# efficient / effective



## petrouchka

Could someone explain to me the difference between efficient and effective ? Because I thought efficient is efficace and effective refers to a law for example that is in use... But in the dictionary, you can find that effective means efficient.... 

thanks

*Moderator note:* Multiple threads have been merged to create this one.


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## Aupick

It's always seemed a little strange that both _efficient_ and _effective_ are translated as _efficace_ in French.

If you do something efficiently, it means you do it without waste -- of time, of money, of resources. Energy-efficient appliances are those fridges and washing machines that get the job done without using too much electricity. An efficient worker will have the report on the boss's desk by the deadline without having to stay late.

If something is effective, it achieves achieves its goal. If a grammar explanation is effective, the student will understand. If negotiations in the Middle East are effective, there will be peace.

In general I would say that people can be _efficient_, but not _effective_. Actions tend to be effective. People, actions and objects can be efficient.

I would also say that something can be effective without being efficient: writing business letters by hand can be effective, but isn't efficient unless you use a computer or email.


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## beri

effective is also used for inst. for medicine, a punishment, etc., all those things that have an initial goal


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## Jean-Michel Carrère

( chose /  action / médicament / vaccin : *qui produit un effet * ) *effective* 

( personne /  machine ) efficient


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## Gil

D'après mes sources:
efficacité:  degré de réalisation des objectifs
efficience: rapport entre ce qui est réalisé et les moyens mis en oeuvre.


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## madie8

Hello everybody, 

Is the following question correct ...or not ?! and what is the difference? 

"Do you think that Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore calls for action on global warming are ... efficient?" or "are ...effective?" 

Thanks for answering.

Madie


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## Erin_R

I'd say _"Do you think that the calls for action on global warming by Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore are effective?"

_Effective means doing the right thing, efficient means doing something right.


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## englishman

"Do you think that the calls for action on global warming made by LDC and AG are effective ?"

It certainly can't be "efficient"; if something is efficient, it is done with a minimum of effort, or waste, and that makes no sense here. On the other hand, to be "effective" means that something has its desired effect, and usually, you'll see the word used in either a past or future tenses, but less commonly the present. So, the following sentences may be better:

"... made by LCD and AG have been effective"
"... made by LCD and AG will be effective"

but it depends on the precise meaning that you wish to convey.


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## nhat

For french people it is hard to draw the difference between the 2 words because they both means "efficace"
So if I got it right, efficient will be better for a machine
the machine is efficient, It has a high profitablility/It has a good yield/it yields well
The policy blair has implemented is effective, unemployement has dicreased


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## kats

An effective machine will get the job done well.

An efficient machine will get it done using a minimum of power.


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## c0mm0n

It helped me thanks ;

Pour les francais, "Efficient" se rapproche plus de "suffisant" que d "efficace"


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## Alphatradien1

Hello everybody!
Personally, I have translated "efficient" with "efficace" and "effective" with "bon".
example: an effective mentor = un bon tuteur


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## victoria1

Hi Forum
I always have trouble translating those terms. I stick to "efficace" most of the time. Can somebody help me please. Thank you


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## Suehil

'Efficace' is 'effective', 'efficient' is usually more in the direction of 'compétant' unless you are talking about a machine, and then you go back to 'efficient'.


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## victoria1

Thanks Suehil. Say I'm talking about implementation of a Protocol.


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## Moon Palace

I agree with Suehill, and will only add that the word 'efficient' has appeared in French and is used with this meaning. Another BE import for a linguistic loophole...


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## Suehil

If you are talking about a protocol it could be either; do you want to say that it works well (efficient) or that it is good at producing results (efficacious)?


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## misstic

Hello  I'd say
_- effective = efficace_
- _efficient = performant_ or _à haut rendement_ (good at producing results (efficacious)
- an "_efficient use_" should be "_une utilisation rationnelle_" or if
- _it works well,_ I suggest "_d'une fonctionnalité éprouvée_"

Cordialement


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## ranosh81

hi everybody, simply efficiency means "to do thing right",and effictiveness means "to do right thing"
best regards eng.rania obaid


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## lamouye

Bonjour, hello,

I'm writing a cover letter for a job in a hotel and I wanted to say: "My efficient language skills are, as well, a very usefull advantage to take care of  international clients"

What do you think about my sentence? Is "efficient" the good term to use here?

Thank you in advance for your help!

Maÿlis


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## Glasguensis

It would be "*effective*" here rather than "*efficient*". But you might want someone to review your letter if you want them to believe you


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## lamouye

Haha! Thank you Glasguensis! You're right, I'm speaking about my language skills but I need help to write a letter in English! Let's say that I'm speaking about my skills in French and Spanish (I'm applying in Scotland)!!


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## akaAJ

"Efficient" and "effective" have overlapping meanings in English, as represented by overlapping French equivalents:  "efficient" suggests a task accomplished neatly, with a minimum of wasted effort -- nuance on _process_; "effective" suggests that the effort will produce the desired or optimal result -- nuance on result.  Both imply "competent", in some sense. For language skills, "effective" is required;  I tend to associate "effective" with "efficace".

An addendum.  I learned Aristotle's Four Causes as First, _Efficient_, Material, and Final.  In those circles, "efficient" has the meaning I here largely attributed to "effective" -- e. e., that which effects (produces) a result.


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## DeVillies

Bonjour:

D'habitude j'me casse pas la tête.

Je traduis *effective et efficient* avec "*efficace*" ou "*avec succès*".

Je suis confronté avec la phrase:

_*"It makes it impossible to do this effective and efficient (action)."*_

  Heh. Oops.

L'utilisation du mot "efficient" en Français me semble anglicisé... bien que le dictionnaire le définit bien, mon instinct refuse de l'utiliser.

Donc, J'essaie:

*Ceci peut rendre la prise de décision efficace pratiquement impossible*

J'éliminerais la redondance, tout simplement.  Des suggestions?

Merci!

Alex


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## funnyhat

Je ne suis pas exactement certain à propos de la traduction, mais il faut noter que la phrase en anglais n'est pas grammaticalement correct.  Cette phrase devrait être _It makes it impossible to do this *effectively  and efficiently*_


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## DeVillies

Enfin, j'ai désossé la phrase.  L'orginale:

*Often referred to as silos, departments or units that act independently and in isolation can make it virtually impossible to engage in effective and efficient decision making.*


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## Guerric

quelque chose d'"efficient" est rentable, a un bon rendement...donc "de manière efficace et rentable" ?


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## Keith Bradford

Guerric is right; there is a very precise difference between _effective_ and _efficient_.

*Effective* = achieving its objective
*Efficient* = achieving its objective with the minimum effort in relation to result.

Cracking a nut with a sledgehammer is effective. Cracking a nut with a nutcracker is more efficient.


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## Suehil

'Effective' means 'gets the result', 'efficient' means 'gets the result in a way that is economic of time, energy and resources.'

If you wanted to stop anyone entering your house you could surround it with barbed wire, lay mines in your front drive and buy yourself a man-eating tiger to keep in the garden.  That would be effective, but not efficient.


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## JeanDeSponde

_Rentable_ est une possibilité pour _efficient_; mais _rationnel_ me paraîtrait meilleur ici.


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## Guerric

JeanDeSponde said:


> _Rentable_ est une possibilité pour _efficient_; mais _rationnel_ me paraîtrait meilleur ici.



Effectivement 
Je remballe mon _rentable_.


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## emmsy

If something is effective it achieves a desired result - often well, eg "Hand washing is an effective way getting stains out of clothes" If something is effiecient it performs its task with minimal waste of time/effort/rescources eg "Machine washing your clothes is efficient takes less time and uses less water"

I hope that was an effective explanation


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