Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

aléa sismique

English translation:

seismic hazard

Added to glossary by FlyHi
Mar 16, 2011 16:50
13 yrs ago
6 viewers *
French term

aléa sismique

French to English Other Geology Seismology
Sorry, no context. The text accompanies a map of France with different-colored areas.
Proposed translations (English)
4 +3 seismic hazard
4 +2 seismic risk
4 seismic susceptibility

Discussion

liz askew Mar 21, 2011:
"One man's truth is not another's". Sure thing. However, in this uncertain world plagued with cynics I prefer to know where my personal truth lies. Even if I am shot down for it.
Bourth (X) Mar 18, 2011:
Liz, that's what translation is all about. Being true to the text. Of course one man's truth is not another's. "Hazard" in the mouth of a seismic engineer need not be what it is in the ears of the owner of a cliff-top house. Aléa is a couple of steps closer to "neutrality" between bright and dark outlook than is "hazard". It's the same argument as between fauteuil and "armchair", when it boils down to it. Generally speaking one is a translation of the other, but there will be occasions when another word is required, in either language.
liz askew Mar 18, 2011:
I am sure there is a plethora of words this would apply to, but I try to be true to the text as much as possible.
liz askew Mar 18, 2011:
Sure Bourth. But how the ordinary person understands "hazard" is their problem, not the translators. I translate what is in front of me, rather than edit what is in front of me or change the meaning too much, I suppose in medical translation this is what I do.
Bourth (X) Mar 18, 2011:
Well yes, it does mean "hazard" when used in the right context by the right people. But as I say, consider aléatoire and "hazardous" and what the man in the street will understand from "hazard" in light of that, in contrast to what the French man in the street will understand from aléa. While les aléas de la vie CAN be "the hazards of life (if one is pessimistic), more generally it would be "the ups and downs" or "the imponderables of life".
liz askew Mar 18, 2011:
....by AND large...
liz askew Mar 18, 2011:
@Bourth. I disagree with your comment that "aléa" does not mean "hazard". All the references I have provided, by an large professional and from the experts, indicate that it means exactly this.
Bourth (X) Mar 17, 2011:
@Liz You've made precisely my point with "Were I living in Japan ... I for one would be shouting at the top of my voice "What a b.........hazardous place to live"". Yes, it's hazardous, but that is not the meaning of aléa. Your experts will interpret "seismic hazard" in an entirely different way to the man in the street. And those used to earthquakes will regard them differently to those who are not, more fatalistically perhaps. As my daughter replied to her mother's side of the family exhorting her to abandon her studies in Christchurch NZ and return to the safety of France, "Pour ce qui est des tremblements de terre je sais que c'est difficile pour vous de comprendre ce que c'est de l'autre bout de la terre. Vous avez vu toute la couverture médiatique et les images choquantes mais au final notre expérience à nous à l'université est bien differente. Je sais bien que vous êtes loin et que tout ça est effrayant pour vous mais les désastres arrivent cela ne veux pas dire qu'il faut s'arrêter de vivre tout simplement." Which from what I see is the attitude of the Japanese. They must be British, down deep, those Nippons!
liz askew Mar 17, 2011:
All views expressed herewith are my own, and if they are not politically correct, then I am not going to apologise for this. Good day to you all.
liz askew Mar 17, 2011:
If we ignore "hazards" how can we prepare ourselves for them? No good hiding our heads in the sand.
liz askew Mar 17, 2011:
There is no misunderstanding in my mind about the word hazard, nor in the view of professionals with the expertise in the occurrences of earthquakes. Were I living in Japan, God forbid at this terrible time, I for one would be shouting at the top of my voice "What a b.........hazardous place to live" and I'll bet you it is what the Japanese are saying and thinking themselves, as they are having first hand experience of it, and may God give them strength. We cannot run away and pretend people do not suffer from hazards.
Bourth (X) Mar 17, 2011:
It is because of the complications and potential misunderstandings by non-professionals (and journalists, who are worse : "So when the f*#@ is this Fukashima thing going to blow Japan out of the water anyway?" is all some of them want to know) that it can be considered advisable to avoid the words. And at the present time, if this map is for general consumption, it might well be worth avoiding them! Particularly since "hazard" (cf "hazardous") carries greater connotations of actual danger than does aléa (cf. aléatoire.
liz askew Mar 17, 2011:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:FmXdase...

Earthquake Hazard and Risk
Hazard and risk are two fundamentally different concepts. In general terms, hazard is a phenomenon that has potential to cause harm. Phenomena are both natural and man-made. For example, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods are natural hazards; whereas car crashes, chemical spills, train derailments, and terror attacks are man-made hazards. Risk, on the other hand, is the probability (chance) of harm if someone or something that is vulnerable is exposed to a hazard. In quantitative terms, hazard is defined by three parameters: a level of hazard (severity), its occurrence frequency, and location, for example, a fatal car crash (severity) in every month at a specific intersection. And risk is defined by four parameters: a probability, level of severity, time period, and location. For example, in health sciences, risk is defined as the likelihood (probability) of getting cancer (severity) if an average daily dose of a hazardous substance is taken over a 70-year lifeti
kashew Mar 17, 2011:
Risk and hazard http://www.google.fr/imgres?imgurl=http://tasaclips.com/illu...
for an example that probably corresponds to Asker's map caption.
Bourth (X) Mar 17, 2011:
See difference between "risque sismique" and aléa sismique in note to my answer. Aléa is no more "hazard" than aléatoire is "hazardous" or hasard is "hazard".
liz askew Mar 16, 2011:
say no more. Lern 101 - Bienvenue au Laboratoire d'études sur les risques ... - [ Translate this page ]
Aléa (Hazard in English): Probabilité qu'un danger particulier (menace) se produise durant une période de temps donnée. Remarque: Aussi souvent considéré ...
www.lern.ggl.ulaval.ca/lern101.htm - Cached
liz askew Mar 16, 2011:
hmm.
Bourth (X) Mar 16, 2011:
They live in a "prone" area, which amounts to the same thing, unless one is lying face-down on the ground.
liz askew Mar 16, 2011:
Hi, I really don't think the Japanese people live in a "susceptible" area, do you?
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:TmabxBo...

Proposed translations

+3
5 mins
Selected

seismic hazard

espérant que cela t'aide !
Peer comment(s):

agree liz askew : SEISMICITY AND EARTHQUAKE HAZARD IN THE UK Here I give a synopsis of present knowledge regarding UK seismicity and present an illustrative seismic hazard map. (Note: in this paper terms describing ... www.earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk/hazard/Hazard_UK.htm - Cache
41 mins
agree Natasha Dupuy
1 hr
agree philgoddard
6 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
1 hr

seismic susceptibility

When dealing with things that might go horribly wrong, and particularly when addressing the general public, engineers like to avoid words like "hazard" and "risk" since those words are seen by many as "positive", in a negative sense, i.e. something bad will go wrong. "Susceptibility" on the other hand is more "neutral" - there's a possibility, it might or it mightn't happen.

SEISMIC SUSCEPTIBILITY MAPS. Note: These guidelines are presented in draft form, pending review, update and approval by appropriate ...
www.oas.org/cdmp/document/kma/guidseis.htm

We are currently conducting research at the University of Missouri-Rolla to examine and analyze THE SEISMIC SUSCEPTIBILITY of us Highway 60 and to provide ...
web.mst.edu/~rluna/us60eq/Intro_page.htm

INTRODUCTION Southwestern Montana and adjacent ldaho is a REGION OF HIGH SEISMIC SUSCEPTIBILITY (Hill and Bartholomew, 1999: Bartholomew et al., ...
books.google.com/books?isbn=0813723590...

As for the SEISMIC SUSCEPTIBILITY, Beijing can be compared to Indian Seismic Zones 3 & 4. There are many propagandists of high-rises who ...
www.the2012discovery.com/2012-discovery/earthquake-in...at-...

SEISMIC SUSCEPTIBILITY OF INDIAN SUBCONTINENT; Performance of structures under past earthquakes - Lessons learnt - Behaviour of RC, ...
www.sercm.org:7778/portal/page?_pageid=114,32154...

SEISMIC SUSCEPTIBILITY ZONE Classification for the Mayagüez Area (Moya and McCann,. 1992). ...
earthquake.usgs.gov/research/external/reports/04HQGR0075.pdf

The California Department of Conservation issues maps of SEISMIC SUSCEPTIBILITY for the Bay area; they're reproduced in handy GIF format here. ...
geology.about.com › Geologic Maps


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2011-03-16 18:16:49 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Otherwise "seismic zones" might cover it, if this is a caption for an illustration.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2011-03-16 22:17:52 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

143,000 ghits for "susceptible to earthquakes"

1160 "earthquake-susceptible"
which compares not too badly with the 1100 "alea sismique".

susceptible ... 1. Capable of taking, receiving, being affected by, or undergoing something.
[SOED]

An earthquake-prone area is one which is susceptible to suffer from earthquakes.

As for use by professionals in the field, the "Susceptibility Map of the San Francisco Bay Area" here, showing "very high" to "very low" liquefaction susceptibility was produced by the US Geological Survey
http://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/sfgeo/liquefaction/susceptibility...

Even though that’s the most powerful earthquake we know about in New England, Ebel [Boston College Professor of Geophysics] wouldn’t rule out the region has experienced a 7.0 and could again. But, he said, most seismologists would say THE REGION IS NOT SUSCEPTIBLE TO EARTHQUAKES AS LARGE AS AN 8.0. [ ... ] CALIFORNIA IS DESERVEDLY NOTORIOUS FOR ITS EARTHQUAKE SUSCEPTIBILITY, Ebel said. “If I recorded earthquakes in California for one year and then came to New England, I’d have to record for 100 years to get the same amount of data,” Ebel said.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/bridgewater/features/x2034412703/...

I imagine that were New England to be hit by a mag.8 earthquake, despite being "NOT SUSCEPTIBLE TO EARTHQUAKES AS LARGE AS AN 8.0", it would in fact prove to be highly susceptible to earthquakes in the sense that there would be lot of damage!

The topography and EARTHQUAKE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF WELLINGTON CITY requires the careful and considered development of water supply schemes and the application of water supply standards that may seem more onerous than those applicable in other centres.
http://www.wellington.govt.nz/services/urban/codeofpractice/...
[obviously written before the Christchurch earthquakes of September and February]

Note that as these examples show, "earthquake susceptibility" can refer not only to the "proneness" of an area to be hit by an earthquake (irrespective of any damage caused), but also to the likelihood of damage occurring as the result of an earthquake.

Not only are Tokyo¹s endless streams of overhead wires slowly being reduced as a part of an effort to decrease EARTHQUAKE SUSCEPTIBILITY, ...
www.tokyoreporter.com/2008/06/30/tokyo-underground/

Reducing the number of overhead wires will not reduce the likelihood of an earthquake striking (earthquake susceptibility – susceptibility of earthquakes occurring or "capability of undergoing an earthquake", to take up the SOED expression), but it might reduce the likelihood of power outages (earthquake susceptibility = susceptibility of power outages occurring as a result of earthquake).

Prior to last September, Christchurch, NZ, was not generally regarded as being susceptible to (being struck by) major earthquakes. It has since been demonstrated that while - with two notable exceptions – its modern buildings are not susceptible to (likely to be seriously damaged by) earthquakes and nor are most homes (timber frame) of any age (with the exception of chimneys and brick-veneer walling), its unreinforced brick buildings were extremely susceptible to earthquakes, and collapsed on a massive scale.


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 hrs (2011-03-17 09:16:52 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

ALÉA ... Événement qui dépend du hasard; éventualité presque toujours défavorable (le plus souvent au plur. et accompagné d'un compl.) : Ce inconvénient compte parmi les aléas du métier (syn. RISQUE). Pendant quinze jours, la négociation entre les diplomates subit bien des aléas (= des hauts et des bas). Elle m'expliquait diverses professions, leurs avantages, leurs aléas.
[Dicobat]

Saying that aléa necessarily means "hazard" is a little categorical. From the word we get aléatoire, where the only notion of risk is the chance/possibility/risk that something might or might not happen. I suspect the UCLaval people are trusting a false friend. Aléa is no more "hazard" than aléatoire is "hazardous".

Note that while risque sismique (sing. & plur.) gets a little over 200,000 ghits, aléa sismique (sing. & plur.) gets ten times fewer, at 19,000. Assuming the author masters his language, why did he choose aléa rather than risque? For the simple reason that they are two different things, maybe:

Aléa sismique L’ALEA SISMIQUE indique la PROBABILITE D’UNE ACTION SISMIQUE due a la contribution des possibles tremblements de terre (de magnitude ou intensité différentes) lors d’une période de temps donnée. C’est L’ELEMENT DE BASE POUR L’ESTIMATION DU RISQUE SISMIQUE d’une région donnée.
http://isard.brgm.fr/article.php3?id_article=12




--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 hrs (2011-03-17 09:38:31 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

More on risque/aléa sismique here :
http://www-dase.cea.fr/public/dossiers_thematiques/evaluatio...
Peer comment(s):

disagree liz askew : politically correct maybe, but inaccurate and does not reflect the general view and terminology of experts in the field.
2 hrs
More above.
agree philgoddard : This might not be my first choice of translation, but I don't think it merits a disagree.
4 hrs
neutral cchat : Just asked a colleague (Full Professor in Geology) to check out the discussion. He would use "seismic hazard" in English.
16 hrs
Something went wrong...
+2
14 mins

seismic risk

I think this goes with area/zone better than hazard.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 heures (2011-03-17 10:30:06 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Comparing http://www.google.fr/imgres?imgurl=http://tasaclips.com/illu...
with your source-doc map would probably close the argument?
Peer comment(s):

agree silvester55
28 mins
Thanks
agree philgoddard
5 hrs
Thanks
agree rkillings : "Seismic risk uses the results of a seismic hazard analysis, and includes both consequence and probability." (Wikipedia). And see http://en.inria.fr/research/news/mapping-seismic-risk.
13 hrs
Thanks
disagree liz askew : risque = risk
16 hrs
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

42 mins
Reference:

aléa sismique

Aléa sismique
L’aléa sismique indique la probabilité d’une action sismique due a la contribution des possibles tremblements de terre (de magnitude ou intensité différentes) lors d’une période de temps donnée. C’est l’élément de base pour l’estimation du risque sismique d’une région donnée.
Something went wrong...
49 mins
Reference:

j.bommer
I am currently supervising several post-graduate researchers in the area of seismic hazard, damage assessment, strong motion studies and ground-motion ...
www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/j.bommer - Cached - Simila

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 50 mins (2011-03-16 17:41:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Seismic Hazard Zones - City of Berkeley, CA
The following Seismic Hazard Zone data is provided by the State of California web site. The Seismic Hazard Zone Maps map may not show all areas that have ...
www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/contentdisplay.aspx?id=612 - Cached - Simila

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day38 mins (2011-03-17 17:28:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Français | Return to table of contents | Journal Home


Related links

Full-text PDF

Reprints and Permissions


Can. J. Civ. Eng. 32(2): 361–371 (2005) | doi:10.1139/l04-098 | © 2005 NRC Canada
Regional seismic risk in British Columbia — damage and loss distribution in Victoria and Vancouver

Tuna Onur, Carlos E. Ventura, and W.D Liam Finn

Abstract: This paper presents the results of regional seismic risk assessment studies that were carried out for two cities in southwestern British Columbia, Vancouver and Victoria. Ground shaking intensity in the area was obtained using the seismic source zones delineated by the Geological Survey of Canada for a probability level of 10% chance of exceedance in 50 years. Building inventories were compiled by aggregating data from sidewalk surveys as well as municipal databases. Modified Mercalli intensity-based damage matrices that relate the level of ground shaking to the amount of damage expected in different types of structures were used to estimate damage to structural and non-structural components of buildings. Estimated damage and loss distributions were mapped on a block-by-block basis. The historic sections of the cities were estimated to have damage levels between 10% and 30% of the replacement cost, while in the rest of the cities the estimated damage was generally in the 5% to 10% range. The results show the estimated economic loss distribution is considerably different from the damage distribution. Although the older neighbourhoods of the cities are expected to suffer highest amount of damage, the highest amount of economic loss is estimated to occur in areas with concentration of concrete high-rise buildings.
Key words: seismic hazard, seismic risk, vulnerability, earthquake, damage, loss, probability, modified Mercalli intensity.

Résumé : Cet article présente les résultats d'études d'évaluation des risques sismiques régionaux qui ont été effectuées pour deux villes du sud-ouest de la Colombie-Britannique, Vancouver et Victoria. L'intensité des secousses sismiques dans la région a été obtenue en utilisant les zones de sources sismiques délimitées par la Commission géologique du Canada pour un niveau de probabilité de 10 % de dépassement en 50 ans. Les immeubles ont été inventoriés en colligeant des données provenant de relevés des trottoirs ainsi que des bases de données municipales. Les matrices des dommages basées sur l'échelle de Mercalli modifiée, laquelle relie le niveau de secousses sismiques à la quantité de dommage attendue pour divers types de structures, ont été utilisées pour évaluer les dommages aux composantes structurales et non structurales des immeubles. Les dommages estimés et les étalements des pertes ont été cartographiées en se basant sur les îlots urbains. Les secteurs historiques des villes ont été évalués comme ayant des niveaux de dommages entre 10 et 30 % du coût de remplacement, alors que le dommage estimé dans les autres secteurs des villes se situait généralement dans la plage de 5 à 10 %. Les résultats montrent que l'étalement estimé des pertes économiques diffère considérablement de l'étalement des dommages. Bien que l'on s'attende à ce que les plus vieux secteurs des villes subissent le plus de dommages, il est estimé que la plus grande perte économique surviendrait dans les zones présentant des concentrations d'immeubles en béton de grande hauteur.
Mots clés : aléa sismique, risque sismique, vulnérabilité, séisme, dommage, perte, probabilité, échelle de Mercalli modifiée.
[Traduit par la Rédaction]
Something went wrong...
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search