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English translation: emergency stop button

18:59 Mar 8, 2022
French to English translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Safety / emergency measures
French term or phrase: coup de poings
this passage describes the intervention of the fire department in a building where refrigerant gases tripped the fire alarm in the Heat Pump station. I understand the meaning of "coups de poings" but I'm not seemingly finding a way to express the entire idea...or is there another meaning to the term? Is it that they "broke the glass (donner un coups de poing) and activated the emergency stop button, (re-)establishing safety in the building?? Any suggestions?

"Les pompiers ont actionné les « coups de poing » d’arrêt d’urgence du local PAC, permettant la mise en sécurité des installations."
Timothy Rake
United States
Local time: 15:35
English translation:emergency stop button
Explanation:
That's right, it's those big red, mushroom-shaped buttons universally know for emergency stop.
In EN, as so often, we emphasize the function rather than the way they are operated (by being thumped / punched).

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Note added at 49 mins (2022-03-08 19:48:34 GMT)
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So of course, you need to translate the expression as whole: '« coups de poing » d’arrêt d’urgence' = 'emergency stop buttons'

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Note added at 2 hrs (2022-03-08 21:40:51 GMT)
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Well, it means "they hit the big red stop buttons" — but of course, that not at all in the right register here! It's just adifferent way of looking at things — we find this all the time in FR.

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Note added at 3 hrs (2022-03-08 22:18:14 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The 'coup de poing' of course isn't really a 'punch' as such, but rather, hitting it with the side of the clenched fist — bigger area, aiming at a bigger target, hence less risk of missing!
Selected response from:

Tony M
France
Local time: 00:35
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +9emergency stop button
Tony M
5push button switch
Morgan Bomy
4large push-button
Conor McAuley
4mushroom-head switch
Bourth


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
push button switch


Explanation:
In the original text, they are describing the type of button that is used in case of emergency.
The term in English is 'emergency push stop button' which in French would be 'bouton d'arrêt d'urgence "coup de poing" ' as you would typically 'punch' the button to activate it.

Morgan Bomy
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:35
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
Notes to answerer
Asker: so would it be correct to translate this as: "They activated the emergency push button switch"? or something similar.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: Not really idiomatic in EN — no need to mention 'switch', and it is more a 'hit' button than a 'push' one!
34 mins
neutral  philgoddard: I don't see why you've added "switch".
2 hrs
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14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
large push-button


Explanation:
https://franklinempire.com/fr/boitier-en-plastique-jaune-poi...

Above photo:

"Siemens SIRIUS 3SU18010NA002AA2 ***Pushbutton*** Enclosure,"

Below photo:

"Boîtier en plastique jaune (point de commande central) avec ***bouton-poussoir coup de poing D'ARRÊT D'URGENCE*** rouge (40mm) (décrochage par rotation) et 1x contact NC"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 22 mins (2022-03-08 19:21:45 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Plus "emergency stop" for "arrêt d'urgence".

Personally I wouldn't punch this type of button (!), I'd use my palm to firmly press it!
So I would forget about doing something with "coup de poing" if I were you.


See page 11:

"En option : Contact alarme, Leds rouge et verte, ***Bouton coup de poing*** / optional : Alarm contact, red/green Leds, *emergency stopbutton*"

https://www.geba.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Catalogue-GE...


Maybe the "coup de poing" metaphor means that you just have to make some kind of firm contact with the button (like with a punch) and you're safe.

You could use your elbow, forearm, head, whatever's handy!
I'm actually serious.

An "action coup de poing" means something that's done very quickly, done in a flash.

Conor McAuley
France
Local time: 00:35
Works in field
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: It's not just any old 'large push-button', it has a specific name; and there's nothing metaphoric about 'coup de poing' — it just describes the way these buttons are meant to be struck quite rapidly in an emergency.
32 mins
neutral  philgoddard: It may be large, but you wouldn't say this in the context.
2 hrs
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43 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +9
coup de poing
emergency stop button


Explanation:
That's right, it's those big red, mushroom-shaped buttons universally know for emergency stop.
In EN, as so often, we emphasize the function rather than the way they are operated (by being thumped / punched).

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 49 mins (2022-03-08 19:48:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

So of course, you need to translate the expression as whole: '« coups de poing » d’arrêt d’urgence' = 'emergency stop buttons'

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2022-03-08 21:40:51 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Well, it means "they hit the big red stop buttons" — but of course, that not at all in the right register here! It's just adifferent way of looking at things — we find this all the time in FR.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2022-03-08 22:18:14 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The 'coup de poing' of course isn't really a 'punch' as such, but rather, hitting it with the side of the clenched fist — bigger area, aiming at a bigger target, hence less risk of missing!

Tony M
France
Local time: 00:35
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12
Notes to answerer
Asker: So Tony, if I hear you: "Ils ont actionné les « coups de poing » d’arrêt d’urgence..." boils down simply to "they hit the emergency stop button"...the French seemed awkwardly expressed to me, but I do visualize what happened


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jennifer Levey
4 mins
  -> Thanks, Jennifer!
agree  Adrian MM.: https://www.proz.com/kudoz/french-to-english/construction-ci... > the thumping aspect brings back bad memories of working in a London Translation Office with over-reacting non-linguists ....
33 mins
  -> Thanks, Adrian! LOL!
agree  philgoddard: So strictly speaking, the answer to "coups de poing" is "button".
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Phil! I suppose so, on a simplistic level; although I think it's more technically helpful to consider the phrase as a whole.
agree  Andrew Bramhall
3 hrs
  -> Thanks, Andrew!
agree  Daryo: sounds right: "emergency" would be another way of saying "this button is designed to be "slammed" - activated in a hurry".
3 hrs
  -> Thanks, Daryo! Quite!
agree  Samuël Buysschaert
13 hrs
  -> Merci, Samuël !
agree  Cyril Tollari
14 hrs
  -> Merci, Cyril !
agree  Yvonne Gallagher
17 hrs
  -> Thanks, Yvonne!
agree  tradu-grace
21 hrs
  -> Merci, tradu-grace !
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
mushroom-head switch


Explanation:
For the sake of variety, here's what I've had in my glossary for the last 30 years or so: Mushroom-head switch, emergency switch, emergency cutoff.

Since you already have 'd'arrêt d'urgence' in your text, you have the perfect opportunity to make this a 'mushroom-head emergency stop button', as Amazon calls it (https://www.amazon.com/XB2-545-Emergency-Button-Switch-Mushr... or something similar.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2022-03-08 22:56:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Oops, mushroom-head emergency stop-button SWITCH.

Bourth
France
Local time: 00:35
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: As I've said before, 'switch' is unnecessary here and sounds technically naïve. In any case, this might be suitable for a description of the part, in an installation BoQ etc., but sounds clunky in this particular context.
8 hrs
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