# acteur de la société civile



## kiolbassa

anybody got a good translation for société civile in the following context:

En novembre, les principaux acteurs et décideurs du secteur privé, des gouvernements, de la société civile, des agences des Nations Unies et des médias, se rassembleront à Genève pour agir concrètement. 

I really do not like "civil society" which is what most dictionaries give ...
thxs


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## Sev

_Société civile_ as it is written here means in French (found in www.granddictionaire.com) :

_Définition :_
_Ensemble des mouvements et associations à but non lucratif, indépendants de l'État, dont le but est de transformer, par des efforts concertés, les politiques, les normes ou les structures sociales, à l'échelon national ou international. _
_Notes :_
_Par exemple, les associations de quartier, les syndicats, les organisations non gouvernementales, les médias et les groupements religieux font partie de la société civile. "_

And the translation given for that definition is...._civil society_ ! Sorry, I think it's appropriate. Could you tell us why it seems wrong to you (maybe some natives could then help you...) ?


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## kiolbassa

Hi Sev!
(first of all, why is your answer so large, it won't fit on my (19" !!!) screen?)

I don't say "civil society" is wrong, it just sounds weird to me and I was hoping someone had something better ...

thxs just the same for the confirmation


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## Axl

Sev said:
			
		

> And the translation given for that definition is...._civil society_ ! Sorry, I think it's appropriate. Could you tell us why it seems wrong to you (maybe some natives could then help you...) ?



So do I.  In fact, I can't think of a synonym for civil society, so it may be Hobson's Choice!

Axl.


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## kiolbassa

Axl said:
			
		

> So do I.  In fact, I can't think of a synonym for civil society, so it may be Hobson's Choice!
> 
> Axl.



sorry Axl, but does the "so do I" refer to the fact that it's appropriate, or to my statement that "it sounds weird"?


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## Jean-Michel Carrère

*From the Civil Society International internet website*

"Perhaps the simplest way to see civil society is as a "third sector," distinct from government and business. In this view, civil society refers essentially to the so-called "intermediary institutions" such as professional associations, religious groups, labor unions, citizen advocacy organizations, that give voice to various sectors of society and enrich public participation in democracies."


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## kiolbassa

so now I REALLY know ....
merci Jean Michel!


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## atlantaguy33

I think the English phrase might be "civil sector." based on Jean Michel's description. But that's just a guess.


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## la grive solitaire

Here's a bilingual UNESCO document I found with société civile and civil society:

http://portal.unesco.org/ci/fr/ev.php-URL_ID=5444&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html


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## egads

I am having the same problem, and "civil society" does not sound right because I don't recall ever seeing it in a document originally in English by a native speaker, at least not in this context.  I wouldn't necessarily trust the UNESCO report, since people doing translating for UN orgs might not always get it right (I know I, and imagine that the OP might as well, number among them).

In my context, which is very similar, I am just saying "NGOs," because I figure that's mostly what they are referring to, but it depends on how precise one has to be.


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## lillechicago

just to chime in... "societe civil" has no strict english translation. it is a phrase that refers generally to any non-governmental organization with some political, religious, 'change-the-world', etc. kind of purpose. here in the US-the term would refer to any of zillions of organizations such as block clubs, chambers of commerce, relief organizatons, advocacy groups, etc.
hope that helps.


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## wildan1

I work in the development biz

_civil society_ is the standard way of saying _société civile _in the context cited

NGOs (non-governmental organizations) are one of the pillars of civil society


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## lillechicago

while that does appear to be the standard translation, "civil society" by itself has virtually no meaning in the English language (at least in the US--may be different in the UK or elsewhere).  depends upon your audience's country of origin, I suppose.  in the US, the term is too broad to have any real meaning and is virtually never used, except maybe in the most formal and "old english" of settings.


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## marydechicago

"société civile" can sometimes be translated as "special interest group" or just "interest group".  the term "civil society" is a kind of political jargon used in International Relations journals, but not in the American press, for example


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## wildan1

lillechicago said:


> while that does appear to be the standard translation, "civil society" by itself has virtually no meaning in the English language (at least in the US--may be different in the UK or elsewhere). depends upon your audience's country of origin, I suppose. in the US, the term is too broad to have any real meaning and is virtually never used, except maybe in the most formal and "old english" of settings.


 
I have to disagree on this point, Lillechicago. While it may not be a household word, among concerned professionals today, civil society certainly means something specific in the US.


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## francais_espanol

i also work in the development field and agree with wildan1. i might be totally wrong, but i do think "civil society" could work in this context.


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## Squiggle

"Civil society" to me means as distinct from "military" so could I use "general public"? My sentence concerns a university organising study days which are open to "société civile" but there is no military context whatsoever.


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## wildan1

Squiggle said:


> "Civil society" to me means as distinct from "military" so could I use "general public"? My sentence concerns a university organising study days which are open to "société civile" but there is no military context whatsoever.


 
I think you might be confusing _civil_ with _civilian_, Squiggle.

The opposite noun/adjective of _military_ is _civilian_. E.g., _The military often have challenges when retiring and re-entering civilian life._

This term is distinct from the term _civil_.


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## Squiggle

You are absolutely right Wildan1, thank you for spotting my mental slip!


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## yayava

Could 'public interest groups' be used for 'la société civile'?


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## lectrice

public interest group - Groupement d'intérêt public - http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=5622760
public interest groups - Les groupes d'intérêt public -
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=2868182
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=17173911


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## akaAJ

"société civile" is a well-worn formulation in France, routine in the media, etc.  The literal translation, "civil society", has not really taken hold in similar US contexts, as lillechicago suggests.  Clearly, however, since a non-long-winded term is useful, it seems to have been adopted as a technical term in such circles as Wildan1 frequents.  None immediately comes to mind, but I have the strong impression that there are many terms in English with such a history.


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## pollycat34

http://www.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-fra.html?lang=fra&i=&index=frt&srchtxt=SOCIETE%20CIVILE

Here's a link from Termium


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## SolangeC

I think that "civil society", while not used regularly, would be understood by the AE speaker. It's not that difficult to understand in general, maybe just odd-sounding .


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## suzyku

It's an old question but here is a link that clearly shows that "civil society" is becoming an increasingly popular term:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/highlights/010705_civil.shtml


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## ShineLikeStars

akaAJ said:


> "société civile" is a well-worn formulation in France, routine in the media, etc.  The literal translation, "civil society", has not really taken hold in similar US contexts, as lillechicago suggests.  Clearly, however, since a non-long-winded term is useful, it seems to have been adopted as a technical term in such circles as Wildan1 frequents.  None immediately comes to mind, but I have the strong impression that there are many terms in English with such a history.



I use the term _civil society_ all of the time and I am a native English speaker from Canada.


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## wendyredredrobin

What about "the voluntary sector"?


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## Chimel

It's way too narrow - see the définitions of _société civile_ at messages #2 and 4.


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## wendyredredrobin

OK, point taken, here's a definition from the BBC:
*'A civil society is a public space between the state, the market and the ordinary household, in which people can debate and tackle action'. *

So that could include any voluntary collective activity in which people combine to achieve change on a particular issue - but not political parties, even though civil society has a political dimension. 

By this definition, civil society includes charities; neighbourhood self-help schemes; international bodies like the UN or the Red Cross; religious-based pressure-groups; human rights campaigns in repressive societies; and non-governmental organisations improving health, education and living-standards in both the developed and developing nations.


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## Chimel

Yes, I think you're right - except that I wouldn't include the UN in civil society.

I would say _société civile_ covers nearly everything which is organized (you and I as individuals are not part of it, except if we are members of something), without being a business or an institution. Political parties may be considered as institutions, trade unions are in my opinion a borderline case. So it's still pretty vague : the limits of civil society are not quite the same for everybody.

But when you say something as _des acteurs de la société civile_ (subject of this discussion), you don't usually refer of a precise listing : you think "independent organisations", which are neither political or official bodies, nor business companies.


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