How Do I Translate These French Math Terms?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the translation of specific French mathematical terms related to geometry and topology. Participants seek clarification on terms encountered in a French math paper, particularly in the context of contact structures and open book decompositions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the term "Cellulation de Contact," suggesting it relates to cellular homology and decomposition into cells.
  • Another participant explains that "Cellule" means cell and "Cellulation" refers to the process of dividing into cells, interpreting "Cellulation de Contact" as a process related to contact.
  • The term "Decoupage" is discussed, with a participant translating it as "cutting" and providing context from the original French sentence.
  • A participant asks about "l'ame de l'anneau," noting that "âme" means "soul" and "anneau" can refer to an annulus, expressing confusion over the phrase's meaning.
  • Another participant suggests that "l'âme de l'anneau" could mean "kernel of a ring," but acknowledges uncertainty without further context.
  • Discussion arises around the term "vrillé," with one participant associating it with "overtwisted" and relating it to the concept of helicoids.
  • One participant mentions using Google Translate as a potential resource for understanding technical terms, while acknowledging its limitations.
  • A later reply indicates that "âme" translates to "soul of a manifold," clarifying the context of "anneau" as referring to an annulus rather than an algebraic structure.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying interpretations of the terms, with some agreeing on translations while others remain uncertain or propose alternative meanings. The discussion does not reach a consensus on all terms, particularly regarding "l'âme de l'anneau."

Contextual Notes

Some terms may have multiple meanings depending on the mathematical context, and participants note the importance of context in understanding these translations. There is also a mention of potential ambiguity in the use of certain terms in different mathematical fields.

Bacle2
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Hi, All:

Sorry if this is off-topic, but I did not know where else to ask. These are geometric/topological

terms, so I thought it'd make sense to ask here:

I am reading a math paper in French, and I'm having trouble :

1)Cellulation de Contact . Cellules. I suspect this has to see with cellular homology , and decomposition into cells

(as in CW-complexes )

2) Decoupage, as in:

...S est une surface e-convexe, don't le decoupage est fourni par K. Thanks. If necessary, I'll delete and post somewhere else.

EDIT/P.S: For the sake of context, the paper is on Contact Structures and Open Book Decompositions. Sorry, I cannot

find a link for it online.
 
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'Cellule' means cell.

'Cellulation' refers to the process of dividing into cells.

'Cellulation de Contact' would therefor means 'The dividing into cells coming from "contact"' This is obscure and should have been defined elsewhere I guess.

'...S est une surface e-convexe, don't le decoupage est fourni par K.' means '...S is an e-convex surface whose cutting is provided by K."

'Decoupage' means 'cutting'.

If you have nay more questions, don't hesitate :)
 
Merci, ami Quasar987 !
 
Hi again, Quasar987, two more, please:

How about : l'ame de l'anneau , where the 'a' in ame has a circumflex accent?

I know ame is sould, and anneau is an annulus, but 'the soul of the annulus' sounds

just like a cheesy sci-fi movie :).

How about 'vrillees' (accent on first e ), in reference to a contact structure? I

imagine it means 'overtwisted' , since I'm pretty sure 'tendue' means tight in this

context, right?

P.S: I'll owe you a few beers if you come to NYC--or maybe pastis?
 
Haha.. well you're right that 'âme' means 'soul', but 'anneau' can also refer to a 'ring' (the algebraic structure). In any case, I have no idea what 'l'âme de l'anneau' could mean !

I do not know how to translate 'vrillé'. It it is an adjectification of the (feminine) noun 'vrille'. When I hear it, I see an helicoid as the best example of something that is vrillé.

So surely that means 'overtwisted' if it's used next to 'tendu', which clearly means 'tight'.
 
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Have you tried Google translate?

It might not work for all mathematical or other technical terms, but it might give hints to guessing the meaning.
 
'l'âme de l'anneau' == kernel of a ring (I believe. )

Unless there is a mathematician around here who was educated in France ( I do not know )--
You best bet is mathoverflow.net: Denis Serre and several other French mathematicians frequent the site.
 
Thanks all:

My best understanding so far, after asking a French math prof. is that ame,
actually translates to "soul of a manifold" ; weird, but there is actually such thing.

Jim: I did not give enough context, but anneau here refers to annulus, and
there is no algebraic structure, so I think "soul of a manifold":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_theorem
 

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