Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
corps social
English translation:
social fabric
Added to glossary by
John Holland
Nov 24, 2013 11:17
10 yrs ago
7 viewers *
French term
corps social
French to English
Bus/Financial
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
company / organisational structure
I am having difficulty with this term because of the specific way it is being used in my document. I have seen elsewhere that it can mean 'society', 'the fabric of society', etc. But my problem here is that I am convinced that the writer is using it in the much more restricted sense of 'the people in a company' — i.e. 'société' in the sense of 'company', rather than 'society'.
Throughout the document, the emphasis is on the place of people within the organizational structure, and how everything they do is intended to be people-centred; the following typical example of use is from the biog of one of the company's consultants:
« Ses expériences en communication et sciences sociales lui apportent une vision centrée sur l’expérience utilisateur et l’amélioration du corps social. »
Now it seems to me we are not talking here about improving society as a whole (!) — I doubt this company's influence would extend quite that far! It is just a company that provides consultancy for companies seeking to improve their internal communications via the use of intranets, company social networks, etc. So they want to improve performance (yeah, yeah, heard THAT before!) by giving end users (= the damned workforce!) a 'better intranet experience'
Has anyone come across this more restrictive usage before? I rather fear it is part of the rather 'original' use of language that this company seems fond of inventing.
I shall be going back to my customer on Monday morning to seek confirmation that my reading is correct, but I am still going to be left with the problem of how best to translate the concept.
Throughout the document, the emphasis is on the place of people within the organizational structure, and how everything they do is intended to be people-centred; the following typical example of use is from the biog of one of the company's consultants:
« Ses expériences en communication et sciences sociales lui apportent une vision centrée sur l’expérience utilisateur et l’amélioration du corps social. »
Now it seems to me we are not talking here about improving society as a whole (!) — I doubt this company's influence would extend quite that far! It is just a company that provides consultancy for companies seeking to improve their internal communications via the use of intranets, company social networks, etc. So they want to improve performance (yeah, yeah, heard THAT before!) by giving end users (= the damned workforce!) a 'better intranet experience'
Has anyone come across this more restrictive usage before? I rather fear it is part of the rather 'original' use of language that this company seems fond of inventing.
I shall be going back to my customer on Monday morning to seek confirmation that my reading is correct, but I am still going to be left with the problem of how best to translate the concept.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +3 | social fabric |
John Holland
|
| 3 +2 | corporate fabric |
Sandra & Kenneth Grossman
|
| 3 | human capital |
Paul Hirsh
|
| 2 | social body |
GuillaumeT (X)
|
| 1 | staff teamwork/relations/ethos |
Carol Gullidge
|
References
| exemples de "corps social" |
mchd
|
Change log
Nov 29, 2013 08:44: John Holland Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+3
53 mins
Selected
social fabric
I'd be inclined to talk about the "social fabric" of the company, which knits the users together.
Here are some examples of this term used in a business context:
From http://www.mason-williams.co.uk/about/ :
"This is an agency where you will be given individual responsibility for projects from a very early stage. At the same time you will be supported by more experienced members of the team. On joining you will be under the wing of two mentors – one to help you fit into the social fabric of the company and one to be there if you need professional advice."
From http://www.examiner.com/article/try-coaching-to-reach-optimu... :
"On a corporate level, successful businesses realize that a key source of competitive advantage is to be found in the social fabric of the company — their people. The most successful leaders believe that people are the company's greatest asset, and they demonstrate this belief by investing in their own personal growth and in the education and development of their people."
An article title, at http://www.cgispysupport.com/2011/04/knowledge-management-km... :
Knowledge Management (KM) As A Means Of Strengthening The Social Fabric Of The Company
From http://www.strategy-business.com/article/11639?gko=694f5&tid... :
"The most successful manager has a broad perspective encompassing not only financial topics, but cultural understanding as well. This manager recognizes the specialized talents of different people and keeps their needs in mind. And he includes their networks and interdependencies in the social fabric of the company."
Here is one possible translation of the sentence in question:
"His background in communication studies and the social sciences gives him keen insight into user experience and ways of enhancing/improving/strengthening the social fabric of the company."
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Note added at 1 hr (2013-11-24 13:08:39 GMT)
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A better option for the possible translation:
"...ways of enhancing/developing/etc. a/your company's social fabric."
In other words, "a" or "your" is probably better than "the," although it depends on context too....
Anyway, my guess is that this is about using "social media" within a company to improve communication and cohesiveness (also in contrast with the individuality of "user experience"). If that is the case, then I think it would be nice to use the word "social" somehow in the translation.
Here are some examples of this term used in a business context:
From http://www.mason-williams.co.uk/about/ :
"This is an agency where you will be given individual responsibility for projects from a very early stage. At the same time you will be supported by more experienced members of the team. On joining you will be under the wing of two mentors – one to help you fit into the social fabric of the company and one to be there if you need professional advice."
From http://www.examiner.com/article/try-coaching-to-reach-optimu... :
"On a corporate level, successful businesses realize that a key source of competitive advantage is to be found in the social fabric of the company — their people. The most successful leaders believe that people are the company's greatest asset, and they demonstrate this belief by investing in their own personal growth and in the education and development of their people."
An article title, at http://www.cgispysupport.com/2011/04/knowledge-management-km... :
Knowledge Management (KM) As A Means Of Strengthening The Social Fabric Of The Company
From http://www.strategy-business.com/article/11639?gko=694f5&tid... :
"The most successful manager has a broad perspective encompassing not only financial topics, but cultural understanding as well. This manager recognizes the specialized talents of different people and keeps their needs in mind. And he includes their networks and interdependencies in the social fabric of the company."
Here is one possible translation of the sentence in question:
"His background in communication studies and the social sciences gives him keen insight into user experience and ways of enhancing/improving/strengthening the social fabric of the company."
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2013-11-24 13:08:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
A better option for the possible translation:
"...ways of enhancing/developing/etc. a/your company's social fabric."
In other words, "a" or "your" is probably better than "the," although it depends on context too....
Anyway, my guess is that this is about using "social media" within a company to improve communication and cohesiveness (also in contrast with the individuality of "user experience"). If that is the case, then I think it would be nice to use the word "social" somehow in the translation.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Daryo
: "company's social fabric" // "social fabric" alone may be misleading
8 hrs
|
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Thank you, Daryo
|
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| agree |
Janice Giffin
: with Daryo on this
11 hrs
|
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Thank you, Janice
|
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| agree |
Carol Gullidge
: and I have no misgivings about the word 'fabric' in this context! This is a very common usage
19 hrs
|
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Thank you, Carol
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks for your contribution, John! Your guess was certainly partly right, although it is much broader than JUST 'social media', it is all about the whole communications structure, integration of intra- and extra-net, etc.
However, in consultation with the writer, we eventually settled on 'social fabric of the company', which pretty much covers all bases, without making it sound like the Christmas Party Committee!"
27 mins
Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
Specializes in field
United Kingdom
poetically precise prose with... panache
Native in: English 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
124
staff teamwork/relations/ethos
this is based solely on your context, but also draws on 'esprit de corps'.
It sounds as though the idea is something like "strong team spirit", "staff ethos", "staff networking"
But, please note the low CR, since I don't have actual experience of the term in question - sorry, but hope this may help a little anyway!
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Note added at 29 mins (2013-11-24 11:46:10 GMT)
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OR 'company ethos' or 'brand ethos' of course!
It sounds as though the idea is something like "strong team spirit", "staff ethos", "staff networking"
But, please note the low CR, since I don't have actual experience of the term in question - sorry, but hope this may help a little anyway!
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 29 mins (2013-11-24 11:46:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
OR 'company ethos' or 'brand ethos' of course!
Note from asker:
| Thanks a lot, Carol! These were interesting suggestions that had not occurred to me spontaneously, so your contribution is much appreciated; in the end, and after consultation with the writer, I went for a different solution. |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Janice Giffin
: staff implies only one level of the corporation, whereas the ethos should run through the entire company at all levels. "Ethos" refers to guiding beliefs, and I feel that corps social may (also) be connections that are not based on beliefs.
12 hrs
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maybe, but you seem to have ignored my subsequent suggestions: company ethos and brand ethos
|
+2
1 hr
Sandra & Kenneth Grossman
Israel
Israel
Native in English
Israel
Quality, Reliability, Experience.
Native in: English 
, Romanian
Works in: French to English, Hebrew to English, Romanian to English, and 3 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
19
corporate fabric
Another fashionable buzzword, along with "corporate culture".
They are often used together:
"Our commitment to sustainability has become a part of our corporate fabric and is .... continues to reinforce sustainability to the very core of our corporate culture."
"-Corporate culture is a delicate phenomenon. ... tasting” through their blogs may help new employees integrate quickly into the corporate fabric."
"Organizational learning and corporate culture are replication mechanisms of firm ... to ingrain into the corporate fabric to manifest themselves by way of results."
They are often used together:
"Our commitment to sustainability has become a part of our corporate fabric and is .... continues to reinforce sustainability to the very core of our corporate culture."
"-Corporate culture is a delicate phenomenon. ... tasting” through their blogs may help new employees integrate quickly into the corporate fabric."
"Organizational learning and corporate culture are replication mechanisms of firm ... to ingrain into the corporate fabric to manifest themselves by way of results."
Note from asker:
| Thanks a lot, Sandra & Ken! This was a helpful suggestion very close to what I eventualy used; in the end, and after consultation with the writer, I went for a different solution, as she preferred to avoid 'corporate' in this particular document (had been over-used in other applications!) |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Janice Giffin
: I like this, but when I run it through the browser, there are too many hits that refer to 'fabric' in the sense of cloth :(
11 hrs
|
| agree |
Carol Gullidge
: I like this too, and disagree with Janice's views on 'fabric', which, in any case, appear rather inconsistent!
19 hrs
|
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Thanks!
|
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| agree |
Sonia Geerlings
1 day 2 hrs
|
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Thanks!
|
10 hrs
social body
Food for thought. In some circles, social body = corps social.
Note from asker:
| Merci, Guillaume ! One of the fundamental problems I had here was what to do with 'social', since in FR it could mean 'of society' or 'of the company', whereas in EN, the former meaning predominates. Both I and the writer felt it was unwise to use it here, without the possibility for further explanation. |
1 day 2 hrs
Paul Hirsh
France
France
Native in English
Specializes in field
France
The Human Translator
Native in: English
Works in: French to English, Russian to English, Spanish to English, and 2 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
32
human capital
if all else fails
Note from asker:
| Thanks a lot, Paul! Ah yes, that's one I've used on occasion, but as it was associated here with 'improving', I felt it was a bit risky, suggesting they might need to replace all their staff ;-) Could well fit in other contexts, though! |
Reference comments
5 hrs
Reference:
exemples de "corps social"
http://www.politis.fr/Le-corps-medical-et-le-corps,20281.htm...
http://www.journaldunet.com/management/expert/46079/diriger-...
http://www2.cndp.fr/RevueDEES/pdf/155/155_sesplurielles.pdf
Enfin, de Prépa HEC, l'une des plus prestigieuses écoles de commerce en France :
http://www.klubprepa.fr/Site/Document/ChargementExtrait.aspx...
http://www.journaldunet.com/management/expert/46079/diriger-...
http://www2.cndp.fr/RevueDEES/pdf/155/155_sesplurielles.pdf
Enfin, de Prépa HEC, l'une des plus prestigieuses écoles de commerce en France :
http://www.klubprepa.fr/Site/Document/ChargementExtrait.aspx...
Note from asker:
| Merci, mchd ! This do indeed correspond to my understanding of the FR term as it is being used in my document. Now comes the next challenge: how best to render that in EN :-( |
Peer comments on this reference comment:
| agree |
writeaway
22 mins
|
| agree |
John Holland
: I especially like the second link, which defines the "corps social" as "composé des salariés en tant que personnes physiques, mais bien plus encore du lien intellectuel qui les unit." FWIW, this "lien" was what I was trying to get at with "fabric."
2 hrs
|
Discussion
http://www.inc.com/encyclopedia/managing-organizational-chan...