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génie

English translation: spirit

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:génie
English translation:spirit
Entered by: Neal Allen

13:44 Aug 13, 2018
French to English translations [PRO]
Religion
French term or phrase: génie
Context: Tous sont des résidences de génies, dont les responsables ont indiqué que le déplacement pouvait être envisagé, bien qu’il n’ait pas toujours été possible d’en préciser les conditions.

This is a document about relocation of residents of a mining area in Africa. It really does not seem to fit under the concept of engineering, but simultaneously, I do not believe the author is calling them geniuses.
Neal Allen
United States
Local time: 03:55
spirit
Explanation:
Here's a similar document, which makes it clear that this is about a construction project passing through areas of religious significance that must be protected.

En plus de se conformer à la législation nationale pertinente relative à la protection du patrimoine culturel, L’UGP identifiera et protègera le patrimoine culturel en veillant à l’application des pratiques reconnues au plan international . sur l’ensemble du corridor du tracé de la ligne électrique en Guinée, ce sont six sites qui ont été identifiés dans la zone d’exclusion
totale : ***(i) Trois sites de résidences de génies, dont deux avec pratiques sacrificielles, (ii) Unlieu de fétiche, (iii) Un site religieux (cimetière)**

http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Environ...

http://dictionary.reverso.net/french-english/génie
Selected response from:

philgoddard
United States
Grading comment
Phil, you nailed it. Later in the translation, it became very clear that the translation was "genie.'
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +7spirit
philgoddard
4 -1genius
S. Marcotte


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +7
genie
spirit


Explanation:
Here's a similar document, which makes it clear that this is about a construction project passing through areas of religious significance that must be protected.

En plus de se conformer à la législation nationale pertinente relative à la protection du patrimoine culturel, L’UGP identifiera et protègera le patrimoine culturel en veillant à l’application des pratiques reconnues au plan international . sur l’ensemble du corridor du tracé de la ligne électrique en Guinée, ce sont six sites qui ont été identifiés dans la zone d’exclusion
totale : ***(i) Trois sites de résidences de génies, dont deux avec pratiques sacrificielles, (ii) Unlieu de fétiche, (iii) Un site religieux (cimetière)**

http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Environ...

http://dictionary.reverso.net/french-english/génie


philgoddard
United States
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 20
Grading comment
Phil, you nailed it. Later in the translation, it became very clear that the translation was "genie.'

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M: Otherwise known in some contexts as 'djinns'
15 mins
  -> Which is very useful in Scrabble and almost nowhere else.
agree  AllegroTrans: or indeed "genies" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genie_(disambiguation)
29 mins
agree  B D Finch
53 mins
agree  Rachel Fell
6 hrs
agree  JohnMcDove
15 hrs
agree  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: You could use "djinns" in inverted commas with "genies" afterwards... in the hope that the term will be understood, perhaps known to a few. In an equal hope that it will not conjure up (no pun intended) refs to "jeans".
1 day 59 mins
agree  Daryo
2 days 14 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
genie
genius


Explanation:
Under the heading "Archeology", Termium offers "genius" as "a demon or spirit, as Ariel in Shakespeare."

http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-eng.html?la...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2018-08-13 16:08:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Wikipedia agrees: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genius_(mythology)

S. Marcotte
Canada
Local time: 06:55
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: If this term occurred specifically in a specialist context of mythology, that might be acceptable; but used in isolation in this more general context, I think this would be highly unsuitable and lead to immense confusion.
9 mins
  -> That's why you back it up with the archeology context.
disagree  AllegroTrans: Geniuses living everywhere? I don't think so; you have found an ancient word which is no longer used in the same context
1 hr
neutral  Rachel Fell: agree with AllegroTrans - genies maybe, but not geniuses
4 hrs
neutral  Daryo: might be - at a stretch - right, but for a different target audience - this ST is not meant for archaeologists / ethnologists or similar, but for bankers, politicians and other assorted very down to earth characters more interested in money than science.
2 days 12 hrs
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