Mistranslation because misunderstanding

Lucien J.C1Kwiziq community member

Mistranslation because misunderstanding

A 'parlement' was not a parliament; the connection is etymological but not semantic. The latter is a representative national assembly, so you  might risk translating it either as 'assemblée nationale' or 'états généraux', although you start to move into controversial historical territory here! However, a 'parlement' was an entirely different institution: it didn't pass laws, it was a kind of appeal court. The people gathered there were judges, not (elected or nominated) representatives. In addition, the English, the British now UK Parliament is a national institution, whereas there was one 'parlement' for each regional. The 'parlements' were abolished in 1790, so aren't a useful point of reference for contemporary politics. I'd drop it from your list, as retention unfortunately helps this longstanding misunderstanding continue. 

Asked 4 years ago
CélineNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

 Bonjour Lucien,

Thank you for making such an interesting point about an important part of French history.

In most modern contexts though, ‘parlement’ / ‘assemblée’ are sort of equivalent (strictly with a capital p).

For example:

Parlement Européen = European Parliament

They are both very important words of vocabulary to know for French learners who are or not at all familiar with French history.

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée!

Lucien J. asked:

Mistranslation because misunderstanding

A 'parlement' was not a parliament; the connection is etymological but not semantic. The latter is a representative national assembly, so you  might risk translating it either as 'assemblée nationale' or 'états généraux', although you start to move into controversial historical territory here! However, a 'parlement' was an entirely different institution: it didn't pass laws, it was a kind of appeal court. The people gathered there were judges, not (elected or nominated) representatives. In addition, the English, the British now UK Parliament is a national institution, whereas there was one 'parlement' for each regional. The 'parlements' were abolished in 1790, so aren't a useful point of reference for contemporary politics. I'd drop it from your list, as retention unfortunately helps this longstanding misunderstanding continue. 

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