rattrapage

English translation: remediation, rectification, attempt to make good

15:10 May 29, 2020
French to English translations [PRO]
Law/Patents - Construction / Civil Engineering
French term or phrase: rattrapage
Complaint and summons concerning a bad bathroom installation.

What's a good word to cover this sort of dodgy building practice?

"le défaut de parallélisme des cloisons latérales gauche et droite de la douche (défaut de parallélisme de plus de 5 mm), dont la conséquence est l'existence d'un écart trop important entre les cloisons de la douche et le receveur de douche, écart que les intervenants ont tenté de solutionner à l'aide de silicone ; or ce "rattrapage" s'avère inefficace, l'eau pénétrant entre le receveur et les cloisons, ainsi également qu'entre le receveur et la paroi en façade de la douche ;"

Obviously it has also to be acceptable language for court submissions.

In the archives we see several people suggesting "retrofit". But to my way of thinking that ain't it.

I thought of "patching technique" or "improvised solution"... ?
Mpoma
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:23
English translation:remediation, rectification, attempt to make good
Explanation:
I think this captures the same sense as rattrapage and with the inverted commas, would carry the same sceptical tone
Selected response from:

Suzie Withers
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:23
Grading comment
Thanks. Personally I went for "remedial work", which entre guillemets I think conveys quite well the irony and humour like the FR.
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1remediation, rectification, attempt to make good
Suzie Withers
3mending/repairing/restoration
Juan Arturo Blackmore Zerón
3stop-gap measure
Libby Cohen
4 -1repair
Ben Gaia
3improvement work (remediation)
Lisa Rosengard
4 -2"correction of parallelism"
Daryo


Discussion entries: 16





  

Answers


37 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
mending/repairing/restoration


Explanation:
... however, this restoration/mending/reparing proves to be ineffective.

Juan Arturo Blackmore Zerón
Mexico
Local time: 03:23
Native speaker of: Spanish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ben Gaia
1 day 46 mins

disagree  Daryo: there was nothing "broken" to be "mended/repaired/restored" you can do that with s.t. that was already finished and you have to redo it- HERE there was a problem to be fixed on an ongoing/unfinished work.
1 day 4 hrs
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
stop-gap measure


Explanation:
I would avoid using the term "repair" here, since what was done seems to imply more of a compromise, and possibly not a thorough fix, thereby a type of stop-gap measure, for a larger issue. The nuance I'm assuming here is of dealing with the problem in a more tentative manner, rather than retrofitting or properly replacing the pipes and associated plumbing parts to ensure a more permanent solution. installation.

Libby Cohen
Canada
Local time: 04:23
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Daryo: it was supposed to be permanent - the term is about what they were supposed to do.
3 hrs

agree  philgoddard: I actually said this before you, but deleted my answer by mistake. This is correct: they used silicone to fill the gap instead of rebuilding it.
4 hrs
  -> Hi Phil. Yes, I actually realized this after I answered, so in all fairness, you should deserve the credit on this.

neutral  SafeTex: Hello Libby. They didn't tear out the work and start again but they did want more than a temporary fix. I think Daryo above is right on this.
12 hrs

neutral  Suzie Withers: There was no implication that they would come back and do a proper job, so I don't think stop-gap is quite right
15 hrs
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -2
rattrapage [du défaut de parallélisme de plus de 5mm]
"correction of parallelism"


Explanation:
the "rattrapage" they are talking about was part of the work to be done and was supposed to be a lasting solution to the problem created by the lack of parallelism between some elements of the shower.

There is nothing "temporary" / "quick-fix" / in: rattrapage [du défaut de parallélisme de plus de 5mm] - it's simply part of the work to be done.

The fact that they managed to botch it has nothing to do with THIS "rattrapage".


[écart que les intervenants ont tenté de solutionner à l'aide de silicone ;] or ce "rattrapage" s'avère inefficace
=
but this "correction of parallelism" [done with silicone, so unsurprisingly] proved to be inefficient

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Note added at 6 hrs (2020-05-29 22:03:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The fact that they managed to botch it doesn't change in any way the meaning of THIS "rattrapage".


Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:23
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SerbianSerbian, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 88

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M
13 mins
  -> Thanks!

disagree  philgoddard: (a) You wouldn't say this in English, and (b) it's the opposite of what the French says ("défaut de").
44 mins
  -> (a) do a web search - you might discover that your personal preferences are just that ...(b) have you ANY practical knowledge of this? I can see EXACTLY what they were doing and where they went wrong.

disagree  SafeTex: Hello Daryo. Have to go with Phil on this one. They didn't even try to correct the parallelism but sought an alternative remedy (silicon)
9 hrs
  -> In this kind of situation the only way to "correct the [lack of] parallelism" is to fill the gap THAT is "rattrapage", NOT the fact that they were lazy/unconcerned and done it the wrong way using soft silicone instead of some solid material.

disagree  Ben Gaia: Not English.
23 hrs
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18 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
remediation, rectification, attempt to make good


Explanation:
I think this captures the same sense as rattrapage and with the inverted commas, would carry the same sceptical tone

Suzie Withers
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:23
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 15
Grading comment
Thanks. Personally I went for "remedial work", which entre guillemets I think conveys quite well the irony and humour like the FR.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Daryo: depending on how you construct the whole sentence, it could work but your explanation is wrong: there was NOTHING "sceptical" in the fact they needed to fix a problem created by a lack of parallelism - it's just a neutral fact.
10 hrs
  -> My understanding was that the original text had quotes around "rattrapage", so i was suggesting using quotes around remediation, as it is the quotes, not the word itself, that convey scepticism since we know now that their attempt to remedy the gap failed

agree  ph-b (X): Not for me to discuss your choice of words ("Construction English" is not my field at all), but agree with the touch of scepticism and the meaning of the quotation marks.
1 day 1 hr
  -> Thank you
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1 day 1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
repair


Explanation:
Many, many entries for this already in Kudoz!

Ben Gaia
New Zealand
Local time: 21:23
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 28

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Daryo: All these "many entries" are ALL about the same context as in this ST? You "repair" s.t. that was "finished" but has to be redone - not the case here.
3 hrs
  -> I was at no time suggesting that any other entry was in the same context, but the range of answers is a useful reference.
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2 days 20 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
improvement work (remediation)


Explanation:
The complaint is about continuing problems which need to be addressed.

Example sentence(s):
  • Or ce rattrapage s'avère inefficace, l'eau pénétrant entre le receveur et les cloisons, ainsi également qu'entre le receveur et le paroi en façade de la douche.
  • However, from that time the improvement work (remediation) turns out to be ineffective, with water penetrating between the shower's base (receptor) and the partitions, as is the case also between the base and the wall facing the shower.
Lisa Rosengard
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:23
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 15
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