Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

Arc des Caraibes

English translation:

Caribbean Arc

Added to glossary by Hattie Hill
Nov 17, 2008 16:39
15 yrs ago
French term

Arc des Caraibes

French to English Social Sciences Geography
This is in an insurance policy, listed under the "coverage territory."

Is there a term for this in English?

Thanks!
References
Caribbean arc

Discussion

Hattie Hill (asker) Nov 17, 2008:
No, there are no individual Caribbean islands or countries listed. However, Suriname, French Guiana and British Guyana are listed as countries in the coverage territory.
Melissa McMahon Nov 17, 2008:
Hi Hattie, are any individual Caribbean countries listed separately under the policy? If not, I think this is simply a way of saying "the Caribbean (region)".

Proposed translations

+3
17 mins
Selected

Arc of the Caribbean

Les Antilles sont un vaste archipel américain situé dans la mer des Caraïbes. L'archipel forme un arc de cercle de 3500 km de long.
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antilles Google "Arc of the Caribbean" if you wish ...

Peer comment(s):

agree Jean-Louis S. : or Caribbean arc
4 mins
Merci Jean-Louis ...
agree Laura Tridico : Caribbean arc. See http://ec.europa.eu/development/geographical/regionscountrie...
1 hr
Merci Laura ...
disagree kashew : In a geological context OK, but we are in insurance, geographical context.
2 hrs
Merci pour votre opinion, kashew. Moi, j'aurais dis en français, "dans les Caraïbes" et en anglais, "in the Caribbean" ... mais on nous demandait de traduire "Arc des Caraïbes" ...
agree Bourth (X) : Caribbean Arc, as an economic/trading entity.
8 hrs
Merci Bourth pour votre appui ...
agree jean-jacques alexandre
17 hrs
Un gros merci, Jean-Jacques ...
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3 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "I found plenty of examples of Caribbean Arc, and as someone else mentioned, it is just vague enough for an insurance policy. Merci bien."
21 mins

Caribbean chain

lots of GHits
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-1
1 hr

The West Indies

WEST INDIES

The West Indies is a large group of islands that separate the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. They comprise three main island groups:

Bahamas (north)
Greater Antilles (central)
Lesser Antilles (southeast)

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Note added at 2 hrs (2008-11-17 19:00:24 GMT)
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Ask a good British schoolchild where Jamaica is and the answer will be in the West Indies - not in the Caribbean Chain or Arc.
Peer comment(s):

disagree Jean-Claude Gouin : I am not a good British student. We were asked to translate "Arc of the Caribbean" not "Caribbean" ...
1 hr
neutral Melissa McMahon : I'm with you most of the way (I don't like cricket, I love it), but not sure it's best for US
5 hrs
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5 hrs

Antilles (specific context) Caribbean Basin (general context)

The specific translation "Antilles" refers to the arc of Greater Antilles to Lesser Antilles islands beginning with Cuba and ending with Trinidad. The more general translation "Caribbean Basin" refers, on the one hand, to the geographic area of the continental land mass from, on the northern side (the U.S.), the western side (Central America) and the southern side (Colombia and Venezuela), and on the other, the abovementioned arc of Greater and Lesser Antilles islands.

sources:

Antilles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - The Antilles (the same in French; Antillas in Spanish; Antillen in Dutch) refers to the islands forming the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antilles - 39k -

Caribbean Basin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - The Caribbean Basin is generally defined as the area running from Florida westward along the Gulf coast, then south along the Mexican coast through Central ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribbean_Basin - 17k -
Peer comment(s):

neutral Melissa McMahon : the Antilles is too specific as it doesn't include the Bahamas (between Cuba and Florida), which is included in the Caribbean arc
1 hr
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7 hrs

the Caribbean archipelago or islands

This is obviously not a direct translation of "Arc des Caraibes" but I agree with kashew that "Caribbean arc" is a bit too scientific a register for an insurance policy (to the point where I don't think the meaning is clear - though not sure if meaning is clearer in French).

Hattie's clarification makes it clear that this is not quite just another way of saying "The Caribbean", because it excludes the mainland countries of the Caribbean region/West Indies (the Guyanas and Suriname): "Arc" has been used to pick out the islands rather than the mainland (probably different insurance risks apply) and so I'd translate it as the Caribbean archipelago (ie island group) or islands.

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Note added at 8 hrs (2008-11-18 00:46:24 GMT)
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Actually, since you say the Guyanas etc. come under the same coverage territory, it sounds like they're just enumerating the parts of the West Indies - the islands on the one hand and coastal territories on the other - to distinguish from, eg. Central America, which might fall under a different heading.
Peer comment(s):

neutral rkillings : If Guyana and Surinam are in this "arc", why not Florida? Or Yucatan, for that matter? Nothing scientific about it at all.
7 hrs
No, Guyana & Surinam are listed separately, not in the Arc, hence interpretation of Arc as the islands of the Caribbean (and not the whole region, which would include them)
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Reference comments

5 hrs
Reference:

Caribbean arc

Ever since the invention of Europe's blue banana, people have been striving to find or invent other arc-like economic or sectoral entities. We have the Atlantic Arc, for instance, which is lobbying the EU for funds to develop the area from Ireland, through Wales and south-west England, along France's Atlantic seaboard and town to coastal Spain and Portugal. The feeling is that these areas would do well to promote intra-national synergies amongst themselves rather than seek to deal more intensively with Europe's eastward expansion. I've encountered other such arcs too (not that I can think of them at the moment).

I agree with Kashew that this amounts to the West Indies, but maybe we should move with the times. Quite frankly, Caribbean Arc is sexier, with frillier knickers.

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Note added at 9 hrs (2008-11-18 01:47:14 GMT)
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That clinches it: if Surinam and the Guy/ianas are in there, then it has to be "Caribbean Arc". Unless it's that bone of US/European contention, the Caribbean Banana.
Peer comments on this reference comment:

agree kashew : It all sounds suitably vague - ideal for an insurance clause!
10 hrs
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