[TF-dev] Re: French question: mél ?

Jean-François El Fouly <[email protected]>
Newsgroups gmane.comp.java.netbeans.modules.translated-files.devel
Message-ID <[email protected]>
It's not really a matter of choice, there is a rule of correct use and AFAIK we follow it.

Mail has to be translated by "mél" as an abbreviation of "messagerie électronique" when used for "email address", for instance in a business card:

Jean-François El Fouly
Tél: 01 47 00 52 15
Fax: ...
Mél: [email protected]

"Mél" looks like Tél (telephone) and this is with a purpose.
"Mél" may NOT be used as a noun.
"Mail"  has to be translated by "courriel" when meaning "an email": "The email I sent you yesterday" = "Le courriel que je t'ai envoyé hier".
"Courrier électronique" would be just as fine but it's long, and screen space is often a concern when translating NetBeans.

In France, this is the law (Journal Officiel du 20 juin 2003):
http://www.marche-public.fr/Terminologie/Entrees/mel.htm
http://www.marche-public.fr/Terminologie/Entrees/courriel.htm

But I admit that in everyday use, most people would just say (or even write !)  "un mail"; but  this is simply not correct.


Le 25 nov. 2009 à 22:36, Petra Stastna a écrit :

> Dear French community,
> recently we got feedback on our French download pages: a question about "mél". (More below.)
> I leave it up to you what you decide as the correct form, however, there seem various possibilities:
> mél
> courriel
> e-mail
> courrier électronique
> Please let me know on which you decide (keep mél or other options?) so that I can answer the user on this question. ;-)
> 
> Merci ;-)
> P.
> 
> 
> De : Alexis Moussine-Pouchkine <[email protected]>
> Date : 25 novembre 2009 15:16:04 HNEC
> À : Ruth Kusterer <[email protected]>
> Cc : Petra Stastna <[email protected]>, "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
> Objet : Rép : mél ???
> 
> 
> 
> On 25 nov. 2009, at 14:29, Ruth Kusterer <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
>> We received this mysterious message to nbevangelism a few days ago:
>> 
>> [email protected] wrote:
>>> mél ...
>>> 
>>> Le bon mot serait plutôt courriel
>> 
>> I just had a late incoming "revelation" what he meant! :)
>> 
>> We use "mél" as translation of "e-mail" on the download page etc.
>> http://wiki.netbeans.org/FrequentlyUsedLocalizedStrings
>> 
>> And he basically points out he would prefer to see the "official" French
>> noun, courriel.
>> 
>> Just FYI Petra -- I don't know whether this is worth starting a
>> political-linguistic (!) discussion on the dev-tf alias.
> 
> It's not! ;)
> "Courriel" is not understood by most people in France but it's the default in Quebec...
> 
> -Alexis
> 
>> 
>> -- 
>> Best regards,
>> Ruth Kusterer <[email protected]>
>> Sun Microsystems - Prague, Czech Republic
>> http://www.netbeans.org
>> 
> 
>
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