https://www.proz.com/kudoz/french-to-english/construction-civil-engineering/7167716-au-droit-de-specific-case.html
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expert constatant
Dec 26, 2023 08:30
5 mos ago
26 viewers *
French term

au droit de (specific case)

French to English Tech/Engineering Construction / Civil Engineering
Problems with a warehouse with sagging roof, ponding of water on flat roof, alleged history of poor repairs, possibly expired insurance policies, etc.

"Courrier de contestation adressé à AAA [insurer] en date du 16 novembre 2023
Un audit a été réalisé par la société BBB [technical inspection consultancy], laquelle conclut à l’absence de pérennité et d’efficacité des réparations réalisées au droit des désordres qui ont été déclarés.
Le rapport rédigé par cette société met en avant, notamment, l’absence de propriété structurelle du mastic, des pointes inadaptées pour le remaillage des éléments en bois et, en tout état de cause, l’utilisation de pointe et de vis de longueur insuffisante pour permettre un remaillage efficace des éléments concernés par la réparation."

This text uses "au droit de" about 30 times. I've translated this, my least favourite French prepositional expression (because so ambiguous), by "in line with" each time because it obviously describes some geometrical relationship. But here I suspect a sort of figurative use might be involved. I.e. something along the lines of "as a consequence of". Any views?
Proposed translations (English)
4 +3 at the location of (literally), on (in this case)
4 vertically above
4 pertaining to
3 flush /repair/

Discussion

Emmanuella Dec 27, 2023:
Absence de pérennité et d'efficacité des réparations réalisées SUR / ON un désordre ?
On ferait donc une réparation sur un ... désordre ? On répare un désordre
https://www.mire-blanchetiere-avocats.fr/la-reparation-des-d...
Daryo Dec 26, 2023:
It simply means that repairs were done at the sites / locations of noted defects.
It's only about where this remedial work was carried out, nothing more.
Mpoma (asker) Dec 26, 2023:
Thanks @Emmanuella Could be.
@Annette "La présence de fissures au droit des éléments de charpente de bois, potentiellement au-delà des tolérances fixées, notamment par le guide du lamellé collé." *All* the other cases are like that. As I said, a simple geometrical meaning suffices in all cases.
Annette Fehr Dec 26, 2023:
As you mention at the end of your comment, something like "consequent to" would strike me as appropriate. It would be interesting to see some other examples of the use of "au droit de" from your document to see if it's always used in the same way.
Emmanuella Dec 26, 2023:
Je me demande si cette expression n'a pas été confondue avec : à l'endroit de cf.
https://www.linternaute.fr/dictionnaire/fr/definition/a-l-en...

Vous pouvez contrôler si ce terme convient dans tous les cas.

Proposed translations

+3
3 hrs
Selected

at the location of (literally), on (in this case)

Literally au droit de means things like 'above', 'below', 'alongside'. Logically any repairs carried out ON the defects mentioned would be carried out on the upper surface, I imagine, but if faulty workmanship and wrong thinking is involved, the (alleged) repairs just MIGHT have been carried out on the underside. Futhermore, of the waterproofing extends vertically on kerbs (upstands) at some point, the repair could be a vertical patch OVER a hole, for example.

"c) Loc. prép., vx. Au droit de. Au niveau de, en face de, à la perpendiculaire de. M. Hirsch (...) a fait, sur la vaporisation dans les chaudières au droit du foyer, de très remarquables expériences (Ser, Phys. industr.,1888, p. 246):"
https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/droit#:~:text=Au droit de.,d...

Here, though, you're looking at "the efficacy of the repairs/remedial work carried out on the disorders".

That said, I have not found any examples of 'on the disorders'. You will however find examples of 'on the defects' and 'on the defective ...'. 'Disorder' is a simply neutral a choice of word that implies no attribution of fault, but it generally implies that something was done incorrectly.

Otherwise you could embroider a little and say 'the efficacy of the repairs/work carried out to remedy the disorders'. Since it is unlikely that remedial work would be carried out any distance from the disorders (unless it was a system for preventing water reaching the area, like dams and an umbrella ;-) ), chances are the remedial work would necessarily be performed at/on/at the location of the disorders.
Note from asker:
Thanks for thinking it through. I think I could respond by saying, yes, but why this particularly unhelpful and catch-all expression rather than something which expresses what you suggest, e.g. "au niveau de". But I'm inclining to think this expression amounts to a "tic" of the writing style of this author.
Ah yes, actually that definition page shows that it can indeed ALSO be synonymous with "au niveau de" (although it does say "vx"). Ludicrous, frankly.
Peer comment(s):
agree Daryo : You could also see it as a kind of synonym for "à l'endroit où" i.e. repairs are done where the defects are // Which sounds thinking of it as a proper Lapalissade - where else are you going to do repairs? Where everything is right?
5 hrs
agree philgoddard : Just 'on' is fine.
8 hrs
agree Annette Fehr
21 hrs
neutral SafeTex : This works but is it what was said? Surely it's more "pertaining to" (in response to)
3 days 6 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks"
3 hrs
French term (edited): au droit de

vertically above

Given the context of the 'specific case' - rainwater leaking through a botched repair to a roof, and the drips falling vertically onto whatever is situated underneath.

Some of the other 'au droit de' might, of course, mean something different.
Note from asker:
Thanks, yes, there is a case for that notion. The repairs seem quite extensive though (you can't know that from what I've given obvs).
Peer comment(s):
neutral Daryo : Yes, in some cases. But that meaning is unlikely to make sense here. What would be "vertically above" a sagging roof?
13 hrs
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4 hrs
French term (edited): au droit de

flush /repair/

Bothersome to reword +/- 30 times, but IMO its is about flush repairs.

...réparations réalisées au droit des désordres qui ont été déclarés : repairs carried out (and ending up) flush with the defects that or which have been reported.

flush with: ambiguous on its own as meaning 'full of', but a common term used by an inhouse FRE/GER>ENG tech. & patent translator, BA Bristol, at our Central London T&I Office.

Example sentence:

flush -definition: of a surface exactly even with an adjoining one, forming the same plane “a door flush with the wall” “the bottom of the window is flush with the floor” synonyms: even being level or straight or regular and without varia

This paper focuses on flush repairs to composite laminates, i.e. scarf and stepped repairs, as they are a very attractive way to restore damaged laminate strength while requiring advanced design and modelling techniques.

Reference:

http://www.proz.com/kudoz/french-to-english/construction-civil-engineering/3346976-au-droit-de-l’incendie.html

http://www.proz.com/personal-glossaries/entry/37501633-flush-with-de-niveau-avec

Note from asker:
The trouble is that "au droit de" is most definitely the vaguest of all vague expressions. No professional should be seen using it ever, IMHO. As Bourth's definition link shows, it can among other things be a synonym for "au niveau de" (i.e. "in the area of"). Simply ridiculous. Your links to other Proz entries are not sufficiently probative, Maître, even to start to convince that this specifically means "flush" here.
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10 hrs

pertaining to

Based on context and tone, I believe the client understands that this could evolve into a legal matter and are being proactive. "repairs pertaining to the reported defects" is to make sure any other cases are excluded in case of legal dispute, such as repairs to unreported defects / repairs to defects of which the report is missing, as those repairs might have turned out fine and would be a way to challenge the claims. Basically, your initial assumption "in line with" would not be wrong either, even if the wording offers a little more legal wiggling room.
Peer comment(s):
agree SafeTex : My first thought was "in response to" but this is similar. I don't see it as "at the location of".
2 days 23 hrs
disagree Daryo : You are adding unnecessary complications, that have no impact on what "au droit de" means in this ST. // Pourquoi chercher midi à quatorze heures??
3 days 16 hrs
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