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réalité du terrain

English translation: reality on the ground/in the field

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:réalité du terrain
English translation:reality on the ground/in the field
Entered by: Helen Shiner

07:57 Jul 19, 2008
French to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc. / humanitarian aid
French term or phrase: réalité du terrain
This term comes up a lot in humanitarian texts in French. Unesco, the OECD and so on use "reality of the field" or "realities of the field", but no one else does. I could, of course, say "what's happening in the field" or "what's going on the field", but I'm sure there is a more usual term used spontaneously by English speakers. Below are a couple of contexts:

"Connectés pour la plupart à la réalité du terrain, elles [les ONG] entretiennent un dialogue profond avec la population".

"Dans plusieurs pays, les OSC ont créé des programmes de visite de petites structures de province afin de permettre au représentant des pouvoirs publics de comprendre la réalité du terrain."

Thank you
Rosemary Kneipp
Local time: 17:41
reality on the ground/in the field
Explanation:
I think this is what would ordinarily be used in such circumstances both in UK and US English. Please see link:

"SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS REALITY ON THE GROUND IN KOSOVO MUST BE ADDRESSED AS IT DEVELOPS, TO ENSURE PEACE, SECURITY, IN CLOSING REMARKS TO SECURITY COUNCIL"
Selected response from:

Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:41
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +7reality on the ground/in the field
Helen Shiner
4 +3field realities
sueaberwoman
4 +2the situation in the field
Juliette Scott
3 +1(with their) hands on knowledge/experience
ormiston
4first-hand experience
kashew
4local situation
Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
3what's happening at ground level
Vicky James
3In touch with the real-life situation/with the reality of the situation
MatthewLaSon
3field conditions
Melissa McMahon
3actual situation at local level
Emma Paulay


  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
the situation in the field


Explanation:
This is what "sponteneously" comes to me !!!

Juliette Scott
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:41
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  John Farebrother: situation on the ground
1 hr
  -> thanks John
agree  Harald Moelzer (medical-translator)
8 hrs
  -> thanks Harald
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14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +7
reality on the ground/in the field


Explanation:
I think this is what would ordinarily be used in such circumstances both in UK and US English. Please see link:

"SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS REALITY ON THE GROUND IN KOSOVO MUST BE ADDRESSED AS IT DEVELOPS, TO ENSURE PEACE, SECURITY, IN CLOSING REMARKS TO SECURITY COUNCIL"



    Reference: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sgsm11427.doc.htm
Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:41
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 11
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  aricb: both of these are good; I especially like "on the ground"
3 mins
  -> Thanks, aricb
agree  Irene McClure: absolutely
20 mins
  -> Thanks, Irene
agree  Carol Gullidge: prefer "on the ground"
46 mins
  -> Thanks, Carol
agree  Dave 72: "On the ground" seems to be used a lot
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Dave
agree  B D Finch
6 hrs
  -> Thanks, B D Finch
agree  sueaberwoman: In all honesty, if Google is a good measuring stick, reality on the ground wins hands down, with 241,000 ghits!
10 hrs
  -> thanks, sueaberwoman
agree  Jean-Louis S.
11 hrs
  -> Thanks, jlsjr
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31 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
field realities


Explanation:
Another possibility. I'm aware that this is not extremely different from the other answers, but IMO sounds a bit more natural.

India Study Abroad
Activities, Visit tribal villages and learn about grassroots development, work on data analysis, program evaluation, documentation of field realities and ...
www.indiastudyabroad.org/program_details.php?prog_na_id=3 - 23k - Cached - Similar pages

[DOC]
Data collected during the 2004 field season have not been ...
File Format: Microsoft Word - View as HTML
Field sampling methods evolved during the summer to accommodate field realities (cutting units tend to be long and relatively narrow with one side being ...
http://avianscience.dbs.umt.edu/documents/RMRS2004-plants.do... - Similar pages

Making the most of physician surveys | eyeforpharma.com | Pharma ...
3 Dec 2007 ... Finally, “field realities” that emerge from implementation of that ... Incorporating “field realities” Because the medical profession is not ...
http://social.eyeforpharma.com/node/1810 - 23k - Cached - Similar pages

Senior UN official briefs Security Council on results of ...
22 Feb 2006 ... to judging them by a procurement system and procedures that are out of step with field realities and itself needs reform,” he said. ...
www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=17581&Cr=peacekeep&Cr... - 16k - Cached - Similar pages

sueaberwoman
Local time: 17:41
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  kashew: Perfect!
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Kashew!
agree  Aude Sylvain
7 hrs
  -> Merci Aude!
agree  Harald Moelzer (medical-translator)
8 hrs
  -> Merci Harald!
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
(with their) hands on knowledge/experience


Explanation:
another slant, perhaps more what people would actually say...

ormiston
Local time: 17:41
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  katsy
5 mins
  -> thanks katsy
neutral  kashew: hands-on is good.
13 mins
  -> thanks, and the hyphen is better too
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
first-hand experience


Language variant: on-site experience

Explanation:
*

kashew
France
Local time: 17:41
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
what's happening at ground level


Explanation:
Just some suggestions.

"Aware, for the most part, of what's happening at ground level..."

"With a general understanding/awareness of what's happening at ground level..."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/oct/21/observerbusin...

...as 99.9 per cent of companies are in the last resort) are quite good at getting people to carry out orders. The downside is that the dictator, however brilliant, is too far removed from what's happening at ground level for the orders to be reliably timely or right: 99.9 per cent of what we call management (planning and scheduling, budgeting, market research, performance management)...


Vicky James
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:41
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
local situation


Explanation:
the meaning of "terrain" is not only physical in this case

Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
Spain
Local time: 17:41
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
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11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
In touch with the real-life situation/with the reality of the situation


Explanation:
Hello,

I think this is the idea

réalité du terrain = reality of the terrain = reality of the situation

I hope it helps.

MatthewLaSon
Local time: 11:41
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 28
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22 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
field conditions


Explanation:
The expression that comes to my mind is to refer to 'conditions' rather than realities/reality - or a variation, eg. 'real field conditions', 'real conditions in the field/on the ground.

Melissa McMahon
Australia
Local time: 01:41
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 28
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1 day 22 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
actual situation at local level


Explanation:
There are plenty of solutions, but I prefer 'actual' for 'réalité'.

Emma Paulay
France
Local time: 17:41
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 20
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