounts payable (100,000.00)
Mortgage payment (50,000.00)
Total current liabilities (150,000.00)
Long-term liabilities
Mortgage balance (200,000.00)
Total long-term liabilities (200,000.00)
Total liabilities (400,000.00)
Owner’s equity = Total assets - Total liabilities
= $950,000.00 - $400,000.00 = $550,000.00
Compte d’exploitation et bilan
Rubriques du compte
d’exploitation
Revenue (turnover) includes goods and services sold
during the accounting period. In the case of a
manufacturing company, the cost of goods sold
includes all personnel expenses (salaries,
benefits…) incurred in manufacturing, as well as
the cost of the parts that go into finished products.
In the case of a retail company, the cost of goods
sold will be the initial value of inventory, plus that
of goods purchased, minus the value of inventory at
the end of the period.
Selling and general administrative expenses include

such items as payroll expenses, commissions,
travel expenses for executives (management) as well
as for the sales force, and advertising costs.
Rubriques du bilan
Current assets are the sum of cash and cash
equivalents (money in the bank or safe (secure) and
very liquid investments), accounts receivable,
inventory, marketable securities (stocks and
bonds), prepaid expenses, and any assets that could
be converted to cash in less than one year.
Accounts receivable is money owed by customers

(clients).
Long-term assets are a company’s property (real

estate, buildings), equipment (machinery) and
other capital assets expected to be useable for more
than one year, minus (less) depreciation.
By definition, current liabilities are debts a

company must pay within a year. They include
things such as mortgage payments, short-term
loans, accounts payable, dividends and interest
payable.
Accounts payable is money owed to suppliers.
Contrasting with short-term liabilities, long-term

liabilities are due to be paid in more than a year.
They may comprise mortgage loans, bank loans
other than short term loans.
The owner’s equity, the difference between assets

and liabilities, is the value of the company,
business or other entity. In the case of a listed
(public) company, this difference represents the
book value of the shares owned by stockholders.
The shares’ book value may widely differ from their
value on the stock market.
Interprétation des documents

financiers
Variations dans le temps
The income statement (profit and loss account) and
the balance sheet of a business for a period such as
the last fiscal year are interesting per se but do not
give any idea about its evolution. This is why
income statements and balance sheets usually
display figures for several successive periods in
adjacent columns. Sometimes the evolution from
one period to the next is highlighted by successive
percent changes for each row (line) in the
statement.
Ratios élémentaires
The current ratio is the ratio of current assets to
current liabilities. It gives a measure of a firm’s
ability to pays its short term debts. A ratio < 1 may
indicate difficulties to meet obligations and thus a
risk of bankruptcy, but not necessarily so. For
example, if a firm’s long-term prospects are
outstanding, it might easily obtain loans to finance
its present operations, an approach called leverage.
Other important ratios are the inventory turnover,

or the ratio of the cost of goods sold to the average
inventory; the profit margin (operating profit margin,
return on sales), or ratio of the operating income to
the revenue ; the equity ratio or ratio of owners'
equity to total assets ; the return on equity (ROE),
or ratio of net income to shareholder equity ; the
price/earning ratio (P/E), or ratio of the price paid
for a share to the net income per share.
La comptabilité hier,
aujourd’hui et demain
Accounting may not be the oldest profession (trade,
metier, occupation), but it is very ancient. Five
millenaries ago, bookkeepers of Sumeria used
tokens of clay and envelopes of the same material
to record inventories (stocks) or transactions. This
system later evolved into markings on tablets to
indicate the nature of the goods. By 3000 BC, this
symbolic representation had become the first
known form of written language, allowing the
Sumerians to record history and produce a written
literature.
Coins appeared around 700 BC, further facilitating

trade, and were key to the development of Greek
and Roman civilisations. In the Middle Ages,
villages were largely self-sufficient, but cities
began to develop trade and the production of
artefacts. The crusades fostered the development of
trade with exotic goods from the East, practised
primarily by Italian merchants. Around 1300 AD,
they developed double-entry bookkeeping, in
which each entry had a separate debit and credit.
The Industrial Revolution started in Britain in

the 18th century and triggered (led to) another major
accounting innovation, cost accounting. The name
of a famous potter, Josiah Wedgwood, is closely
associated with this discovery. Contrary to
production by individual craftsmen (artisans),
industrial production uses expensive (costly)
machinery, and involves complex processes
resulting in a number of different products. The
cost accounting methods devised by Wedgwood
allowed him to assess (determine) production costs
for individual products. Armed with this knowledge
(information), he could make vital decisions such as
to cancel the production of goods that could not
find buyers at a price above cost, and to concentrate
his activity on goods with a higher profit margin.
The last stage in the evolution of accounting is

closely linked to (associated with) the computer
revolution. At negligible costs, computers collect
data about individual transactions and process them
to provide immediate answers to about any
question a manager may ask before taking a
decision.
The next stage is probably the application of

sophisticated accounting and management
techniques to ever smaller economic entities. The
use of elaborate standard software such as data
warehouse systems and so-called enterprise
software is widespread in the corporate world. Such
systems are comprehensive (complete), in the sense
that they include all aspects of accounting, and
adaptable enough to answer the needs of very
different businesses. Less ambitious versions are
now available to small businesses that run them on
their own computers. The latest trend is software
applications on demand running on the suppliers’
servers and accessible via the Internet to users of
any size.
Commentaires
…reflecting in some detail its assets (what it owns),
its liabilities (what it owes) – liable, liabilities. Le
suffixe ity provoque un déplacement de l’accent
tonique principal. Autres exemples : credible →
credibility, probable → probability, possible → possibility,
dual → duality, moral → morality, periodic → periodicity,
senile → senility, valid → validity, virgin → virginity.
Notez que ity ne peut pas avoir le même effet sur
les mots d’une syllabe, scarce → scarcity, rare → rarity,
vain → vanity, car l’accent tonique tomberait alors
sur le suffixe lui-même.
…accounting (bookkeeping) records each elementary

operation – element, elementary. La terminaison ary
provoque un décalage de l’accent tonique dans
element, mais le plus souvent, l’accent tonique reste
sur la même syllabe. Autres exemples : illusion →
illusionary; arbiter → arbitrary; moment → momentary.
…successive percent changes for each row (line) in

the statement. – Le nom row (line in a table) est
prononcé comme le verbe row (propel a boat with
oars), et comme le nom roe (one of two things :
eggs taken from the ovaries of a fish or a kind of
deer), des mots qui riment tous avec toe, snow,
know, hollow. The noun row (dispute, quarrel) est
prononcé de telle manière qu’il rime avec how, cow,
now. Deux autres mots de trois lettres en ow ont
deux significations et deux prononciations
différentes : le nom bow (weapon for shooting
arrows) et le verbe sow (to plant seeds) riment avec
no, blow, crow, yellow. Le verbe et nom bow (action
of bending one’s head in sign of respect), and sow
(female pig), riment avec now, ciao, vow.
…a measure of a firm’s ability to pay its short-term

debts. – Le b de debt est ignoré, et debt se prononce
exactement comme le français dette. L’influence du
français débiteur nous incite à prononcer le b de
debtor, ce qui serait une faute. Debtor se prononce
comme s’il s’écrivait dettor.
…In the Middle Ages, villages were largely self-

sufficient – villages. Dans les mots terminés par
age, le a n’est pas accentué et se prononce comme
le i bref de bit, thick, bin. Par exemple : manage,
savage, average, disparage, courage, garage. Mais en
anglais américain, ce dernier mot est accentué sur
la syllabe ra : garage. Par suite, le premier a
s’entend comme le e du français que, et le second a
comme celui du français âge.
…The cost-accounting methods devised by

Wedgwood – methods. Un o non accentué se
prononce en général comme le e de l’article français
le, mais si brièvement qu’il ressemble souvent à
notre e muet, lequel ne s’entend qu’au sud de la
Loire. Autres exemples : Catholic, purpose, period.
…Less ambitious versions – versions. La

terminaison sion n’est jamais accentuée et se
prononce comme l’adjectif français jeune quand elle
est précédée par une voyelle : collision, television,
evasion, erosion. Précédée d’une consonne, elle se
prononce le plus souvent comme les quatre
premières lettres du français chenil : mansion,
tension, pension, passion, torsion. Quand cette
consonne est un r, l’anglais hésite entre deux
possibilités : version rime avec television, immersion
rime soit avec pension (cas le plus fréquent), soit
avec television.

deux !
…flows that have modified its assets and liabilities
over a given period. – period est l’un des nombreux
mots qui diffèrent d’un mot français par l’absence
d’un e final : method, problem, system, emblem,
carbon, symptom, suffix, pilot, frontier, hymn, marmot,
class, epithet, context. Period comporte les sens du
français période, plus celui du signe de ponctuation
à la fin d’une phrase, aussi appelé full stop en
anglais britannique.
…and various other attributes such as

date, - attribute est l’un des quelques mots qui
diffèrent d’un mot français par l’adjonction d’un e
final : jasmine, sense, chocolate, granite, future, case,
compromise, profile.
…two documents in the annual report – report est

rapport en français. Rapport existe aussi en anglais
mais signifie une relation positive avec une
personne ou un petit groupe : She had established a
good rapport with her publisher.
…the net income, a figure of particular interest to

shareholders. – figure dans ce contexte a le même
sens que le français chiffre. Ce mot désigne aussi
l’aspect physique général d’une personne : he’s kept
a boyish figure in spite of his age. Dans ce sens, figure
n’a pas d’équivalent français direct, sauf la
traduction approximative silhouette, qui existe
également en anglais. Le nom français figure
désignant la partie antérieure de la tête se traduit
par face. L’anglais figure v a les sens des verbes
français figurer et se figurer. Au théâtre, on retrouve
en anglais le mot figurant, qui se dit aussi
supernumerary actor.
… = $950,000.00 - $400,000.00 = $550,000.00 –

Les grands nombres sont présentés en anglais par
groupes de trois chiffres (figures) séparés par une
virgule (comma). Un point (period, decimal point) est
placé entre les entiers (integers) et les fractions
décimales. Dans le cas de montants d’argent, le
symbole monétaire est placé directement devant le
nombre.
…all personnel expenses (salaries, benefits…) –

benefit (advantage or gift granted by an employer
in addition to wages (salaries)). Contrairement au
français bénéfice, l’anglais benefit ne peut
s’appliquer à la différence entre les recettes et les
dépenses, appelée margin, ou profit.
…In the case of a listed (public) company – public

dans ce contexte désigne une société dont les
actions peuvent être achetées ou vendues par tout
membre du public sur une bourse de valeurs
mobilières, par opposition à une société privée
(private company) ou une société appartenant à
l’état. A public company est une entité très
différente de ce que nous entendons par entreprise
publique.
…he could make vital decisions such as to cancel
the production – cancel a des sens qui se
recouvrent partiellement avec ceux du français
annuler. Cancel ne convient pas (is not the mot juste)
pour traduire annuler dans annuler un mariage ou
annuler le résultat d’une élection. L’équivalent
approprié est to annul. Cancel (marking a ticket or a
postage stamp to show that it has been used)
traduit composter, oblitérer. To obliterate (to destroy
completely, to wipe out) et oblitérer sont des faux
amis.
…The use of elaborate standard software such as

data warehouse systems and so-called enterprise
software is widespread in the corporate world. –
L’adjectif corporate (relating to large companies or
corporations) n’a pas d’équivalent français direct et
s’utilise en français dans les milieux financiers. A
corporation (a very large listed company) n’est
jamais ce que nous appelons une corporation.

ensemble
…all personnel expenses (salaries, benefits…) :
benefit, social benefits, the benefit of the doubt.
…travel expenses for executives : executive, the Chief
Executive (president of the United Sates), CEO (chief
executive officer), the executive branch of government
(as opposed to the legislative branch and the judicial
branch), an executive order (in the USA, a rule issued
by the president to a branch of government).
…assets that could be converted to cash : cash. Cash

and carry, cash flow, cash dispenser.
…Long-term assets are a company’s property (real

estate, buildings) : real estate. Real-estate agent
(realtor in American English), real estate agency.
…the evolution from one period to the next :

evolution. The theory of evolution, the evolution of
species, the evolution of the illness.
…a risk of bankruptcy, : bankruptcy, to face

bankruptcy, bankruptcy proceedings.
…if a firm’s long-term prospects are outstanding :

prospects, disturbing prospects, encouraging prospects,
prospects of recovery.
...Coins appeared around 700, further facilitating

trade, : trade, the trade press, a trade show, a trade
union, the trade winds.
Des passerelles
…The income statement synthesizes the activity –
synthesis, synthetic, synthesize ont exactement les
mêmes sens que les mots français correspondants.
D’innombrables mots construits artificiellement à
partir de racines grecques se retrouvent presque à
l’identique dans les deux langues, avec exactement
les mêmes sens. Le seul problème est
l’emplacement de l’accent tonique : synthesis,
synthetic, synthesize.
…You will find these two documents in the annual

report – document, documentation, documentary a + n
ont les mêmes sens que les mots français
correspondants.
…figures for successive periods in adjacent

columns. – adjacent : même sens que le mot
français.
…This system later evolved into markings on

tablets – table, tablet même sens que table et tablette
en français. Table est aussi ce que nous appelons un
tableau (format de données en informatique, ou une
feuille de tableur). Ce que nous appelons tableau
dans une salle de classe ou de conférence est selon
le cas a blackboard or a whiteboard. Attention, un
tableau papier se dit flip chart. Paperboard est
synonyme de cardboard ou pasteboard.
…another major accounting innovation – innovate,

innovation, innovator, mêmes sens que les mots
français homologues. L’adjectif innovateur (trice) a
pour équivalent anglais innovative.
…concentrate his activity on goods with a higher

profit margin. – act n + v, actor, activity, action :
mêmes sens que les mots français correspondants.
Mais ce que nous appelons action dans le contexte
des marchés financiers se dit share ou stock en
anglais.
accounting comptabilité
accounts payable comptes clients
assets actif
balance sheet bilan
bankruptcy faillite
bond obligation
book value valeur comptable
bookkeeping comptabilité
building bâtiment
cardboard carton
cash espèces
cash flow marge brute

d’autofinancement
CEO (chief executive directeur général

officer)
clay argile
coin pièce de monnaie
cost of revenue prix de revient
currency devise
current assets actifs circulants
current ratio ratio de liquidité
customer client
debt dette
debtor débiteur
double-entry comptabilité en partie

bookkeeping double
earnings gains
enterprise software logiciels d’entreprise

equity ratio ratio de l’indépendance
financière
executive dirigeant
flip chart tableau papier
foster favoriser
full stop point final
gross profit bénéfice brut
highlight mettre en lumière
income statement compte d’exploitation
incur exposer (dépense)
integer entier
inventory stock
inventory turnover rotation du stock
leverage effet de levier
liabilities passif
listed cotée (entreprise, société)
loan emprunt
long-term assets immobilisations
margin marge
marketable security titres négociables

mortgage balance dette hypothécaire à long
terme
mortgage payment dette hypothécaire à court

terme
obliterate détruire complètement
operating expenses dépenses d’exploitation
operating income bénéfice d’exploitation
owners' equity fonds propres
payroll expenses dépenses de personnel
potter potier
price/earning ratio PER ou quotient C/B

(cours/bénéfice par action)
profit margin marge bénéficiaire
public company société cotée
pursue continuer, poursuivre
real estate bien immobilier
real-estate agent agent immobilier
realtor agent immobilier
retail company société de distribution
return on equity rendement des capitaux

propres
roe œufs de poisson
row ramer
row rangée
row querelle
selling and general frais généraux

administrative expenses
sow semer
sow truie
stock market marché d’actions
stockholder actionnaire
stocks actions
supplier fournisseur
toe orteil
token jeton
trade métier, échange
trade press presse professionnelle
trade show salon
trade union syndicat
trade wind alizé

turnover chiffre d’affaires
vow vœu, faire le vœu de

PARTIE 3
ÉCHANGES ET COMMERCE
Cette partie vous présente en anglais des activités

de communication et d’échange vitales pour la
plupart des secteurs de l’économie. Au chapitre 8,
Présentations commerciales, vous découvrez l’art
de concevoir des présentations commerciales qui
font vendre. Le chapitre 9, Négociations, illustre
quelques principes essentiels de toute négociation.
Le chapitre 10, Distribution, évoque divers aspects
de la distribution. Le 11e et dernier chapitre et du
livre est consacré aux banques de détail,
auxquelles ont recours toutes les professions.
Les deux premières parties vous ont familiarisé

avec les commentaires, qui reprennent des
fragments des textes anglais d’un chapitre pour
illustrer des règles et des exceptions relatives à la
prononciation ou à la grammaire, et des
différences ou des ressemblances avec le français.
Ces fragments et les autres exemples cités sont
évidemment en anglais, mais les commentaires
sont en français. Ce procédé comporte un
avantage et un inconvénient. Il garantit la
compréhension des explications mais vous oblige à
passer constamment d’une langue à l’autre. La
troisième partie vous dispense de l’effort
intellectuel imposé par ce va-et-vient, en échange
d’un effort pour comprendre les commentaires,
désormais en anglais. La compréhension en est
facilitée par l’adjonction de synonymes et par des
renvois au lexique du chapitre, comme pour tout ce
qui est en anglais dans l’ouvrage.
Chapitre 8
Présentations commerciales
DANS CE CHAPITRE :
» Parler ou écrire pour convaincre
» Les étapes d’une bonne argumentation
» Vendre à un client privé ou à une entreprise
Présentations
commerciales à des
particuliers
Many of us have a negative view of sales
presentations, or sales pitches, as they are
commonly called. The phrase ‘sales pitch' brings
to mind the door-to-door salesman who sold our
grandmother her vacuum cleaner, the disruption of
an interesting television programme by a series of
advertising clips, or the intrusion on the phone by a
telemarketer attempting (trying) to sell things we
don’t need and don’t want.
Yet sales pitches are not made only by obnoxious
people interfering with our private lives. We don’t
buy only goods or services. We also buy ideas, we
get enlisted to defend a good cause or are converted
to a new faith by people other than salespersons,
who take us along the path from initial scepticism
to eventual adhesion through the same tactics as
our grandmother’s vacuum-cleaner salesman.
Vous souvenez-vous de cet

exemple d’argumentaire de
vente ?
On an infinitely more modest scale, what is the
introduction to this book, if not a sales pitch
targeting you as a private buyer? It follows today’s
marketing experts’ recommendations for sales
pitches and commercial letters, with four steps
already advised in the time-honoured AIDA
method imagined by E.K. Strong in 1925 (nothing to
do with a famous opera by Giuseppe Verdi).
A for Attention. The first page explodes the prevalent

myth that ‘learning English is easy’ and asserts it is
even harder (more difficult) for French speakers,
calling the prospective buyer’s attention to the
severity of the problem.
I for Interest. The introduction explains convincingly

why this is so and hints at the originality and efficacy
of the book’s approach.
D for Desire. A profile of potential readers reflects the

hopes and frustrations of a vast majority who learned
English at school, would like to practice what they’ve
learnt but feel powerless when confronted with
native speakers. Examples showing how the book
helps overcome stumbling blocks cause them to
crave (yearn for, strongly desire) the proficiency that
has eluded them so far.
A for Action. The last paragraph entitled ‘Et

maintenant…’ says each chapter can be read
independently, so it’s up to the reader to choose how
to use the book. A choice obviously but tacitly subject
to (dependent on) a buying decision. The last
sentence, in English, is explicit: And now, go for it!
Any doubt regarding the merits of a sales pitch

based on AIDA? Hey! You ARE reading the book,
aren’t you? And if you’ve come as far as its eighth
chapter, chances are you’ve purchased (bought) it.
As they say in English, the proof of the pudding is
in the eating.
Argumentaires B2B
Sales pitches are not only used to generate sales in
b2c (b-to-c, business to consumer) situations. They
play a major part (role) in b2b (b-to-b, business-to-
business) relations. Actually, the stakes are much
higher in the wider context of business interplay
(interchange, interaction). Grandma won’t buy
another vacuum cleaner any time soon, but an
airline that has purchased a few planes from Airbus
Industries is likely to buy more of the same model :
it makes maintenance as well as training of pilots
and in-flight personnel easier and less costly. New
orders from an existing customer are called repeat
business, requiring much less strenuous (arduous)
sales efforts than new business (first sales). B2b
suppliers therefore strive for (try hard to establish)
long-term, continuously good relationships with
existing customers, hoping for repeat business.
For all the above reasons, firms large and small in

all branches of activity devote a lot of time, effort
and money to get first orders from corporate
prospects and medium-size or small companies.
Recommendations (advice) pertaining to
(concerning) sales pitches aimed at individuals still
apply, but the buying decision means a lot more for
each side of a deal, making sales situations more
complex. An order is not just the result of a brief
interaction between a salesperson and an individual
buyer, it is the outcome (end result) of a fairly long
process involving several people on either side.
On the supplier side, there is always a salesperson,

but higher echelons of management may be
involved at one point or another, including the
person at the top. The prospective client is usually
represented by a member of the purchasing
department, a counterpart of the salesperson (the
salesperson’s opposite number).
But whereas the salesperson is – or should be –

able to answer any question about the supplier’s
product range, its other clients, its position relative
to competition, the use and benefits of its product
or service, and to respond to any objection raised
during a sales presentation, the purchasing
department person’s autonomy is limited. More
often than not, other departments participate in the
buying process.
A company may need to replace its air conditioning
system, implement (put in place) a new computer
application to automate one of its plants’
production, select an agency for an advertising
campaign or an architect to design its new
headquarters. In all such cases, the buying decision
is the result of internal interactions about the
project, involving primarily one department in the
role of the user, plus a few others in a technical or
an advisory capacity. Users in the four cases above
are respectively the human resources department,
the manufacturing department, the sales and
marketing department and the board of directors.
Other participants may be IT, Finance, and the legal
department. And the buyer’s top executive usually
has the final say in a project with a strategic
impact.
The salesperson thus makes two kinds (sorts) of

sales presentations : formal sales presentations to a
group of persons representing various functions
and interests, and informal sales pitches to
individuals.
Commentaires
…sales presentations, or sales pitches – sales is
pronounced exactly like (is a homophone of) sails
(plural of sail n, or 2nd person of sail v). Pitch :
Please do not confuse pitch with peach. Similar risks
of confusion short vowel sound/long vowel sound:
bitch/beach, rich/reach, cock/ coke, not/note. However,
poll and pole are homophones with both a long o
sound as in coke, note. Same for roll and role.
…the path from initial scepticism to eventual

adhesion – scepticism is spelled skepticism in
American English. In both versions of English, the
first syllable is pronounced like that of skeleton.
Same for sceptic, sceptical.
…would like to practice what they’ve learnt – would

and wood are homophones.
…Any doubt regarding the merits – doubt is

pronounced to rime with out, rout, trout: the b is
ignored. The same phenomenon occurs with debt,
debtor.
…the proof of the pudding is in the eating – proof :

long sound as in roof, root, boot, ruse, blues ; pudding :
short sound as in put, took.
…Actually, the stakes are much higher – stakes is a
homophone of steaks.
…the outcome (end result) of a fairly long process –

process : many two-syllable words are both a noun
and a verb, and in most of them, the noun is
emphasised (stressed) on the first syllable, whereas
the verb is emphasised on the second syllable.
Process n + v is one of the exceptions : processed
cheese.
…a project with a strategic impact – project n is

stressed on the first syllable, project v is stressed on
the second syllable. Other examples : conduct n,
conduct v ; contrast n, contrast v.

deux !
…an interesting television programme – programme
is spelt program in American English. The spelling
program is used also in British English in the
context of IT (information technology). Similarly, disk
is correct British English in hard disk, and disc jockey
is the correct spelling on either side of the Atlantic.
…the originality and efficacy of the book’s

approach – The adjective efficacious is longer than
its French equivalent efficace, and the noun efficacy
is shorter than its French equivalent efficacité. The
large number of French words ending in ité that
have an English equivalent ending in ity might
cause us to replace efficacy by a pseudo English
word.
…but feel powerless when confronted with native

speakers. – confronted with : the verb confront is
used either with a direct object, e.g. after reading this
book, you’ll be ready to confront native speakers, or with
preposition with. We say in French être confronté à,
which might cause our erroneous use of the
preposition to.
…the proficiency that has eluded them – elude has a

general meaning similar to that of the French verb
éluder, but the meanings do not completely overlap.
We say éluder des poursuivants, ou éluder une question.
In English you can say to elude pursuers, not a
question. But the answer to a question may elude
you (you : direct object). A goal you are pursuing or are
trying to achieve may elude you. This construction is
not possible in French, and elude cannot be
translated using our verb éluder. A French
equivalent of the excerpt could be : l’aisance en
anglais qu’ils ont vainement tenté d’acquérir.
…the last sentence – sentence means the same in
French and English when it refers to a punishment.
In a grammatical context, the French translation for
sentence is phrase. Note that the English noun phrase
means ‘a small group of words inside a clause’ and
has no direct French equivalent.
…strive for long-term, continuously good

relationships – continuously: continuous and
continuously are used when there are no
interruptions in what is described by the adjective
or adverb. The words continual and continually are
used to describe things or conditions that occur
very frequently : she was attacked continually by
mosquitoes during the night.
…groups of persons representing various

functions – function has the meanings of its French
homologue fonction, plus that of an important
ceremony : he flew to London to attend a function
commemorating a historic event.

ensemble
…sales pitches and commercial letters : letters, a love
letter, a letter of intent, a cover letter, a job application
letter, a letter of application.
…A profile of potential readers : potential readers,

potential customers, the potential energy, she has a lot of
potential.
…select an agency for an advertising campaign : an

advertising campaign, the presidential campaign, a
campaign speech delivered before an election, a
campaign event.
Des passerelles
…a negative view of sales presentations – present a
n v, presenter, presentation mean the same as présent
a n, présentateur, présentation in French.
…the path from initial scepticism to eventual

adhesion – adhesion, adherent a n, adherence, adhere
v mean the same as adhésion, adhérent(e), adhérence,
adhérer in French.
…what is the introduction to this book –

introduction, introduce, introductory mean the same
as introduction, introduire, introductoire in French.
…each chapter can be read independently –

independent, independence, independently have the
same meanings as indépendant(e), indépendance,
indépendamment in French. The words depend,
dependent, dependence also match the French words
dépendre, dépendant(e), dépendance, apart from two
differences: 1) we say in French dépendre de, la
dépendance de quelqu’un ou quelque chose, whereas in
English they say to depend on or upon someone or
something ; 2) dependence is not used to refer to a
country that is subordinated to another, or to a
smaller building or surface that is not physically
attached to, yet is part of, a main property, as in
the expression une habitation d’une surface
de 200 m2 sans compter les dépendances.
…good relationships with existing customers –

exist, existent, existence, existential have exactly the
same meanings as their French homologues.
…the purchasing department person’s autonomy –

autonomy, autonomous : same as autonome,
autonomie in French. In addition, there is in English
a matching adverb, autonomously.
…plus a few others in a technical or advisory

capacity – technical, technically, technique, technician :
same meanings as the corresponding French words.
advisory de conseil
beach plage
bitch chienne
clause proposition (grammaire)
confronted with confronté à
continual continuel
continually continuellement
continuous continu
continuously continûment, constamment
crave désirer fortement
depend on or upon dépendre de
dependent on or upon dépendant de
devote consacrer
efficacy efficacité
elude échapper
eventual final
excerpt extrait
faith foi
function cérémonie
in-flight personnel personnel de bord

obnoxious détestable
opposite number homologue
outcome résultat
participate in participer à
peach pêche
pertaining to relatif à
pet animal de compagnie
phrase suite de quelques mots
poll élection, enquête d’opinion
processed cheese fromage fondu
product range gamme de produits
reach atteindre
roll rouleau
rout déroute
sail n voile
sail v aller en bateau
sales pitch argumentaire de vente
sentence phrase (grammaire)
stakes enjeux
strenuous pénible
stumbling block pierre d’achoppement
subject to subordonné à
time-honoured consacré par l’usage
trout truite
vacuum cleaner aspirateur
wood bois
Chapitre 9
Négociations
DANS CE CHAPITRE :
» Négociations internes
» Négociations avec des partenaires, clients ou fournisseurs
» Négociations avec des partenaires de différentes cultures
» Styles de négociation
Les négociations réduisent

les incertitudes du futur en
produisant des accords
Negotiations take place all the time whenever and
wherever mutually accepted rules or habits have
not determined beforehand (in advance) what is to
be done. They occur between spouses, to take joint
decisions about longer-term matters (subjects) such
as whether to move to another region or country,
how many children to have and how they will
educate them, and on more immediate subjects
such as who will wash up (wash the dishes) and who
will walk the dog. In harmonious households
(families, ménages), however, questions that
otherwise might arise too often are settled once and
for all. In the morning for instance, the male
partner may get up before everybody and walk the
dog before leaving for the office. His wife will take
the children to school. And if some matters of
mutual interest to children and parents are open to
negotiation, others are better decided only by
parents and imposed on children as ukases, with a
view to teach them to respect legitimate authority
and abide by (act in accordance with) the rules of
civilised society.
Although professional life is more complex than

family life, there are similarities. Inside an
organisation, some day-to-day or long-term
decisions are taken on the basis of authority only,
others are taken after consulting the persons most
directly concerned by them, yet others are the
result of negotiations with groups or individuals.
Salary rises (increases) may be linked to
negotiations with trade unions, and an employee
may negotiate a rise, a promotion, a move to
another department or location.
But negotiations occur even more frequently with
outsiders of an organisation. In fact, myriad
(innumerable) daily transactions that are the
lifeblood of businesses take place within the
framework of previously negotiated agreements
with outsiders : suppliers, large clients, banks,
insurers, lawyers, advertising agents, government
agencies.
The main purpose of all agreements, in business

life as in private life, is to avoid having to negotiate
all the time. Once a matter is settled in an
agreement, there is no need to discuss it as long as
the agreement endures. Agreements steady
(stabilise) some important aspects of the
professional environment. The order book of
manufacturers such as aircraft manufacturers
reflect negotiated agreements with their customers,
allowing them to plan their production. Conversely,
their customers need these agreements to plan the
development of their own activities.
The example of airlines and aircraft manufacturers

hints at (indirectly alludes to) a characteristic of any
negotiated agreement, and hence, of all real
negotiations : the outcome of a negotiation is an
agreement if and only if all signatories benefit,
more precisely, if for each signatory, the agreement
is preferable to the absence of agreement. If a
signatory bows to a deal that represents mainly
drawbacks (disadvantages) and no benefits, it is not
an agreement, it is a diktat. Historically, this kind
of situation has been relatively frequent in relations
among warring states, but examples also abound in
economic life. The obvious goal of monopolies or
cartels is to dictate prices and conditions to
customers. A comparable situation is that of a glut
(plethora, overabundance) of a given product, a
condition called a buyer’s market because buyers
are in a position, if not to dictate prices, at least to
cause them to be reduced dramatically. Conversely,
a dearth (shortage) of something creates a seller’s
market in which prices and sellers’ profits can go
up enormously.
Dynamique de la négociation
The underlying assumption of a negotiation is that
negotiating parties think there is a chance to
benefit from a resulting agreement. This is a
precondition for the start of any negotiation. The
negotiation itself is a gradual exchange of
information about each party’s goals, priorities and
main concerns. The respective goals, priorities and
concerns are never fully compatible, so that each
party has to give up (renounce, abandon) some of its
own objectives to accommodate concerns of the
other. There usually has to be some give and take
on both sides of a negotiation for it to produce an
agreement.
The willingness of a party to give more and to take

less depends on how badly (seriously) it needs the
agreement. An agreement is often more necessary
or useful to one party than to the other. Experts on
the dynamics of negotiation call the attention to
what they call BATNA, or ‘best alternative to no
agreement’. If a partner’s BATNA is catastrophic, it
may cause it to make important concessions to
avoid the catastrophe represented by a lack of
agreement. An agreement must always be
preferable for both parties than their respective
BATNAs.
Before entering a negotiation, it is important not

only to define one’s goals and possible concessions,
but also to gather information about the situation
of the negotiating partner and to formulate
hypotheses on its eagerness to conclude an
agreement, the alternatives it might have, how it is
likely to respond to demands voiced (expressed)
during the negotiation and so on. As the negotiation
proceeds, some hypotheses will be confirmed,
others will prove erroneous, and entirely
unsuspected information about the strategy and
interests of the negotiating partner might be
revealed. Or the negotiation will proceed without
revealing much about the real situation and
intentions of the other party.
Styles de négociation
The attitudes and behaviours of negotiators vary
according to the mentality and skills of the
individuals representing the parties concerned as
well as to the extent of their mandate to negotiate.
The relative size of each negotiating entity also
plays a part. A person representing a powerful
company might feel entitled to obtain more
favourable terms from a smaller entity. On the
other hand, a small company is more nimble (agile)
and more adaptable than a large one, and the
negotiator is more likely to be the ultimate decision
maker. He or she may be more eager to secure the
best possible deal and drive a harsher (more ruthless)
negotiation than the representative of a large
organisation.
In today’s global economy, negotiations take place

more and more between partners of different
nationalities and cultures. Negotiators need to take
cultural differences into account. For instance,
Asian negotiators are less in a hurry to conclude a
negotiation than their American counterparts, and
tend to delay conclusion until an atmosphere of
reciprocal trust (confidence) has been established.
By contrast, a typical American businessman will
put more emphasis on the solidity of the deal as
guaranteed by a foolproof contract prepared by his
firm’s lawyers.
Commentaires
…decisions about longer-term matters (subjects)
such as whether to move to another region of
country – whether is a homophone of two other
words : weather, and wether (castrated ram).
…before leaving for the office – leaving. Do not

confuse leaving and living. Other examples : heating,
hitting; leaking, licking; peaking, picking; reaping,
ripping; seeping, sipping; sleeping, slipping; weeping,
whipping.
…the rules of civilised society – society : social →

society.
…there are similarities – similarities : similar →

similarity.
…on the basis of authority only – authority : author

→ authority.
…cause them to be reduced dramatically –

dramatically : drama → dramatically.
…if a signatory bows to a deal – bows is pronounced

to rime with cows, vows. Do not confuse this verb
bow and the corresponding noun bow with the noun
bow as in the phrase bow and arrows, that rime with
no, low, blow, sorrow.
…The respective goals, priorities and concerns are

never fully compatible – compatible → compatibility.
…according to the mentality and skills – mentality:

mental → mentality.
…a typical American business man will put more

emphasis on the solidity of the deal – solidity : solid
→ solidity.
deux !
…with a view to teach them to respect legitimate
authority – 1) with a view to : the French equivalent
is en vue de. In view of also exists in English, but
with the meaning because of, as a result of : in view of
his illness, he did not go to work. 2) legitimate authority.
What is meant here is legitimate authority in
general, therefore there is no article. But you would
say the legitimate authority of her parents. Remember,
when referring to something in general, no article :
authority, love, religion, philosophy.
…Salary rises (increases) may be linked to

negotiations – rise n is the British form of American
raise n (in the particular case of salary increases).
…myriad (innumerable) daily transactions – myriad

here is an adjective. This word may also be used as
a noun, as in French : a myriad of transactions.
…The example of airlines and aircraft

manufacturers – example : the e of this noun’s
French homologue exemple is replaced in English
with a. The same substitution occurs with
adjectives ending in al : eventual, essential, formal,
mortal, partial, venial.
…Conversely, a dearth (shortage) of something
creates a seller’s market – dearth: in French,
pénurie. The English penury refers only to the
extreme poverty of a person and is not synonymous
with dearth.
…each party has to give up (renounce, abandon)

some of its own objectives to accommodate
concerns of the other – accommodate : and
accommodation mean the same as their French
homologues in the field of vision. The meaning
prepare as in accommoder au beurre et aux fines herbes
does not exist in English, and the meaning provide
lodging or space for does not exist in French.
…Before entering a negotiation – enter is a

transitive verb in English.
…it is important not only to define one’s goals and

possible concessions – possible in this contexts is
equivalent to French éventuel. This word can never
translate eventual into French. Éventuel refers to
something that might or might not occur. Eventual
refers to something that will occur sooner or later
or that will finally occur.
…how it is likely to respond to demands voiced – a

demand is much more strongly expressed than une
demande in French, the equivalent of which is a
request. Demand may be translated by exigence.
…others will prove erroneous – prove has the same

meaning as prouver in French, plus that of turn out
to be, be found to be, in French s’avérer.
…and entirely unsuspected information –

information is a non-count word, like luggage, sugar,
intelligence. In most cases, the French equivalent of
information (always singular) is des informations
(plural). Une information : an information item.
…the extent of their mandate to negotiate –

mandate : same meaning as a French word, with an
e at the end, like chocolate, compromise, debate,
granite, jasmine, sense.
…For instance, Asian negotiators are less in a hurry

to conclude a negotiation than their American
counterparts – Asian, American : In English, any part
of speech specifying a geographical origin, a
nationality, a language, a religious or philosophical
belief require a capital letter. The parts of speech
concerned by this rule are nouns, adjectives, verbs
and adverbs. French grammar has a similar rule,
but it concerns only one part of speech, namely
nouns, and only those that indicate a nationality or
geographical origin. We write : C’est un Français, plus
précisément un Bellifontain. Et pour être encore plus
précis, nous pourrions écrire en français que c’était à
l’origine un musulman de langue maternelle arabe et de
culture politique marxiste, et que s’il a plus tard francisé
son nom et embrassé la foi catholique, ce n’était pas en
vue d’être traité plus chrétiennement par ses collègues
français, mais seulement parce qu’il ne pouvait rien
refuser à son épouse bretonne. We would write in
English that he was originally a Moslem of Arabic
native language and Marxist political culture, and that
if he later Frenchified his name and embraced the
Catholic faith it was not with a view to being treated in
a more Christian manner by his French colleagues, but
only because he could not refuse his Breton spouse
anything.

ensemble
…They occur between spouses, to take joint
decisions : joint decisions, a joint effort, a joint venture,
a joint research centre.
…Once a matter is settled in an agreement : to settle

a matter, to settle a dispute or a conflict, to settle a date;
to settle (establish a colony in) a territory.
…If a partner’s BATNA is catastrophic : a

catastrophic outcome, a catastrophic scenario.
…how it is likely to respond to demands voiced

(expressed) during the negotiation : to voice demands,
to voice concerns, to voice objections, to voice one’s
opinion.
…Negotiators need to take cultural differences into

account : cultural differences, a group’s cultural
identity, a cultural bias, a cultural event, cultural
achievements.
Des passerelles
…there are similarities – similar, similarity, similarly :
same meanings as French similaire, similarité,
similairement.
…if and only if all signatories benefit – sign v n,

signify, significant, signification, signature n, signatory :
same meanings as French signe, signer, signifier,
significatif, signification, signature, signataire.
In addition, signature, like most English nouns, may

be used as an adjective, in which case it means
characteristic of a person or a thing : the chef’s signature
dish was a casserole of pheasant with morels.
…but example also abound in economic life –

abound, abundant, abundantly, abundance : same
meanings as French abonder, abondant,
abondamment, abondance.
…A comparable situation is that of a glut – compare,

comparable, comparison, comparative : same meanings
as French comparer, comparable, comparaison,
comparatif.
…An agreement is often more necessary or useful –

necessary, necessity, necessitate : same meanings as
French nécessaire, nécessité, nécessiter.
…some hypotheses will be confirmed – hypothesis,

hypothetical, hypothetically : same meanings as
French hypothèse, hypothétique, hypothétiquement.
Many Greek words are used in both languages with
the same meanings. Some of them keep (retain)
their Greek form in English but not in French :
analysis, antithesis, basis, crisis, emphasis, hypothesis,
synthesis, thesis. The plural of these words is formed
by replacing the ending sis with ses (pronounced
sez) : analyses, antitheses, bases, crises, emphases,
hypotheses, syntheses, theses.
…A person representing a powerful company might
feel entitled to obtain more favourable terms –
obtain, obtention, obtenable : same meanings as
French obtenir, obtention, obtenable.
abide by respecter (une loi)
accommodate prendre en compte
alternative autre possibilité
blow coup
bow to s’incliner devant
casserole cassolette
conversely inversement
dearth pénurie
decision maker décideur
entitled to autorisé à
eventual final
foolproof à toute épreuve, sans faille
framework cadre
glut surabondance
hence par suite
hint at faire discrètement allusion à
hit frapper
household foyer, ménage
leak fuir (liquide ou gaz)
morel morille
move mutation
nimble agile
occur se produire
order book carnet de commandes
penury grande misère
prove s’avérer
raise (American English) augmentation (de salaire)
rip déchirer
rise (British English) augmentation (de salaire)
rule règle
secure réussir à obtenir
seep s’infiltrer (liquide)
settle régler, décider
sip siroter
skill savoir faire, talent
slip glisser
sorrow chagrin
trade union syndicat
vow voeu, faire le vœu de
walk the dog sortir le chien
wash up faire la vaisselle
weep pleurer
whip fouet, fouetter

Chapitre 10
Distribution
DANS CE CHAPITRE :
» Évolution de la distribution au cours du temps
» Centres commerciaux extérieurs
» Réveil du centre ville
» La distribution et Internet
Conversation chez le
quincaillier
Shop owner :
– Hello! What can I do for you today?
Customer :
– Hello, I’m not sure you have what I’m looking

for, but on my last visit you came up with a
brilliant solution and I thought…
Shop owner :
– Just tell me what you need and I’ll see what we
can do.
Customer :
– I’d like to buy a longer flexible shower hose. The

one I have is all right to take a shower but I’d like
to get one long enough to reach out to the sink
(washbasin). I could wash the dog in it instead of
doing it crouched or kneeled down next to the
shower basin.
Shop owner :
– I see. Not a comfortable position, I wouldn’t like

that either. What length do you think you need?
Customer :
– The one that’s installed is 150cm and it’s too

short. It should be at least 60cm longer to use the
shower head from the sink.
Shop owner :
– That’s too bad (a pity). There are only three

standard lengths, 100cm, 150cm and 200cm. The
only solution would be to attach two hoses together
but for that you need a special kind of hose
connector that I don’t carry. You might try your
luck at the Five-Season Mall. It’s a 10 minute drive
south on the M23 once you’ve left town. There
you’ll find a huge do-it-yourself shop called Fixit
Hall where I assume they’ll have that kind of
contraption (device). I suggest you buy a 100cm
hose from them and immediately check that the
connector fits. You’ll end up with a hose a bit
(somewhat) longer than 2.5 metres. Do you need
anything else?
Customer :
– Thanks for the advice. But yes, I’d like to buy

kitchen scales. Do you have any?
Shop owner :
– Yep. I have several models. Do you have a

particular use in mind?
Customer :
– Yes, actually (in fact) I cook with measuring cups

and measuring spoons, which works fine with
recipes, but I need to measure the dry food I feed
my dog and my cat. The density of the dry food
changes from one brand (make) to the next, so
measuring glasses aren’t practical (convenient).
Rations are defined in grammes anyway and I’d like
to weigh them each time.
Shop owner :
– Then I recommend this model. It’s sturdy

(robust), precise and very convenient. Just remove
its plastic bowl and replace it with your pet’s bowl
or a container for whatever you need to weigh, then
press the button on the left. The digital weight
indicator automatically sets itself to zero. You start
pouring and stop once you’ve reached the desired
weight, up to 5kg. Then use the weighed
ingredients and forget about the scales. They switch
themselves off automatically after a short while.
This way they use very little current, which means
you won’t need to change the battery before a long
time.
Customer :
– That sounds good. What’s the price then?
Shop owner :
– £21.
Customer :
– OK, I’ll take them. They seem much cheaper that

some other models I’ve seen in the window of the
electrical appliance shop on Main Street. Are you
sure they’ll last?
Shop owner :
– We’ve carried this article since the beginning of

last year and we’ve sold a lot. We’ve had no
complaints, so I assume (suppose) customers are
very pleased with it. It’s good value for your
money. Anything else you’d like to buy?
Customer :
– No. That’s all.
Shop owner :
– Will it be cash or charge?
Customer :
– Charge.
Shop owner :
– All right, please insert your card. You can type

your code now. Here you are. Thanks for your visit.
And if you go to Fixit Hall, please let me know how
it goes. Good bye.
Customer :
– I sure will. Till next time, bye.

Centres commerciaux
excentrés
Shopping malls (shopping centres) located outside of
towns, like the one referred to in the above
conversation, began to spread after World War II,
first in the United-States in relation to the
development of suburban living, then in Europe.
Goods and services are offered by large department

stores as well as smaller shops scattered
throughout the mall. The latter may be boutiques
selling fashionable clothes or shoes, bookshops,
hairdressers, wine merchants, bakers,
delicatessens, sweet shops…. This combination of
large and small retail businesses is comparable
with that found in some city centres, but offers a
wider choice and makes it possible to do all one’s
shopping on one single visit, without the hassle
(nuisance, annoyance) of looking for a place to park
or carrying things home by public transport.
Furthermore, city centres, or downtown areas as
they are called in the United States, also comprise
offices and flats, so that their shops are more
distant from one another than those of malls,
making it impossible for shoppers to achieve as
much in a single visit.
Commerces en ville
Concentrating a large variety of different retail
businesses together in the same area is not a novel
idea. Famous ancient examples are the covered
bazaar of Istanbul first constructed in 1464 or the
Iranian bazaar of Isfahan, which dates back to the
seventeenth century. The Galleria Vittorio
Emanuele II in Milan, built in the nineteenth
century, is a magnificent covered arcade connecting
the Piazza del Duomo to the Piazza della Scala.
What was new in the twentieth century is the

creation of modern bazaars outside of cities,
reachable (accessible) only by car. They make a lot
of sense for people living in green suburban areas
at some distance from a town. Rather than
shopping in town, they drive to an extraneous mall
where they find a comparable if not superior choice
of shopping alternatives (options), while avoiding
traffic jams and parking problems.
But far-away (distant) shopping centres do not

improve the life of people living in a town. On the
contrary, they reduce the number of their shopping
options as some retailers opt to migrate to a
shopping mall. Even worse, businesses that have
moved away henceforth pay local taxes to other
municipalities, depriving a city’s government of
resources to finance services used not only by its
residents, but also by commuting suburban
dwellers.
Vibrant (dynamic) modern cities act to reverse the

migration of their inhabitants as well as of their
retailing businesses. Improved public transports,
extensive pedestrian areas, modern in-town
shopping malls, networks of lanes reserved to
cyclists and other schemes discouraging the use of
cars in town all contribute to make urban life more
interesting, more pleasant, and more convenient.
Achats sur Internet

The advent (arrival) of the automobile in the
twentieth century brought significant changes to
the organisation of retail in developed countries,
but since the turn of the century, the computer
revolution promises to have an even greater impact.
The Internet was hailed as ushering in (introducing)
a new way to buy and sell as early as the 1980s, but
it is only during the first decade of the twenty-first
century that high-speed Internet access became as
widespread everywhere as the automobile,
accelerating the growth of Internet shopping.
Not all Internet users take advantage of the Internet

to complete purchases formerly done only by
visiting shops, but most of them gather
information about products or services on the
Internet before buying them. And if not all retail
businesses sell via the Internet, a majority have a
Web site providing information to clients and
prospects. It is now common, even for small
business entities such as independent wine
merchants or restaurants to have an Internet site,
as the cost of building and managing one keeps
coming down.
Internet selling and buying are beneficial both to

sellers and buyers.
Sales done via the Internet obviate (eliminate) or

reduce a number of costs associated with sales
through a shop : less inventory, no sales personnel,
no need to rent or own (possess) space to welcome
buyers. Whereas a brick-and-mortar point of sale
only serves customers within a defined
geographical area, there is no such limit in Internet
selling.
Buying via the Internet offers the buyer a much

wider choice and the potential to realise substantial
savings : comparing prices and conditions is
extremely easy, all the more so as comparisons can
be done automatically by specialised sites.
Commentaires
…The one that’s installed is 150cm and it’s too
short – too has two homophones : preposition to
and number two.
…It should be at least 60cm longer – least has a

long vowel sound, as opposed to list v n, which has
a short vowel sound. Other examples : feast/fist,
reach/rich, peach/pitch, beach/bitch, each/itch, teak/tick,
seek/sick, reed/rid, beet/bit, neat/nit, beat/bit, bean/bin,
wean/win.
…Do you have a particular use in mind? – particular

→ particularity. Ending ity causes the emphasis
(stress) to move to the syllable preceding it. Other
examples : available → availability, responsible →
responsibility, promiscuous → promiscuity, generous →
generosity.
…which works fine with recipes – recipe. There is a

secondary stress on the last syllable pe, therefore it
is pronounced like pi in pity.
…I’d like to weigh them each time – weigh is a

homophone of way.
…You start pouring and stop once you’ve reached

the desired weight – pour is a homophone of pore n
v. These words rime with more, store, core, door. Pore
as a noun has the same meaning as French pore. As
a verb, it means to be absorbed in the study of
something, usually a book : he was poring over the
Bible. The adjective poor can also be pronounced like
pour, but it is most often pronounced to rime with
moor n v, sure. Weight is a homophone of wait.
…making it impossible for shoppers to achieve as

much – achieve : the vast majority of words
beginning with a are stressed on the syllable
following the a: among, about, administer, advice,
arrive, ascribe, ashame, around, appall (horrify),
American, abet v. In most words beginning with a
and stressed on their first syllable, the initial a is
followed by two consonants : acrimony address,
adjective, African, advent ; but agony (pain, torment),
alimony.
…Internet selling and buying are beneficial both to

sellers and buyers – beneficial : benefit → beneficial.
Ending cial, tial, ic, ical, or al cause the placement of
the stress on the syllable preceding them :
commerce → commercial, essence → essential, prudent
→ prudential, universe → universal, controversy →
controversial, economy → economic, economical,
catastrophe → catastrophic.
…no sales personnel – personnel. This noun is

stressed like its French equivalent. The position of
the stress is what prevents a possible confusion
with the adjective personal.

deux !
…It’s a 10 minute drive – 10 minute : the drive
lasts 10 minutes. The phrase 10 minute drive
comprises a number and a plural noun, but
as 10 minutes is a modifier (plays the part of an
adjective), the s, indicative of the plural, disappears.
Reason : adjectives are invariable in English. Other
example : the noun trousers is always plural, like
other nouns of objects comprising two parts (shorts,
spectacles, scales…), but when used as a modifier in
front of another noun, trousers loses its s : he put his
wallet into his trouser pocket.
...a hose a bit (somewhat) longer than 2.5 metres –

2.5 : About half the countries of the world use a
decimal point as in English, and the other half use a
decimal comma as in French. Metre, centimetre,
millimetre, kilometre are spelt meter in American
English. The word meter (a device for measuring) is
the same in both versions ; also barometer,
spectrometer… Other words in tre in British English
and ter in American English : spectre, theatre, centre,
mitre, lustre, calibre, fibre, sabre, litre, goitre.
…I’d like to buy kitchen scales – scales : When it

refers to an instrument for measuring weight, this
word is plural, because the device was originally
called a balance, comprised of two scales or pans,
one on which to put the standard weights, and the
other for what was to be weighed.
…Rations are defined in grammes anyway –

gramme is the British spelling of American English
gram.
…you won’t need to change the battery before a
long time – battery is the same word for what we
call batterie and pile. The former is a rechargeable
battery, the latter just a battery.
…the window of the electrical appliance shop – the

electrical appliance shop (the shop selling electrical
appliances). Appliance here is a plural noun, but as a
modifier of shop, it does not bear a plural mark.
…boutiques selling fashionable clothes or shoes,

bookshops, hairdressers, wine merchants, bakers,
delicatessens, sweet shops – bookshop would be
bookstore in American English ; a sweet shop is a
candy store in American English.
…city centres, or downtown areas as they are called

in the United States, also comprise offices and
flats – a flat is an apartment in American English.
…where they find a comparable if not superior

choice of shopping alternatives – alternative has a
different meaning than alternative in French, which
means a set of two mutually exclusive possibilities.
An alternative in English is just a possibility among
several ; the alternative is the other of two mutually
exclusive possibilities. When asked towards the end
of his long life how he felt about old age, John
Kenneth Galbraith, the renowned Canadian
economist and author of several best sellers among
which The Affluent Society and The New Industrial
State, replied (answered) that old age entailed a
number of inconveniences, but he was absolutely
convinced it was much preferable to the alternative.
Alternative is also an adjective: the alternative solution,
an alternative solution. But watch out (beware),
courant alternatif is alternating current or AC, and
courant continu is direct current or DC.
…less inventory, no sales personnel – inventory (list

of goods in stock, or the goods in stock
themselves). Inventaire, in French, only corresponds
to the former definition.

ensemble
…on my last visit you came up with a brilliant
solution : a brilliant solution, an easy solution, a simple
solution, the best solution, a temporary solution.
…I could wash the dog in it : to wash the dog, to walk

the dog, let sleeping dogs lie, it is raining cats and dogs.
…You might try your luck at the Five-Season mall :

to try one’s luck, good luck!, to be in luck, to be out of
luck.
…Concentrating a large variety of retail businesses

together in the same area is not a novel idea : a
novel idea, a bad idea, a good idea, a bright idea.
…while avoiding traffic jams and parking

problems : traffic jams, peak-traffic time, illegal traffic.
…even for small business entities : a small business,

the Small Business Administration, business is business,
business as usual, it’s none of your business, mind your
own business!, the business cycle (recurring economic
expansion and contraction), a business plan, a
business model, to mean business (to be in earnest), a
business school.
Des passerelles
…The density of the dry food changes from on
brand (make) to the next – density, dense : same
meanings as French homologues. Used informally,
dense can also means stupid. It has a derivative that
does not exist in French, the adverb densely.
…The digital weight indicator automatically sets

itself to zero – indicator, indicate, indication have the
exact same meanings as indicateur, indiquer, indication.
Automatically, automatic, automaton (plural
automata), automate : same meanings as French
automatiquement, automatique, automate,
automatiser.
…Then use the weighed ingredients – ingredient :

same as ingrédient.
…Vibrant modern cities act to reverse the migration

of their inhabitants – migration, migrate, emigrate,
emigrant, immigrate, immigrant, emigration,
immigration: same meanings as the corresponding
French words.
…the computer revolution promises to have an even

greater impact – revolution, revolutionary,
revolutionise : same meanings as French
homologues.
…a majority have a Web site providing

information – information, inform, informant,
disinformation : same meanings as French
information, informer, informateur, désinformation. But
information is a collective noun in English, and as
such is always singular. It is the usual equivalent of
des informations. Une information is a piece of
information or an information item.
…all the more so as comparisons can be done

automatically – comparison, compare, comparative,
comparatively, comparator, comparable, incomparable:
same meanings as the corresponding French words.
abet inciter ou aider (à malfaire)
advent venue, arrivée
agony douleur intense
alimony pension alimentaire
alternating courant alternatif

current
appall horrifier
battery pile
beet betterave
bitch chienne
candy store confiserie
carry avoir en magasin
come up with fournir, produire
complete effectuer
department grand magasin

store
direct current courant continu
electrical appareil électrique

appliance
feast festin
feed nourrir (un animal)
fist poing
flat appartement
hassle désagrément
henceforth désormais
hose tuyau
household ménage, famille
inventory inventaire, stock
itch démanger, démangeaison
kneel down s’agenouiller
nit lente
obviate rendre inutile
pellet croquette (pour chien ou chat)
pitch argumentaire, fréquence, poix
point of sale point de vente
pore se pencher sur, pore

pour verser
promiscuity rapports sexuels fréquents et

indiscriminés
promiscuous avec rapports sexuels fréquents et

indiscriminés
recipe recette
rid of débarrasser de
scales balance
scatter éparpiller
seek rechercher
shopping mall centre commercial
sink évier, lavabo
sturdy robuste, solide
suburban de banlieue
sweet shop confiserie
teak teck (arbre)
the former le premier
the latter le second
toiletries articles de toilette
try one's luck tenter sa chance

usher in introduire
washbasin lavabo
wean sevrer
Chapitre 11
À la banque
DANS CE CHAPITRE :
» Négocier un prêt
» Divers types de compte
» Internet et la banque
Discussion d’un prêt à

l’agence locale de
Hollyhock Bank
Branch manager :
– So Mr Kervill, you’re applying for (requesting) a

loan to boost your professional activities. I’ve
looked at the history of your account since you
became our customer two years ago, and gathered
(noticed) that your income has grown steadily
(regularly) if rather slowly over the last two years.
I’ve also read Puppy Housebreaking Ltd’s business
plan. Before we discuss this question of loan, let me
congratulate you on your idea to offer dog owners
housetraining services. I like the way you’ve
converted a widespread yet unmet need into a
business opportunity. Based on my experience with
dogs, I imagine many puppy owners would gladly
spend money to alleviate their housebreaking
problem (to reduce the severity of their housebreaking
problem).
Jonathan Kervill :
– And in return, let me compliment your bank for

having chosen for its name one of my preferred
flowers and appointed a charming young lady as a
branch manager. What a refreshing change from the
traditional banking business with its stuffy old-boy
network of cigar-smoking smart alecks (know-it-
alls, wise guys, smart asses) who’ve wrecked
(demolished, destroyed) the global (world) economy
(brought the world economy to its knees) !
Judith Bakerwolt :
– Thank you for appreciating that Hollyhock is not

like most other banks, Mr Kervill. We strive (try
hard) to better understand our customers so as to
provide them with the best possible financial
assistance. But when checking the creditworthiness
of loan applicants, we are as meticulous as any
other bank, even more so, actually (in fact). We
consult credit rating agencies and carefully
calculate credit scores. This is done by a
department of our headquarters that even initiates
additional investigations in some cases. But once
this is done, granting a loan or rejecting an
application is always the sole (exclusive)
responsibility of the branch manager. Only he or
she can take into account factors not amenable to
credit scoring such as the personality or the local
reputation of the borrower. To come back to your
project, I’d like to hear how you can expect to
double your turnover in one year after having
implemented the changes described in your
business plan and for which you are requesting a
loan.
Jonathan Kervill :
– As explained in our document, my business

associate and I train a client’s puppy during three
consecutive days and nights on our premises, after
which we return it to its owner, who then takes
over. In the comfort option, there is a four-day
follow-up after the three-day-and-night session :
we visit the client late at night and early in the
morning at agreed-upon fixed times and take the
puppy out to do its business, with a nightly interval
short enough to reduce the chance that it will mess
up (dirty) its owner’s home. Some puppies need up
to four sessions to become fully housetrained and
others learn very quickly. Our approach is
professional, it works, we are recommended by
several vets (veterinary surgeons) and pet shops, but
a majority of our new clients are referred to us by
satisfied customers. Our business grows through
word of mouth. We’ve reached a point where we’ll
have to refuse new clients if we don’t rapidly
expand our capacity. Furthermore, some vets have
confided to me (shared with me in confidence) the
average number of puppies they vaccinate each
year, from which I infer (deduce) that we train only
a tiny (very small) percentage of our area’s puppies,
so there is plenty of room for expansion.
Judith Bakerwolt :
– Any competitors yet?
Jonathan Kervill :
– Not to my knowledge, but that wouldn’t be a bad

thing. It would prove that it’s possible to enjoy the
company of a dog without the hassles and
indignities of the first several weeks or months.
Judith Bakerwolt :
– Unless maybe they compete on price?
Jonathan Kervill :
– You’ve seen our tariffs. They reflect our costs

plus a fair margin justified by our know-how
(expertise), by exacting (very demanding) working
hours and by the value of our services as perceived
by customers. I think people would baulk at having
their pets trained on the cheap. They’d prefer to do
it themselves. Apropos of competition, there is
more of it in your business than in mine. Did your
initial remark about creditworthiness mean I
should look somewhere else (elsewhere) for my
loan?
Judith Bakerwolt :
– Certainly not. I mentioned the point because we

always do. We think our clients have a right to
know how we handle loan applications. But in the
case of a very young entrepreneur like yourself,
inquiries rarely produce significant results. And in
fact, your loan application has come back from our
headquarters with the observation ‘no comments’,
which allows me to offer you a loan tailored to your
needs, based on the information you’ve provided.
Jonathan Kervill :
– And what will that be?
Judith Bakerwolt :
– I propose a five-year unsecured loan of

£11,000 at a 9.9% APR (annualised percentage rate).
It means a monthly payment of £233.23. The total
amount to be repaid is £13,993.80.
Jonathan Kervill :
– 9.9% seems a very high interest rate ! I have a

friend whose mortgage is not even half that.
Judith Bakerwolt :
– Yes, that is not at all surprising. A mortgage loan

is a secured loan, giving the lender the possibility
to repossess the property to recover the amount
loaned, should the borrower default (in case the
borrower defaults). And your friend’s mortgage is
certainly for a fixed-rate loan. With variable-rate
mortgage loans, going rates are as low a 2.8%, but
are liable to shoot up (rise suddenly) later. You could
hardly find more favourable terms than 9.9% for an
unsecured fixed-rate loan. You qualify for one
because you’ve been a Hollyhock customer for over
two years, you have paid each month at least
£1,200 into your account, and you have a clean
credit record. In the absence of any one of these
three conditions, I might still offer you a loan, but
the rate would be about double.
Jonathan Kervill :
– OK. Then there is no point in shopping around

for a loan.
Judith Bakerwolt :
– I don’t think so. These are the papers

representing our proposal. Take your time to look
at them, and once you’ve made up your mind, give
us a ring (phone us). If you wish to go ahead, the
contract can be signed immediately, and the money
will be available in your account the next day.
Différents types de compte

There are several types of bank accounts for
different purposes, which may be to handle day-
to-day transactions, to set money aside for a future
use, or to obtain the highest possible interest from
one’s money.
Comptes courants
The most usual sort of bank account is a
transactional account, called current account in the
UK and checking account in the USA. As its generic
name suggests, it is used to facilitate diverse
operations involving money : depositing money
into the account, issuing or cashing cheques, using
a debit card to withdraw cash or pay for purchases,
arranging standing orders, direct debits or giro
transfers.
Autres types de comptes

A savings account also allows its holder to make
deposits and withdrawals, but is much less flexible
than a current account. A main difference is that
holders of such accounts may not write cheques or
use a debit card. Another frequent restriction is a
limit to the number of deposits or withdrawals in a
given period.
Accounts with a purpose comparable to that of

savings accounts are money market deposit
accounts and certificates of deposit. They usually
provide higher interest rates than savings accounts.
La banque par Internet
Whenever someone purchases (buys) an item
(article) on the Internet, some kind of Internet
banking transaction is involved, usually a payment
using a bank card. Internet shopping is thus a dual
operation, one facet of which is a commercial
transaction between a seller and a buyer who agree
about a price and delivery terms, while the other is
the payment, a banking operation performed via
the Internet.
Beyond their role in Internet shopping, most banks

offer their customers various services over the
Internet, including the option of accessing
accounts. Customers can not only monitor their
accounts in real time, i.e. view how they have been
affected by the latest transactions, but also initiate
operations that do not require a movement of
paper, essentially transfer money from their
account to another, which may be in the same bank
or in another and held by themselves or by another
person.
Banks have a long experience regarding the privacy

and security of information stored on their
computers, and attacks at this level have virtually
no chance of succeeding. But there are two weak
links in the security chain : the bank customer, and
his or her computer. A computer used to access
bank accounts should be kept well protected against
viruses and potential intruders, particularly if it
contains information about bank accounts. The
customer may also be targeted directly through
phishing. This fraud consists in presenting users
with a Web page purporting to be their bank’s site,
and asking them to enter information about their
accounts. The victim is taken to the fake bank site
through a link in an e-mail or sms message
supposedly sent by the bank, for example :
“Dear client,
Some of your account details may have been altered

as a result of a technical incident. Please use the
following link to verify them and correct them if
needed.”
On the page opened by the link, the dear client is

asked to enter his or her account number and secret
code. Not being addressed by his or her name
immediately raises the suspicion of a normal
person, but sent to a million ‘dear clients’, the
bogus (fallacious, fictitious) message is likely to find
a few compliant (acquiescent) recipients whose
accounts can then be plundered.
Commentaires
…you’re applying for (requesting) a loan – loan :
this word rimes with alone, scone, prone, moan and
should not be confused with lawn, which rimes
with yawn, prawn, dawn.
…I like the way you’ve converted a widespread yet

unmet need – need is a homophone of the verb
knead, and of kneed (past of verb knee = hit with one’s
knee). A k preceding n is not pronounced. Other
examples : know, knack, knickers, knife, knight, knob,
knock.
…we are recommended by several vets –

recommend : words ending with end are stressed on
the last syllable, e.g. apprehend, comprehend, intend,
descend, condescend, pretend.
…I think people would baulk at having their pets

trained on the cheap – baulk : the l is not
pronounced. Same long vowel sound as in talk, walk,
the Falklands. Placed between e or i and k, the l is
pronounced : milk, elk. Cheap : long vowel sound, not
to be confused with the short i in chip.
…but are liable to shoot up – shoot : the oo in shoot

is a long vowel sound as in rule, mood, rude, root,
truce, not a short one as in put, cook, took, foot.
…issuing or cashing cheques – cheque : pronounced

like check, its American version.
…a limit to the number of deposits or

withdrawals – withdrawal : this word seems to us to
have three syllables, but it only has two. The
second and last part of the word is pronounced like
the French word drôle. Another example where we
see several syllables where there is only one: the
famous Worcestershire sauce, in which the
combination orce is pronounced like the short
sound of oo in wood, or of u in put.
…a Web page purporting to be their bank’s site –

site is a homophone of sight.

deux !
…So Mr Kervill – Mr, like other abbreviations for a
title preceding a family name (Prof, Dr, Mrs, Ms) is
spelt Mr. in American English (also Mr., Prof., Dr.,
Mrs., Ms.).
…I’ve also read Puppy Housebreaking Ltd’s

business plan – Ltd, abbreviation for Limited is
written in British English without a full stop at the
end.
…with its stuffy old-boy network – old-boy, in the

phrase old-boy network, has nothing to do with our
expression vieux garçon. It refers to males with
some sort of common background (same school or
milieu) who use their positions of influence to help
one another and sometimes exclude others.
…cigar-smoking smart alecks (know-it-alls, wise

guys, smart asses) – smart aleck : the phrase
(expression) has no French equivalent, but its three
English equivalents can help us guess what it
means.
…we are as meticulous as any other bank, even

more so, actually – actually means in reality, in fact.
It never has the meaning of French actuellement, in
English at this time, at present or presently. The
French actualité is current events in English.
…rejecting an application is always the sole
(exclusive) responsibility – application may mean the
same as its French homologue, but its most current
meaning is request, as here.
…a four-day follow-up after the three-day-and-

night session : four-day, three-day-and-night : the
hyphens are used to build compound adjectives.
Note that although these adjectives refer to more
than one day and more than one night, day and
night are spelt without s at the end. The reason :
adjectives are invariable in English.
…we are recommended by several vets – recommend

belongs to a series of words that are spelt with e in
English and a in French : recommend, correspondence,
consistence or consistency, dependent, dependence,
independence, current, persistent, persistence.
…a five-year unsecured loan of £11,000 at a 9.9%

APR – £11,000 : the pound currency symbol £ is
placed immediately before the number, and groups
of three digits are separated by a comma ; 9.9% :
English uses a decimal point instead of a decimal
comma, and the percent symbol is placed
immediately after the number (a space is
mandatory in French).
…should the borrower default – default : this word
differs in two ways from the French défaut. 1) It is
used also as a verb ; 2) its meaning as a noun does
not include that of imperfection.
…and you have a clean credit record – record in this

context refers to recorded (registered) information,
not to an exceptional performance or circumstance,
like the French noun record.
…once you have made up your mind, give us a

ring – ring means here a phone call. Ring only has
this meaning in British English.
…obtain the highest possible interest from one’s

money – interest is singular. Les intérêts, in this
context, are the interest payments.
…A savings account – savings : in compound words

such as savings bank, savings and loans, savings
account, savings is always plural. As it corresponds to
the singular French noun épargne, in caisse
d’épargne, compte d’épargne, we might be tempted to
omit the s at the end of savings.

ensemble
…a widespread yet unmet need : an unmet need, a
crying need.
…one of my preferred flowers : a preferred flower, a

preferred perfume, the solution preferred by the client.
…the sole (exclusive) responsibility of the branch

manager : the branch manager, the country manager,
the regional manager, the account manager (a
salesperson in charge of a large customer).
…Not to my knowledge : to my knowledge, the

knowledge society, knowledge workers.
…They reflect our costs plus a fair margin : a fair

margin, fair trade, a fair share.
…I mentioned the point because we always do : to

mention a point, to make a point (to put forward an
argument), you have a point (this argument of yours
is valid), there is no point in (it is useless to), what is
the point of (what is to be gained in), up to a point, to
be on the point of.
…you have a clean credit record : a clean credit

record, a clean bill of health, to start something with a
clean slate.
…if you wish to go ahead : to go ahead (to proceed

with something), to stay ahead, to be ahead of one’s
time.
…Direct debits are typically used to settle invoices :

to settle an invoice, to settle a dispute, to settle out of
court (to resolve a dispute through an agreement
instead of a suit).
…Internet shopping is thus a dual operation : a dual

operation, a dual situation, a dual role.
…The victim is taken to the fake bank site : a fake

bank site, a fake doctor, a fake masterpiece, a fake
scientific discovery.
Des passerelles
…your income has grown steadily (regularly) –
regular, regularly : same meanings as régulier,
régulièrement.
…let me compliment your bank – compliment n v :

same meanings as French compliment, complimenter.
…a refreshing change from the traditional banking

business – tradition, traditional, traditionally : same
meanings as corresponding French words.
…granting a loan or rejecting an application is

always the sole (exclusive) responsibility of the
branch manager – response, responsible,
responsibility : same meanings as réponse, responsable,
responsabilité. But responsive (who reacts rapidly)
has a different meaning than French responsif
(relatif à une réponse).
…the personality or the local reputation of the

borrower – reputation, reputed: same meanings as
French réputation, réputé. In addition, there is in
English the noun repute whose meaning is very
close to that or reputation.
…my business associate and I train a client’s puppy

during three consecutive days and nights –
associate, associative, association: same meanings as
the corresponding French words. Consecutive : same
meaning as consécutif in French.
…we visit a client late at night – client, clientele :

same meanings as French client, clientèle.
…the number of puppies they vaccinate each year –

vaccine, vaccinate, vaccination : same meanings as
vaccin, vacciner, vaccination.
…It would prove that it’s possible to enjoy the

company of a dog – possible, impossible, possibility,
impossibility : same meanings as the matching
French words.
…You’ve seen our tariffs – tariff n v, same
meanings as tarif, tarifier. There is no English word
resembling French tarification.
…your loan application has come back from our

headquarters with the observation ‘no comment’ –
observe, observer, observation, observatory : same
meanings as French observer, observateur, observation,
observatoire. In addition to the religious meaning of
observant in French, observant in English means
‘quick to notice anything’.
…And your friend’s mortgage is certainly for a

fixed-rate loan – certain, certainly, certitude : same
meanings as certain, certainement, certitude. In
addition, English has derived from certain the verb
ascertain (make sure of) : you should ascertain the
veracity of this statement.
…In the absence of any one of these three

conditions – condition n v, conditional, unconditional :
same meanings as condition, conditionner,
conditionnel, inconditionnel.
…it is used to facilitate diverse operations –

operation, operational, operator : same meanings as
French matching words.
…a main difference is that holders of such
accounts – difference, differential a n, differentiate,
differentiation, indifferent, differently, indifferently :
same meanings as the French matching words. The
French noun differend (désaccord) is rendered in
English by the noun difference. The English verb
differ (be different, disagree) cannot be used in the
sense postpone of the French verb différer : différer un
rendez-vous = to postpone an appointment.
…the other is the payment – pay n v, payer, payment,

unpaid a : mean the same as paie, payer, payeur ou
payeuse, paiement, impayé a. Un impayé is an unpaid
bill in English.
…including the option of accessing accounts – opt,

option, optional mean the same as opter, option,
optionnel in French.
…may have been altered as a result of a technical

incident – result n v : same meanings as résultat,
résulter.
…use the following link to verify them – verify,

verification : same meanings as vérifier, vérification.
…Not being addressed by his or her name

immediately raises the suspicion – suspect a n v,
suspicion, suspicious: same meanings as suspect,
suspecter, suspicion, suspicieux in French. In addition,
suspicious also means qui éveille des soupçons.
appoint nommer
bogus bidon
certificate of deposit certificat de dépôt
compliant d’accord, consentant
congratulate féliciter
dawn aube
default non paiement, s’abstenir de

payer
direct debit prélèvement bancaire
elk renne
exacting très pénible (horaire, travail)
fake factice
giro transfer virement bancaire
gather comprendre, inférer
guess deviner
hassle tracas
hollyhock rose trémière
housebreak éduquer (un animal) à la

propreté
housetraining dressage à la propreté
issue émettre
knack aptitude, talent
knead pétrir
knickers (Brit) slip de femme
lawn gazon
loan emprunt
lure attirer, leurrer
mandatory obligatoire
mess up salir
moan gémir
money market deposit compte monétaire

account
mood humeur
mortgage loan prêt hypothécaire
on the cheap au rabais
owner propriétaire
pet animal de compagnie
phishing hameçonnage
plunder dévaliser
prawn grosse crevette
premises locaux (d’une entreprise)
prone ayant tendance à
puppy chiot
rating agency agence de notation
repay rembourser
repossess prendre possession de (faute de

paiement)
savings account compte d’épargne
shoot up augmenter brusquement
standing order ordre de virement permanent
stuffy étouffant
tailor tailler (sur mesure)
turnover chiffre d’affaires
unmet non satisfait (besoin)
veterinary surgeon vétérinaire
withdraw retirer
withdrawal retrait
yawn bailler
PARTIE 4
ANNEXE
Annexe
Deux bouées de sauvetage
L ’élaboration
inconscient.
d’une phrase est un processus
Notre subconscient sélectionne
chaque mot dans des ensembles de formes ayant un
point commun mais présentant des différences :
formes d’un verbe variables selon la personne ou le
temps, substantif, verbe, adjectif ou adverbe de
même racine, mots exprimant diverses nuances
d’une même idée, mots de sonorités voisines mais
distincts par le sens, mots de même sens dans des
langues différentes.
Ces différences déterminent le choix d’un mot d’un

ensemble et lui permettent d’apporter du sens à la
phrase : présent plutôt que futur ou passé ;
singulier et non pluriel ; ce mot-ci avec un son de
voyelle long et non celui-là avec un son de voyelle
court. Les associations possibles n’étant pas
limitées, un même terme peut théoriquement
appartenir à une infinité d’ensembles différents.
Plus un mot a d’associations diverses avec d’autres
mots, plus il a de chances de trouver place dans la
phrase en construction.
Pour mettre en œuvre ce mécanisme, notre

subconscient doit disposer de nombreux ensembles
de mots. C’est la pratique d’une langue qui les
constitue peu à peu, à mesure que nous
remarquons ces différences qui apportent du sens.
Nous les remarquons d’autant plus vite qu’elles
sont plus marquées. Et nous mettons très
longtemps à prendre conscience de certaines
différences, notamment entre l’anglais et le
français, parce qu’elles n’empêchent pas de
comprendre.
Si notre vocabulaire est lacunaire et si chacun de

ses éléments n’est pas relié à d’autres par des
associations suffisamment nombreuses, nous avons
du mal à nous exprimer.
Les textes de cet ouvrage ont étoffé votre

vocabulaire anglais, et ses commentaires vous ont
aidé à bâtir ces associations multiples nécessaires à
l’expression spontanée. Ils ont aussi attiré votre
attention sur des différences entre le français et
l’anglais que vous risquiez de ne jamais remarquer.
Le livre ne vous a pas rendu bilingue
français/anglais, mais il vous a permis de faire une
partie du chemin. Voyant qu’il ne vous a coûté que
quelques euros, un écossais dirait It’s good value for
your money.
Vous trouverez désormais plus souvent l’expression

anglaise adaptée lors de la rédaction d’un texte
anglais, surtout dans le cadre professionnel. Mais
l’anglais dont vous avez besoin ne vous viendra pas
toujours à l’esprit. À la place, votre subconscient
vous proposera des mots français dont vous ne
savez que faire. Comme dit cette image anglaise
traduisant l’embarras, you are at sea. Raccrochez-
vous alors à l’une des deux bouées de sauvetage de
l’annexe, en anglais life buoys.
La première, intitulée Passerelles, reprend dans

l’ordre alphabétique tous les mots anglais
identiques à des mots français ou de forme voisine
et ayant les mêmes sens, cités dans les
commentaires. Si vous y trouvez des mots
ressemblant à ceux que vous propose votre
subconscient, utilisez-les !
La seconde, Vocabulaire français/anglais, liste dans

l’ordre alphabétique tous les termes français des
lexiques anglais/français de fin de chapitre. En
regard de chaque terme français figure un ou
plusieurs mots anglais avec l’indication du numéro
du chapitre où ils apparaissent. Si un mot anglais
vous paraît convenir, utilisez-le. En cas de doute,
reportez-vous à son chapitre (où il figure en gras)
pour vérifier par le biais du contexte d’utilisation
s’il correspond à ce que vous voulez dire.
Passerelles
Attention ! Les mots sont parfois suivis
d’abréviations pour vous aider à savoir s’il s’agit
d’un verbe (v), d’un adjectif (a) ou d’un nom (n),
d’un mot au pluriel (pl).
abound, abundance, abundant, abundantly ; act (n

v), action, activity, actor ; adhere (v), adherence,
adherent (a n), adhesion ; adjacent ; aide-
mémoire ; analysis ; antithesis ; associate,
association, associative ; attention, attentionate ;
automatic, automatically, automaton (pl
automata) ; autonomous, autonomously, autonomy
basis ; biological ; bon mot ; carte blanche
C
central, centralisation, centralise, centrally, centre
(n v) ; certain, certainly, certitude, clarification ;
clarify, clarity, clear ; client, clientele ; comme ci,
comme ça ; comme il faut ; comparable,
comparative, comparatively, comparator, compare,
comparison ; condition (n v), conditional ;
contribute, contribution, contributor ; conversation,
conversational, converse v ; correspond,
correspondence, correspondent ; coup d’état ; coup
de grace ; crisis ; cycle ; de rigueur ;
decentralisation, decentralise ; dense, density ;

depend, dependence, dependent; difference,
differential (a n), differentiate, differentiation,
differently ; disciple, disciplinary, discipline ;
displace, displacement ;
egocentric ; emigrant, emigrate, emigration ;

éminence grise ; emphasis ; entre nous ; exist,
existence, existent, existential ; expert, expertise
fait accompli; familiar, familiarisation, familiarise,

familiarity, family ; faux pas ; femme fatale
G
gradual, gradually
hypothesis, hypothetical, hypothetically
ill at ease, ill humour, ill-assorted, ill-conceived,

ill-defined, ill-disposed, ill-gotten, ill-humoured,
ill-treat, ill-treatment ; immigrant, immigrate,
immigration; impossibility , impossible;
incomparable ; independence, independent,
independently ; indicate, indication, indicator ;
indifferent, indifferently ; inform (v), informant
(n); ingredient; innovate, innovation, innovative,
innovator; introduce, introduction, introductory ;
invent (v), invention, inventor ; invest, investiture,
investment, investor
maître d’hôtel ; majority ; metal, metallic,

metallisation, metallise ; migrate, migration ; mot
juste
necessary, necessitate, necessity

O
observant (a), observation, observatory, observe,

observer (n); obtain, obtainable, obtention;
operation, operational, operator; opt, option,
optional
pay (n v), payer (n), payment ; place, placement ;

placid, placidity, placidly ; position ; possibility,
possible ; present (a n v), presentable,
presentation, presenter (n) ; profess (v),
profession, profession of faith, professional,
professionalism, professor ; profit (n v),
profitability, profitable, profitably
raison d’être ; recycle (v), recycling ; reduce,

reducible, reduction ; regular, regularly; replace,
replacement; represent; reputation, reputed ;
response, responsibility, responsible ; result (n v) ;
revolution, revolutionary, revolutionise
savoir faire ; sign (v n), signatory (n), signature,

significant, signification, signify ; similar,
similarly ; special, specialisation, specialise,
specialist ; suspect (a n v), suspicion, suspicious ;
synthesis, synthesise, synthetic
table, tablet ; tariff (n v) ; technical, technically,

technician ; thesis ; tradition, traditional,
traditionally ; transport (n), transport (v) ;
unconditional ; unpaid (a)
vaccinate (v), vaccination, vaccine (n) ; verification,

verify.
Vocabulaire français/anglais
Français Anglais ( + chapitre)
à la pointe du progrès state-of-the-art 3
à l’intérieur de within 3
à ma connaissance to my knowledge 3
à plat flat 3
à toute épreuve foolproof 9
à trois volets (litt. à trois three-pronged 5

dents de fourche)
à venir forthcoming 1
aborder (un sujet) broach 3
abrupt steep 4
accélérer speed up 6
accorder une moindre deemphasize 1

importance à
accueillir entertain 6
achèvement completion 3
achever complete 3
actif assets 7
actifs circulants current assets 7
actionnaire shareholder 1, 3
actionnaire stockholder 1, 7
actions stocks 7
adoucir soften 3
affuter hone 2
agence de notation credit rating agency 11
agent immobilier (brit.) real-estate agent 7
agent immobilier (am.) realtor 7
agile nimble 9
aider (à malfaire) abet 10
aiguillage, aiguiller switch n v 2
alcool (familier) booze 5
aller en bateau sail v 8
aller et venir ply 2
animal de compagnie pet 11
annonce ad (advertisement) 1
annoncer herald 2
appareil électrique electrical appliance 10
appartement flat (Brit.) 10
appartenir belong 3
appel local local call 5
appelant caller 5
approprié relevant 5
aptitude knack 11
arbitre referee 3
argumentaire de vente sales pitch 8
arrangement setup 2
arrêt standstill 2
arrivée advent 10
arriver à reach 1
arriver à maturité come of age 2
article (d’un contrat) provision 3
assurance insurance 4
atteindre reach 1, 8
attirer lure 11
au milieu de amidst 1
au rabais on the cheap 11
augmentation (de salaire) raise (Am.), rise (Brit.) 9
augmenter brusquement shoot up 11
authentique genuine 1
automate bancaire cash dispenser 5
automatique knee-jerk 3
autopartage car sharing 2
autorisé à entitled to 9
autoroute motorway (Brit.) 2
autoroute expressway (Am.) 2
autoroute à péage turnpike (Am.) 2
autre possibilité alternative 9
avantage edge 1
avoir besoin de require 3
avoir en magasin carry 10
avoir mal to be in pain 5
ayant tendance à prone to 11
balance scales 10
balayer sweep 2
banlieue suburb 2
bâtiment building 7
bénéfice brut gross profit 7
bénéfice d’exploitation operating income 7
bien immobilier real estate 7
bilan balance sheet 7
biologique organic 2
bois wood 8
boîte can 6
bonnes dispositions goodwill 1
bouillonner gush 2
bourse de valeurs stock exchange 3
brancher plug 5
but goal 5
cadre framework 4, 9
café au lait white coffee 2
candidat applicant 1
candidature application 1
carnet de commandes order book 9
carrefour intersection 5
carton cardboard 7
centre commercial shopping mall 10
cérémonie function 8
certificat de dépôt certificate of deposit 11
chanceler stagger 2
charge de travail workload 3
chef de service department manager 3
chiffre d’affaires turnover 7, 11
chiffrement encryption 3
chiffrement des données data encryption 3
choquer aback (take someone) 1
chose prononcée utterance 5
cible target 6
client customer 7
client potentiel potential customer 1
colle glue 1
comprendre gather 11
comptabilité accounting 3, 7
comptabilité bookkeeping 7
comptabilité en partie double-entry

double bookkeeping 7
compte d’épargne savings account 11
compte d’exploitation income statement 7
compte monétaire money market deposit

account 11
compte tenu de in view of 6
compte-rendu de réunion minutes 3
comptes clients accounts payable 7
concerné relevant 6
concerner pertain to 5, 6
confirmer la réception ou acknowledge 5

compréhension
confiserie sweet shop (Brit) 10
confiserie candy store (Am) 10
confronté à confronted with 8

consacré par l’usage time-honoured 8
consacrer devote 8
consentant compliant 11
considérer deem 3
considérer comme deem 6
constamment continuously 8
contentieux litigation 6
continu continuous 8
continuel continual 8
continuellement continually 8
continuer pursue 7, endure 4
continûment continuously 8
contribuer efficacement à to go a long way towards

5
corbeau raven 3
cordonnier cobbler 2
correspondance, match 5
correspondre
cotée (entreprise, société) listed 7
cotisation contribution 4
cotisation premium 4
coup blow 9
courant alternatif alternating current 10
courant continu direct current 10
couverture rug 3
covoiturage car-pooling 2
covoiturage car-pooling 6
création inception 1
crucial, grave fateful 3
d’accord compliant 11
dans son esprit in one's mind's eye 5
dans tout le (toute la) throughout 3
de banlieue suburban 10
de conseil advisory 8
de court (prendre aback (take someone) 1

quelqu’un)
de courte durée short-lived 6
de front abreast 1
de grande dimension sizeable 3
de même nature que akin to 1

de toutes sortes in all walks of life 2
de travers awry 1
débarrasser rid 1, 10
débiteur debtor 7
débrancher unplug 5
début inception 1
décennie decade 4
déchaîner unleash 2
décharge landfill 6
déchiqueter shred 6
déchirer rip 2
déchirer rip 9
décider settle 9
décideur decision maker 9
déclencher trigger 1, 3
dédié à dedicated to 6
demande de proposition request for proposal

(RFP) 3
demeuré moron 5
dépasser overshoot 3
dépendant de dependent (up)on 8
dépendre de depend (up)on 8
dépenses de personnel payroll expenses 7
dépenses d’exploitation operating expenses 7
déroute rout 8
désagrément hassle 10
désirer fortement crave 8
désormais henceforth 10
destinataire addressee 3
destinataire recipient 6
destiné à dedicated to 6
détenu convict 1
détestable obnoxious 8
détruire complètement obliterate 7
dette debt 7
dette hypothécaire à court mortgage payment 7

terme
dette hypothécaire à long mortgage balance 7

terme
dévaliser plunder 11
deviner guess 11
devise currency 7
dévorer eat up 3
dilemme conundrum 2
dimension size 3
directeur général CEO (chief executive

officer) 7
dirigeant executive 7
discours pour convaincre pitch 1

(commerce, politique)
disponible available 3
distraire entertain 6
domaine area 3
douleur intense agony 10
durée de vie lifespan 6
échange trade 7
échapper elude 8
échelle sociale social ladder 4
effectuer complete 10
effet de levier leverage 7

efficacité efficacy 8
effort, s’efforcer endeavour n v 5
élection poll 8
embarras quandary 2
embaucher hire 1
embouteillages traffic congestion 2
émettre issue 11
émeute riot 1
empreinte footprint 6
empressement eagerness 1
emprunt loan 7, 11
en accord (avec) consistent (with) 4
en amont upstream 2
en aval downstream 6
en fait actually 6
en jeu at stake 3
en pente (très) steep 4
en retard belated 3
en vue de with a view to 6
encourager foster 2
engagé committed 3
enjamber straddle 2
enjeu stake 2, 8
ennui boredom 4
enquête survey 6
enquête d’opinion poll 8
enthousiaste keen 6
entier integer 7
entraîner incur 3
entraîner entail 3
épeler spell 5
espèces cash 7
esprit wit 2
esprit mind 5
estimation assessment 3
estimer appraise 3
estimer assess 3
étouffant stuffy 11
évidemment obviously 3
exactitude accuracy 1
exclure rule out 1
expert assessor 3
expert d’assurance insurance assessor 3
exploit feat 4
exposer (dépense) incur 7
exprimer utter 3
extrait excerpt 8
factice fake 11
faillite bankruptcy 7
faire attention à mind 5
faire discrètement allusion hint at 9

à
faire face à (une situation, cope with 3

une charge de travail)
faire l’éloge de extoll 1
faire la connaissance de meet 1
faire la vaisselle wash up 9
faire l’éloge de praise 3
faire un somme snooze 5
famille household 10
famille (de lions) pride 6
faubourgs outskirts 2
favoriser foster 7
féliciter congratulate 11
feuille de tableur spreadsheet 6
final eventual 8, 9
finalement eventually 1
focalisé focused 6
fondamental of the essence 6
fonds de pension pension fund 4
fonds propres owners' equity 7
fournir come up with 10
fournisseur supplier 3, 7
fournisseur de services Internet Service Provider

Internet 5
frais généraux selling and general

administrative expenses 7
frappant striking 6
frapper hit 9
frein, freiner brake n v 2, 5

fuir (liquide ou gaz), fuite leak v n 9
GAB (guichet automatique ATM (automatic teller

de banque) machine) 5
gains earnings 7
gamme de produits product range 8
Gestion des Ressouves HRM (Human Resources

Humaines Management) 6
glisser slip 9
gonfler inflate 6
grade rank 4
grand magasin department store 10
grande misère penury 9
grande société corporation 3
groupe pool 3
guérir heal 2
habiter inhabit 2
hameçonnage phishing 11
hauteur (du ton) pitch 1
hebdomadaire weekly 3
homologue opposite number 8

horaires flexibles flexitime 2
horrifier appall 10
hostilité ill will 1
humeur mood 11
immobilisations long-term assets 7
impliquer imply 3
impôt tax 4
incertain moot 3
incidence impact 3
inciter (à mal faire) abet 10
inciter à induce 3
incommode pour awkward for 1
inconvénient downside, drawback 6
inférer gather 11
inhabitable uninhabitable 2
inondé awash 1
insecte nuisible pest 5
intention purpose 3
introduire usher in 10
inventaire inventory 10
inversement conversely 9
jaillir spurt 2
jauger appraise 3
jeton token 7
laine wool 1
laisser s’écouler leak 6
le premier the former 10
le second the latter 10
lente nit 10
leurrer lure 11
location de voitures car hire (Brit) car rental

(Am) 2
locaux (d’une entreprise) premises 2, 6, 11
logiciels d’entreprise enterprise software 7
lot (expédié) consignment 5
lourd de conséquences momentous 3
mal nécessaire necessary evil 3
malencontreux unfortunate 3
marché d’actions stock market 7
marge margin 7
marge bénéficiaire profit margin 7
marge brute cash flow 7

d’autofinancement
marge de manœuvre leeway 2
méritoire commendable, laudable,

praiseworthy 6
métier trade 7
mettre en commun pool 3
mettre en lumière highlight 7
mission assignment 3
mutation move 9
nécessiter require 1
néfaste harmful 3
neurogenèse neurogenesis 4
niveau level 3
niveau de qualité grade 4
nocif harmful 6
nommer appoint 11
non paiement default 11
non satisfait (besoin) unmet 11

nourrir (un animal) feed 10
obligation bond 7
obligatoire compulsory 4
obligatoire mandatory 4, 11
obliger compel 5
obstacle hurdle 1
offre bid 1, 2
ohé ahoy 1
ordonnance prescription 5
ordre de virement standing order 11

permanent
ordre du jour (d’une agenda 3

réunion)
origine inception 1
par répartition pay-as-you-go 4
par suite hence 9
participer à participate in 8
partie prenante stakeholder 3
passage stint 2
passif liabilities 7
pénurie dearth 9
pépier chirp 2
PER ou quotient C/B price/earning ratio 7

(cours/bénéfice par action)
perdre lose 5
personnel staff 1
personnel de bord in-flight personnel 8
perte loss 6
phrase (grammaire) sentence 8
pièce de monnaie coin 7
pièce jointe attachment 6
piéton pedestrian 2, 6
pile battery 6, 10
piller plunder 11
pitoyable pathetic 2
place (de parking) slot 6
plage beach 8
pleurer weep 9
poing fist 10
point de vente point of sale 10

point final full stop 7
poste disponible job vacancy 1
poursuivre pursue 7
pratiquement virtually 3
précédent (adj) previous 3
préjugé prejudice 4
prélèvement bancaire direct debit 11
préliminaire tentative 1
prémisse premise 2
prendre en compte accommodate 9
prendre possession de repossess 11

(faute de paiement)
présider chair 3
presse professionnelle trade press 1, 7
prêt hypothécaire mortgage loan 11
prétendre purport 1
prévisible foreseeable 3, 6
prévision forecast 3
prime (d’assurance) premium 4
prison gaol (Brit), jail (Am) 1

prisonnier gaolbird 1
prix de revient cost of revenue 7
produire produce 2
produire come up with 10
produit de l’agriculture produce 2
projet en cours ongoing project 3
proposition (grammaire) clause 8
proposition, faire une bid n, v 3

proposition
proprement dit(e) proper 4
propriétaire owner 11
provoquer entail 3
qualifications credentials 1
quasi insurmontable intractable 2
querelle row 7
qui à droit à eligible 4
qui ne va pas amiss 1
rangée row 7
râper grate 2
rassembler gather 2
ratio de l’indépendance equity ratio 7
financière
ratio de liquidité current ratio 7
ravi delighted 3
réaliser (une vente) complete (a sale) 1
réalité actuality 1
rechercher look for 1
rechercher seek 10
récolte, récolter harvest n v 3
récolter reap 2, 4
récompenser reward 6
reconnaître la présence ou acknowledge 3

l’importance de
rédiger write down 3
redoutable daunting 1
réfections rework 3
règle rule 9
régler settle 3, 9
regrouper pool 3
rejoindre join 6
relatif à pertaining to 8
relire proofread 1
rembourser repay 11
rencontrer meet with 1
rendement des capitaux return on equity 7

propres
rendre inutile obviate 3, 10
repas meal 2
repère landmark 2
représentant du personnel employee representative

6
respecter (une loi) abide by 9
rester en ligne hold on 5
résultat outcome 8
résulter accrue 3
retard delay 3
retirer withdraw 11
retrait withdrawal 11
retraite retirement 4
réunion meeting 3
réunion de direction board meeting 3
réussir à obtenir secure 9
rotation du stock inventory turnover 7
rouleau roll 8
s’abstenir de payer default 11
salutation greeting 5
sans faille foolproof 9
s’avérer prove 9
savoir faire skill 9
se lancer dans take up 4
se maintenir endure 4
se pencher stoop 3
se pencher sur pore 10
se produire occur 9
se rendre au travail et en commute v 2

revenir
s’effondrer break down, collapse 4
selon depending on 3
s’engager à commit to 3
sensible sensitive 6
sévère stiff 3
siège head office 3
signal cue 2
signe annonciateur bellwether, harbinger 2
significatif meaningful 6
s’incliner devant bow to 9
s’infiltrer (liquide) seep 9
situation matrimoniale marital status 1
société cotée public company 1, 7
société de distribution retail company 7
solide sturdy 10
somme snooze n 5
sonnerie ring 5
sorte kind 3
souci concern 3
soulèvement upheaval 1
soulever (une question) bring up 3
souligner underscore 1
stade stage 1, 5
stage internship 2
stagiaire intern 2
stock inventory 7, 10
stratégies d’ensemble overall strategies 3
strict stringent 6
subordonné à subject to 8
suite de quelques mots phrase 8
suivant following 3
sujet à discussion moot 3
supposition assumption 4
surabondance glut 9
surgir crop up 3
surmonter contend with 2
survaleur goodwill 1
surveiller monitor 3
susciter breed 5
syndicat trade union 7, 9
système PRT Personal Rapid Transit 2
tableau papier flip chart 7
tailler (sur mesure) tailor 11
talent skill 9, knack 11

tas heap 4
technologie de IT (Information
l’information Technology) 3
téléphoner à ring (Brit) 5
tenir (quelqu’un) au keep (someone) abreast 3

courant
tenir au courant (se) keep abreast 3
tenter sa chance try one's luck 10
test de réception acceptance test 3
tirer pull 3
tirer brusquement tug 3
titres securities 4
titre négociable marketable security 7
tordre, ajuster tweak 1
tour (échecs) rook 3
tourbe peat 4
tourner revolve 2
tracas hassle 11
traiter handle 3
traiter address 6
trajet commute n 2
trancher slit 1
transports en commun mass transit 2
travail à distance telecommuting, telework

2
travailler dur toil 2
très pénible (horaire, exacting 11

travail)
trier sort out 6
trophée trophy 4
troupeau herd 6
ultérieur further 6
usine plant 6
valeur comptable book value 7
venue advent 10
versements au titre de la retirement benefits 4

retraite
verser pour 10
veuve widow 5
virement bancaire giro transfer 11
vitesse speed 5
vœu, faire le vœu de vow 7, 9
vol theft 3
Sommaire
Couverture
L'Anglais des affaires Pour les nuls Poche
Copyright
À propos de l’auteur
Introduction
Le mythe de l’anglais facile
Les handicaps des francophones
À qui s’adresse ce livre
Organisation du livre
Et maintenant…
PARTIE 1. Le travail en général
Chapitre 1. La recherche d’emploi
Un mail encourageant
Questions à considérer avant de préparer et envoyer un CV
Forme du CV et de la lettre d’accompagnement

L’interview
Commentaires
Chapitre 2. Les trajets
Une discussion sur les trajets
Le pourquoi des trajets
Remèdes classiques, limites et inconvénients
Des déplacements plus fluides et plus propres
Éviter les trajets complètement
Commentaires
Chapitre 3. Réunions internes
Exemple de réunion
À propos des réunions
Commentaires
Chapitre 4. La retraite
Exemple pratique d’indemnité de retraite
Commentaires
PARTIE 2. À L’INTÉRIEUR D’UNE
ORGANISATION
Chapitre 5. Le téléphone
La hot line du fournisseur de services Internet
Conversations téléphoniques
Surmonter la barrière des langues
Commentaires
Chapitre 6. Rapports, mémos et e-mails
À propos des rapports
À propos des mémos
Exemple de mémo
Exemple d’e-mail
À propos des e-mails
Commentaires
Chapitre 7. La comptabilité
À quoi sert la comptabilité
Compte d’exploitation et bilan
Interprétation des documents financiers
La comptabilité hier, aujourd’hui et demain

Commentaires
PARTIE 3. ÉCHANGES ET COMMERCE
Chapitre 8. Présentations commerciales
Présentations commerciales à des particuliers
Vous souvenez-vous de cet exemple d’argumentaire de vente ?
Argumentaires B2B
Commentaires
Chapitre 9. Négociations
Les négociations réduisent les incertitudes du futur en produisant

des accords
Dynamique de la négociation
Styles de négociation
Commentaires
Chapitre 10. Distribution
Conversation chez le quincaillier
Centres commerciaux excentrés
Commerces en ville
Achats sur Internet

Commentaires
Chapitre 11. À la banque
Discussion d’un prêt à l’agence locale de Hollyhock Bank
Différents types de compte
La banque par Internet
Commentaires
PARTIE 4. ANNEXE
Annexe. Deux bouées de sauvetage
Passerelles
Vocabulaire français/anglais

643 - L'Anglais Des Affaires Pour Les Nuls

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643 - L'Anglais Des Affaires Pour Les Nuls

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Copyright

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643 - L'Anglais Des Affaires Pour Les Nuls

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Ce livre numérique a été converti initialement au format

B ienvenue dans L’anglais des affaires pour les Nuls,

Est-ce à dire que cette langue nous oppose des

Eh bien oui ! L’anglais est difficile pour tous, et il

Le mythe de l’anglais facile

Malheureusement, il n’y a pas de passerelle et

» nombreux homophones, ces mots de

» foisonnement d’expressions idiomatiques ;

» le sens de nombreux mots change de manière

• plus de phonèmes – plus de sons différents –

• un même son peut s’écrire de trois à cinq

• la prononciation change d’un pays à un autre ;

» les différents pays anglophones n’utilisent pas

Allez-vous baisser les bras, renoncer à

Conforté par ces promesses, vous désirez

Les handicaps des

Les Asiatiques distinguent mal les sons ‘l’ et ‘r’, et

Les particularités du français sont plus lourdes de

Le problème des différences

Cette influence peut être atténuée en multipliant

À qui s’adresse ce livre

» L’interprétation simultanée ne fait pas encore

» Vous souhaitez progresser rapidement mais

» Vous ne pensez pas qu’il faille souffrir pour

Si vous vous reconnaissez dans cette liste, ce livre

En annexe, un lexique français/anglais reprend tout

Organisation des chapitres

Certains mots ou expressions apparaissant pour la

Vous verrez aussi, insérés de loin en loin dans les

Ce procédé tire parti de la surabondance du

Des textes anglais centrés sur un

Un commentaire ne se limite pas à un élément du

Des infos sur la prononciation et

Pour indiquer la prononciation, cette sous-section

Dans le cas de différence entre l’anglais et le

L’effet préventif du commentaire est renforcé en

Des mots qui vont très bien

Par exemple, il est fréquent d’associer au mot

Une association de mots présentée dans cette classe

Vous pouvez commencer par le chapitre

Cette partie vous permet de vivre et d’évoquer en

Date : July 10, 2009

To : Robert Bourgeois <bobbourgeois@gmail.com>

Subject : Your application

Thank you for responding to (for answering) our

We are inviting several applicants (candidates) to

Caroline Weatherspoon, Manager, Human

This e-mail is your reward for having prepared and

Questions à considérer avant

1. What kind of talent are they really looking for

2. What might cause them to reject your

3. What elements in your profile might they

4. What elements in your profile might they

5. How many application letters are they likely to

6. How many candidates will they likely

If you are sending off your CV to an organisation

Twenty years ago, getting answers to all above

It’s now time to worry about questions 5 and 6.

If you have any reason to assume the number of

You might try a trick (ploy, ruse) to cause your letter