Friday, October 06, 2006

Particle-size-analysis

A colleague sent me a request for assistance. She said:

"The bibliography in English which reads XXX(brand name) Particle Size Analysis and has been translated by Analyse de taille particulaire Helos. Is this correct or should it read Analyse de taille particule Helos or Analyse de dimension particulaire Helos? The study is in English and there is no French equivalent."

My response:
) Particle size may be translated as taille particulaire, where the last word is an adjective qualifying the type of taille (size). What is harder to tell is whether the placement of Brand XXX is correct or not. It appears to be a brand name.

2) Termium, the Canadian Government Terminology Database, gives dimension de la particule as equivalent to particle size (in the chemical structures and medication field). That, still, does not mean that taille particulaire is wrong.

3) Particle Size Analysis - An Internet search under analyse granulométrique (particle size analysis) shows that this expression is used extensively in the pharmaceutical field. There are, nevertheless, many entries under analyse des particules.

From what I understand of the context my colleague provided, "XXX particle size analysis" is to be considered as one translation unit and should be translated as "analyse granulométrique XXX".

What is extremely gratifying is to find that here is a designer who cares enough about the project to double check things she was not responsible for. It is the final result that counts.

In the automotive industry, where I spent many years, we used to call this "Do it right the first time".

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