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au droit de (specific case)

English translation: at the location of (literally), on (in this case)

08:30 Dec 26, 2023
French to English translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Construction / Civil Engineering
French term or phrase: au droit de (specific case)
Problems with a warehouse with sagging roof, ponding of water on flat roof, alleged history of poor repairs, possibly expired insurance policies, etc.

"Courrier de contestation adressé à AAA [insurer] en date du 16 novembre 2023
Un audit a été réalisé par la société BBB [technical inspection consultancy], laquelle conclut à l’absence de pérennité et d’efficacité des réparations réalisées au droit des désordres qui ont été déclarés.
Le rapport rédigé par cette société met en avant, notamment, l’absence de propriété structurelle du mastic, des pointes inadaptées pour le remaillage des éléments en bois et, en tout état de cause, l’utilisation de pointe et de vis de longueur insuffisante pour permettre un remaillage efficace des éléments concernés par la réparation."

This text uses "au droit de" about 30 times. I've translated this, my least favourite French prepositional expression (because so ambiguous), by "in line with" each time because it obviously describes some geometrical relationship. But here I suspect a sort of figurative use might be involved. I.e. something along the lines of "as a consequence of". Any views?
Mpoma
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:42
English translation:at the location of (literally), on (in this case)
Explanation:
Literally au droit de means things like 'above', 'below', 'alongside'. Logically any repairs carried out ON the defects mentioned would be carried out on the upper surface, I imagine, but if faulty workmanship and wrong thinking is involved, the (alleged) repairs just MIGHT have been carried out on the underside. Futhermore, of the waterproofing extends vertically on kerbs (upstands) at some point, the repair could be a vertical patch OVER a hole, for example.

"c) Loc. prép., vx. Au droit de. Au niveau de, en face de, à la perpendiculaire de. M. Hirsch (...) a fait, sur la vaporisation dans les chaudières au droit du foyer, de très remarquables expériences (Ser, Phys. industr.,1888, p. 246):"
https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/droit#:~:text=Au droit de.,d...

Here, though, you're looking at "the efficacy of the repairs/remedial work carried out on the disorders".

That said, I have not found any examples of 'on the disorders'. You will however find examples of 'on the defects' and 'on the defective ...'. 'Disorder' is a simply neutral a choice of word that implies no attribution of fault, but it generally implies that something was done incorrectly.

Otherwise you could embroider a little and say 'the efficacy of the repairs/work carried out to remedy the disorders'. Since it is unlikely that remedial work would be carried out any distance from the disorders (unless it was a system for preventing water reaching the area, like dams and an umbrella ;-) ), chances are the remedial work would necessarily be performed at/on/at the location of the disorders.
Selected response from:

Bourth
France
Local time: 14:42
Grading comment
Thanks
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3at the location of (literally), on (in this case)
Bourth
4vertically above
Jennifer Levey
4pertaining to
Marc Desreumaux
3flush /repair/
Adrian MM.


Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
au droit de
vertically above


Explanation:
Given the context of the 'specific case' - rainwater leaking through a botched repair to a roof, and the drips falling vertically onto whatever is situated underneath.

Some of the other 'au droit de' might, of course, mean something different.

Jennifer Levey
Chile
Local time: 08:42
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 189
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks, yes, there is a case for that notion. The repairs seem quite extensive though (you can't know that from what I've given obvs).


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Daryo: Yes, in some cases. But that meaning is unlikely to make sense here. What would be "vertically above" a sagging roof?
13 hrs
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
at the location of (literally), on (in this case)


Explanation:
Literally au droit de means things like 'above', 'below', 'alongside'. Logically any repairs carried out ON the defects mentioned would be carried out on the upper surface, I imagine, but if faulty workmanship and wrong thinking is involved, the (alleged) repairs just MIGHT have been carried out on the underside. Futhermore, of the waterproofing extends vertically on kerbs (upstands) at some point, the repair could be a vertical patch OVER a hole, for example.

"c) Loc. prép., vx. Au droit de. Au niveau de, en face de, à la perpendiculaire de. M. Hirsch (...) a fait, sur la vaporisation dans les chaudières au droit du foyer, de très remarquables expériences (Ser, Phys. industr.,1888, p. 246):"
https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/droit#:~:text=Au droit de.,d...

Here, though, you're looking at "the efficacy of the repairs/remedial work carried out on the disorders".

That said, I have not found any examples of 'on the disorders'. You will however find examples of 'on the defects' and 'on the defective ...'. 'Disorder' is a simply neutral a choice of word that implies no attribution of fault, but it generally implies that something was done incorrectly.

Otherwise you could embroider a little and say 'the efficacy of the repairs/work carried out to remedy the disorders'. Since it is unlikely that remedial work would be carried out any distance from the disorders (unless it was a system for preventing water reaching the area, like dams and an umbrella ;-) ), chances are the remedial work would necessarily be performed at/on/at the location of the disorders.


Bourth
France
Local time: 14:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 93
Grading comment
Thanks
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks for thinking it through. I think I could respond by saying, yes, but why this particularly unhelpful and catch-all expression rather than something which expresses what you suggest, e.g. "au niveau de". But I'm inclining to think this expression amounts to a "tic" of the writing style of this author.

Asker: Ah yes, actually that definition page shows that it can indeed ALSO be synonymous with "au niveau de" (although it does say "vx"). Ludicrous, frankly.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Daryo: You could also see it as a kind of synonym for "à l'endroit où" i.e. repairs are done where the defects are // Which sounds thinking of it as a proper Lapalissade - where else are you going to do repairs? Where everything is right?
5 hrs
agree  philgoddard: Just 'on' is fine.
8 hrs
agree  Annette Fehr
21 hrs
neutral  SafeTex: This works but is it what was said? Surely it's more "pertaining to" (in response to)
3 days 6 hrs
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
au droit de
flush /repair/


Explanation:
Bothersome to reword +/- 30 times, but IMO its is about flush repairs.

...réparations réalisées au droit des désordres qui ont été déclarés : repairs carried out (and ending up) flush with the defects that or which have been reported.

flush with: ambiguous on its own as meaning 'full of', but a common term used by an inhouse FRE/GER>ENG tech. & patent translator, BA Bristol, at our Central London T&I Office.



Example sentence(s):
  • flush -definition: of a surface exactly even with an adjoining one, forming the same plane “a door flush with the wall” “the bottom of the window is flush with the floor” synonyms: even being level or straight or regular and without varia
  • This paper focuses on flush repairs to composite laminates, i.e. scarf and stepped repairs, as they are a very attractive way to restore damaged laminate strength while requiring advanced design and modelling techniques.

    Reference: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/french-to-english/construction-civ...
    Reference: http://www.proz.com/personal-glossaries/entry/37501633-flush...
Adrian MM.
Austria
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 11
Notes to answerer
Asker: The trouble is that "au droit de" is most definitely the vaguest of all vague expressions. No professional should be seen using it ever, IMHO. As Bourth's definition link shows, it can among other things be a synonym for "au niveau de" (i.e. "in the area of"). Simply ridiculous. Your links to other Proz entries are not sufficiently probative, Maître, even to start to convince that this specifically means "flush" here.

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10 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
pertaining to


Explanation:
Based on context and tone, I believe the client understands that this could evolve into a legal matter and are being proactive. "repairs pertaining to the reported defects" is to make sure any other cases are excluded in case of legal dispute, such as repairs to unreported defects / repairs to defects of which the report is missing, as those repairs might have turned out fine and would be a way to challenge the claims. Basically, your initial assumption "in line with" would not be wrong either, even if the wording offers a little more legal wiggling room.

Marc Desreumaux
Japan
Local time: 21:42
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  SafeTex: My first thought was "in response to" but this is similar. I don't see it as "at the location of".
2 days 23 hrs
disagree  Daryo: You are adding unnecessary complications, that have no impact on what "au droit de" means in this ST. // Pourquoi chercher midi à quatorze heures??
3 days 16 hrs
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