# mise à niveau (études)



## chanti_

Bonjour,

J'aimerais traduire mon CV et je ne connais pas l'équivalent anglais de mon année de "mise à niveau en arts appliqués".
Quelqu'un pourrait-il m'aider ?
Merci d'avance


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## Gil

applied art update?


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## chanti_

update pourrait convenir ? Je n'étais pas sûre que cela puisse s'utiliser pour parler d'une année d'études.


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## Gil

chanti_ said:


> update pourrait convenir ? Je n'étais pas sûre que cela puisse s'utiliser pour parler d'une année d'études.


Wait for a native answer


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## Nicomon

Salut chanti, et bienvenue sur le forum 

Dans le domaine de l'éducation, le GDT traduit « mise à niveau » par "upgrading activities" et le définit comme suit :



> Définition :
> Rattrapage ou perfectionnement dans une ou plusieurs disciplines, qui permet à une personne de répondre à certaines exigences en vue de la poursuite de ses études ou de son travail.
> En formation continue, la mise à niveau vise à actualiser les connaissances et les compétences des travailleurs en vue d'une adaptation aux plus récents développements dans leur métier ou leur profession.


 J'ai aussi trouvé "_Culinary Arts Upgrading Program_". Alors sur ce modèle... peut-être que "_Applied Arts Upgrading Program_" conviendrait? 

Qu'en pensent les anglophones?


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## bh7

"Upgrading Program", "upgrading course(s)" fits very well.


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## AA Dagmar

"Upgrading program" sounds very strange in American English...


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## Gwan

'Upgrading programme' also sounds weird to me. 'Refresher course' could be used with the sense of revisiting something e.g. you might take a 'refresher course' in First Aid every two years or whatever - you don't have to do a full course again, but you need to make sure you're up-to-date and remember what to do. It's not the most formal phrase ever though.

There are university courses called 'Certificate(s) of Proficiency' (COP) where you take courses that don't fit into a degree programme. For example, you may have done a degree in French, but you want to go back and do a postgraduate degree in Science. The university may require you to take a COP course in basic scientific principles to prove you have what it takes to do a Science degree. Or if, say, you want to study in an anglophone university, you may need to take a COP in English etc.

Not sure from the info Chanti's provided whether their course fit into either of those scenarios.

PS: Note 'program' - AE and apparently CanE, 'programme' - BE, NZE.


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## wildan1

If it is a review of past study and updating, I would call that_ a refresher course_


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## Nicomon

wildan1 said:


> If it is a review of past study and updating, I would call that_ a refresher course_


 
Even on a resumé/CV, Wildan? I don't know... it doesn't sound very "selling" to me. Besides, chanti wrote : _mon année de mise à niveau_. 
Wouldn't a _refresher course_ normally be shorter than a year? 

I do admit that it's not the right solution here... but I'm very surprised to read that _(Academic) Upgrading Program_ is Canadian specific. 
I then assume you don't say _Program of studies_ either. 

If neither of the definitions from the GDT that I cited is right, then I guess we need to know exactly how _mise à niveau _is defined, when applied to studies. Because _upgrade/upgrading _*does* translate it in several contexts (among which IT). 

How would you translate _mise à niveau_ in English, when refering to this : *Mise à niveau en arts appliqués (MANAA). *

Would Gwan's suggestion of _Certificate of Proficiency_ work out? This doesn't look like a _refresher course_ to me.


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## Gwan

To me, that seems roughly what I mentioned above - a Certificate of Proficiency (COP) because it prepares people to undertake further study in the area, whereas people who already hold a relevant Bac can go straight into the higher course. 
I'm not sure whether COP courses are generally shorter than a year though. Examples of COPs here, and here for example. 

I gather perhaps they may be called 'preparatory courses' in the States. 

However, we'd really need to hear from Chanti whether it was a refresher-type or introductory/bridging-type thing.


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## wildan1

Nicomon said:


> Even on a resumé/CV, Wildan? I don't know... it doesn't sound very "selling" to me. Besides, chanti wrote : _mon année de mise à niveau_.
> Wouldn't a _refresher course_ normally be shorter than a year?


 
When you want or need to be updated on a skill, _refresher course_ is the standard term to describe what you take in AE--whether it lasts an hour or a year. I wouldn't be embarrassed to put it on a résumé because it shows you are updating your skills. (If you Google the term, you'll see how standard a term it is.) 



Nicomon said:


> How would you translate _mise à niveau_ in English, when refering to this : *Mise à niveau en arts appliqués (MANAA). *


 
I would call that an _Introductory Course--_an overview of the basic concepts and skills related to something that is new to the learner.

If it is a course to prepare a student to take a specific exam, that's called _a prep course_ in AE_--TOEFL Prep Course, GRE Prep Course, etc._


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## chanti_

Merci à tous pour vos réponses. 
J'essaie effectivement de traduire "Mise A Niveau en Arts Appliqués (MANAA)".
Il s'agit d'une année d'étude obligatoire pour entrer dans une école d'art lorsque l'on a passé un bac "général" et dans lequel nous n'avons pas passé d'épreuve d'art. Cette année ne se termine pas par un diplôme, elle permet uniquement d'intégrer une formation BTS (NHD) en arts appliqués.
Je ne fais pas bien la différence entre _Introductory Course _et _prep course. _Dans mon cas, selon vous, lequel convient le mieux ?


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## wildan1

chanti_ said:


> Merci à tous pour vos réponses.
> J'essaie effectivement de traduire "Mise A Niveau en Arts Appliqués (MANAA)".
> Il s'agit d'une année d'étude obligatoire pour entrer dans une école d'art lorsque l'on a passé un bac "général" et dans lequel nous n'avons pas passé d'épreuve d'art. Cette année ne se termine pas par un diplôme, elle permet uniquement d'intégrer une formation BTS (NHD) en arts appliqués.
> Je ne fais pas bien la différence entre _Introductory Course _et _prep course. _Dans mon cas, selon vous, lequel convient le mieux ?


 
S'il n'y a pas de concours ou d'examen d'entrée, _prep course_ ne marcherait pas àma.

_Introductory course_ me semble ton meilleur choix d'après ta description, chanti.


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## chanti_

Thanks a lot for your help and your translations !


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## Nicomon

wildan1 said:


> When you want or need to be updated on a skill, _refresher course_ is the standard term to describe what you take in AE--whether it lasts an hour or a year.(If you Google the term, you'll see how standard a term it is.)


Oh, but I never doubted the usage... we use it too.  Except that in French, it would be _cours de recyclage / de perfectionnement_. 
The WR dictionary translates it as _stage de recyclage_. On a CV, in that case, I'd rather write _perfectionnement _than _recyclage_. That was my point. 

But it doesn't really matter, since chanti confirmed that it is not what _mise à niveau_ means, in context. 

I think that _Introductory course_ is a good solution_,_ however if I had to translate it backwards, _mise à niveau_ is not what would first come to mind. 
I can't help it; to me _mise à niveau = upgrading_. 

In the end, it is not my decision to make, but for the record ... here's as seen on a bilingual CV, which is part of *this document* (search for aurore nallet)




> 2004 BTS Diploma in Fashion Design - ESAA Duperré, Paris
> 2002 *Upgrading course in Applied Arts* - ESAA Duperré, Paris
> 
> 
> 2004 BTS Stylisme de Mode, ESAA Duperré, Paris​2002 *Mise à Niveau en Arts Appliqués*, ESAA Duperre, Paris


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## wildan1

_Upgrading_ doesn't sound like an "academic" term to me, Nico, don't ask me why.

When you talked about an _upgrade_, I first thought of getting a nicer room in a hotel for the standard price, or getting "upgraded" to business class by the airlines.

But that said, I guess I would understand what it meant on someone's résumé, and just assume that it was a term chosen by a non-native.


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## Nicomon

wildan1 said:


> But that said, I guess I would understand what it meant on someone's résumé, and just assume that it was a term chosen by a non-native.


 Or... a Canadian native. See bh7 answer (#6) right after my first post. 

*Upgrading course*


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## wildan1

Nicomon said:


> Or... a Canadian native. See bh7 answer (#6) right after my first post.
> 
> *Upgrading course*


 
Right, Canadian native. Sorry--our distinctions of English usage on this side of the pond are harder to discern than pond-wise! (I'll add _upgrading course_ to my short list of others I've learned over time: _washroom, tuque, steamie_, etc. Not to forget the stereotypical_ eh_, eh?


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## Nicomon

Granted, this *European* *bilingual site* may have been translated from French to English by a non native... 
but it seems that _upgrading_ would be understood in France as well.

I copy/pasted the same question and answer from the FAQ (as found under _qu'est-ce que le design/what is design_)



> How to get into a design school after a general baccalaureate?
> It is necessary to follow the *upgrading course in applied arts* with the objective of acquiring the fundamental basics of artistic creation in the domain of design and applied arts.
> 
> Comment faire une école de design après un baccalauréat général ?
> Il est nécessaire de suivre une *mise à niveau en arts appliqués* dont l’objectif est d’acquérir les bases fondamentales de la création artistique dans le domaine du design et des arts appliqués.


 
Eh oui, je suis très têtue.


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## MrMoto

Academic upgrading sounds perfectly understandable to me (because I am Canadian, apparently?).

Just today, in fact, a student whom I am tutoring told me that since he hadn't gone past Grade 10 math many years ago, he needed to go to college for upgrading before being able to enter calculus classes at university.


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## missmarseille

I would suggest "foundation course" or "preparatory course" in this context..upgrading definitely not....

I'd suggest you can upgrade your skills, MAYBE...but REFRESH your skills is much more natural.  In terms of gaining skills and education you certainly can't upgrade yourself unless you're an android!


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## Baz31

chanti_ said:


> Merci à tous pour vos réponses.
> J'essaie effectivement de traduire "Mise A Niveau en Arts Appliqués (MANAA)".
> Il s'agit d'une année d'étude obligatoire pour entrer dans une école d'art lorsque l'on a passé un bac "général" et dans lequel nous n'avons pas passé d'épreuve d'art. Cette année ne se termine pas par un diplôme, elle permet uniquement d'intégrer une formation BTS (NHD) en arts appliqués.
> Je ne fais pas bien la différence entre _Introductory Course _et _prep course. _Dans mon cas, selon vous, lequel convient le mieux ?



This is very late but for what it's worth, based on the above description, the term that springs to mind (for British universities in any case) is _foundation course_, as mentioned by missmarseille. It is not specific to art courses but generally consists of a one-year course to provide students without any previous background in the field the skills necessary to complete more specialised studies. You can find plenty of authentic references (i.e. non-translated) on the websites of British universities but here is a bilingual website for the Ecole supérieure des arts appliqués: http://www.duperre.org/en/17/foundation-course (English) and http://www.duperre.org/fr/17/manaa (french)


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## Embonpoint

Refresher course is absolutely what I would say in spoken American English. But I would never, ever put that on my resume'. 

A phrase widely used in the medical world is "continuing education." I haven't heard it in the arts, but it might fit. Continuing Education in Applied Arts. Continuing education implies not just reminding you of what you knew before (as in a refresher course) but imparting new knowledge to someone already well-versed in a particular area.


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## pointvirgule

Embonpoint said:


> Refresher course is absolutely what I would say in spoken American English. But I would never, ever put that on my resume'.


Well, stating on your resumé that you take upgrading courses to keep yourself up to date on the state of the art(s) should be a Good Thing™, I would think.


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## Embonpoint

Refresher course is an informal term. It also implies one has forgotten, gotten rusty. For both of these reasons, I would not use it on my resume'. And I think as we have established "upgrading course" is not a term that sounds natural to native speakers.


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## pointvirgule

No such consensus has been established, sorry.
The fact is that _upgrading courses/programs_ is used around the world.


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## Embonpoint

I'm sorry, I should have said native AE speakers. in this thread the only native speaker who says upgrading course sounds natural is Canadian. And in fact a Google search shows quite a few Canadian hits. I think "continuing education" here would be a good option for AE.


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## pointvirgule

Embonpoint said:


> I think "continuing education" here would be a good option for AE.


OK, I'll buy that.


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