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Poignée non-débordante
l'objet ou la cause d'un sinistre

Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

été saisi

English translation:

I was approached

Added to glossary by Taghreed Mahmoud
May 14, 2023 11:57
12 mos ago
54 viewers *
French term

été saisi

French to English Other Government / Politics
Dear Colleagues,

I need your help please in translating "J'ai été saisi par" in the following context:

J'ai été saisi, en tant que President du Groupe des Ambassadeurs Francophones, par notre collegue L'Ambassadeur ...

Thank you so much
Proposed translations (English)
3 +2 I was approached
3 +1 contacted
4 make appeal to [you may have to change voice from passive to active]
4 been instructed (on the matter / case)
3 I have been called upon
4 -2 I was informed
References
been received

Discussion

Taghreed Mahmoud (asker) May 14, 2023:
@Emmanuella Dear Emmanuella.. first of all thank you so much. I am originally a translator (English - Arabic) but studied French for a few years. I was asked to translate this Official invitation that I am talking about which was written by a French Ambassador. With the help of the colleagues here I managed to translate it as "I was approached" and it seems ok in English.. Thank you so much for your help
Emmanuella May 14, 2023:
@ Asker - saisir quelqu'un pour lui demander d'organiser une visite me semble un terme un peu fort.
Taghreed Mahmoud (asker) May 14, 2023:
To everyone Thank you so much .. Your assistance is so much appreciated and valued ..
Daryo May 14, 2023:
Agree with Tony You could also rephrase it as:

I was formally asked to get involved in some matters (implicitly: that are within the purview of Le Groupe des Ambassadeurs Francophones).

As Le Groupe des Ambassadeurs Francophones is not any kind of tribunal, the "involvement" is not producing some judgment, but debating the matter, mediating some conflict, or some other kind of political action.
FPC May 14, 2023:
Me too with Tony. The meaning is quite close to appealing to some authority to deal with an issue (indeed often used with courts or tribunals, not specifically as an appeal vs a lower court).
AllegroTrans May 14, 2023:
I agree with Tony
Taghreed Mahmoud (asker) May 14, 2023:
@ Tony Thank you so much
Tony M May 14, 2023:
@ Asker It's really a bit more formal than that.
I don't believe we have an exact equivalent in EN, but need to re-phrase: "X referred the matter to me..." — or whatever verb is appropriate to the context; assuming, of course, that there actually is something being referred!
If not, then you'd need to rephrase in a different way...
Taghreed Mahmoud (asker) May 14, 2023:
Can I say "I was approached?" Can I say "I was approached?"
Thank you

Proposed translations

+2
4 hrs
Selected

I was approached

yes, I know ... there is NO EQUIVALENT in English!

Obviously the verb saisir can be "refer to" in a judicial context.

But here it's somewhere between "contacted" (which is too informal) and "refer to" (which is too formal).

As we're in the domain of the less-than-ideal, "approach" might possibly work sometimes!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 18 hrs (2023-05-15 06:31:44 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

@Asker ... Oh yes, hadn't read the discussion. Great minds think alike!
Note from asker:
Thank you so much .. This is how I translated it ..
Peer comment(s):
agree Ben Gaia : Formal register.
44 mins
Thanks
agree AllegroTrans : depending on context, yes
2 hrs
Thanks
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you so much "
+1
2 hrs

contacted

It is not uncommon to use the expression saisir par in the sense of approaching or contacting an official or body.
Either contacted or approached would appear to fit here.
Reference:

https://context.reverso.net/traduction/francais-anglais/saisi+par#contacted+by

Note from asker:
Thank you so much
Peer comment(s):
agree philgoddard
2 hrs
neutral FPC : not enough, the connotation in French is stronger requiring involvement and often even exercise of authority/discretionary power
4 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 hrs

I have been called upon

It means you have been asked to do something like take up a case
Note from asker:
Thank you so much Ms. Marie-Pascale ..
I agree with AllegroTrans. An ambassador was approached / contacted by another ambassador to invite a group of ambassadors to visit a place. Thank you so much ..
Peer comment(s):
neutral AllegroTrans : If this is correct (only Asker knows) then "I was called upon" would most probaly be the more appropriate tense
12 mins
It doesn’t say when it happened.
Something went wrong...
-2
5 hrs

I was informed

Une autre façon de rendre la phrase
Peer comment(s):
neutral Tony M : Doesn't really convey quite the same idea — "asking someone to get involved" is more than simply "informing"
4 mins
disagree AllegroTrans : Doesn't fit at all
29 mins
disagree Daryo : "J'ai été saisi ..." indicates a far deeper involvement than only "being informed".
5 hrs
Something went wrong...
7 hrs

make appeal to [you may have to change voice from passive to active]

the closest meaning in English is "to make appeal to" in the sense 2 of "appeal" in the entry below from the Merriam-Webster. It can apply to both institutions (like tribunals, committees etc..) and people. Then, as I always say the translator in charge knows best.

Alternatively "appeal to" (also not in the strict judicial sense)


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 20 hrs (2023-05-15 08:49:28 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appeal
Note from asker:
Thank you so much FPC .. Your help is highly appreciated ..
Something went wrong...
21 hrs

been instructed (on the matter / case)

I - like other astute commentrators - agree with Tony 'You will never walk alone' Marsden about referral of the matter.

I can remember our Paris law HQ using this expression, not only for referring a case to court, but also for instructing us 'minions' (clerks in Madrid) to get onto a case (dossier) passed to the firm from clients,
Example sentence:

À la fin du délai d'un mois, vous pouvez saisir la commission d'accès aux documents administratifs

Reference:

http://eng.proz.com/kudoz/french-to-english/law-contracts/830754-saisi.html

Note from asker:
Thank you so much. However, in the context, I have to use approached, because I can't say I have been instructed by .. This sentence would be insufficient or incomplete to stand alone as one paragraph. Using "I was approached, as president of ..., by ..." really helped me with a way out. The first paragraph of the letter went as follows: "I was approached, in my capacity of .... by .... Then, the second paragraph mentioned that the second party is extending an invitation to the first party .. Anyhow, I can't thank all of you, my Dear Colleagues, enough ..
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

1 hr
Reference:

been received

Only the sense of all the text can determine the translation:
Dès que le Président est saisi d'une demande de discussion d'urgence, -
As soon as the President has received a request for - https://www.linguee.fr/francais-anglais/traduction/le présid...
Le Président avait été saisi d'une demande -
The Chair had been seized with a request -the same link
Le Président doit être saisi de ces propositions - Any such proposals must be received by the President - idem
a été saisi de plaintes - received complaints
j'ai été saisi par des habitants - I have received complaints - https://www.proz.com/kudoz/french-to-english/government-poli...
Note from asker:
Thank you so much
Something went wrong...
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