# Ouverture à l'international



## Ems_S

Is there a fixed expression for this in English? It's in the context of a school.

Working on an international scale? I can't seem to find something that sounds right with 'opening' in it, or really anything that correctly reflects the meaning of the French expression.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

*Moderator note: *multiple threads merged to create this one


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## misterk

Can you give the context, and esp. the full sentence in which the phrase appears, please?


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## Ellea1

Hello,

Do you mean that you want to work in an international environment because that will open your mind??


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## Jean-Michel Carrère

My try : a school with an international outlook


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## Ems_S

There is no sentence. I suppose you could say "Ce partenariat permet à l'école une ouverture à l'internationale". I don't think that sounds so good, though. That's the problem, it's totally out of context. A bullet point. Just the idea of a school opening up to having links internationally, like participating in exchanges, if you see what I mean.


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## Ellea1

Hello, 

This partnership allows the school an opening in the international 

opening = opportunity, occasion, room, 

Do you mean 'ouverture' as in 'débouché???

like the partneship will give the school the opportunity to expand its services???


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## misterk

Without belaboring this, it would still be useful to see the list of bullet points of which this is to be a part, in order to propose something that has the right tone and meaning.  Is this a list of things a school is doing now?  Or is hoping to do in the future?  Is it describing programs offered, or opportunities for children? Etc.


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## Ellea1

This partneship allows the school to go international.
This partneship allows the school to turn towards the international.
This partneship allows the school to open to the world.

 Maybe you may use the word 'worldwide' instead of 'international'???


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## patbas

Hi ! In spite of the so numerous posts about this word and specifically about this phrase, I could not find anything really convincing about it. And almost no definite response from native english speakers !
So like the other post about it, there is no sentence here. It is just a title for a sub-chapter. This is a typical point which has to be filled in training programs in universities in France (international meaning in general anglosaxons but this should not be said...). So this means that th eprogram will (a) invite international speakers, (b) participate in other international training projects, (c) recruit 'international' students, (d) collaborate with foreign institutions etc.
Any idea ? I don't like: "Opening to the international" but may be that's what it should be ??


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## SunnyS

patbas said:


> So this means that th eprogram will (a) invite international speakers, (b) participate in other international training projects, (c) recruit 'international' students, (d) collaborate with foreign institutions etc.
> Any idea ? I don't like: "*Opening to the international*"  but may be that's what it should be ??



Sorry, but don't use that at all.

International perspectives? (can't really think of something)


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## LART01

Hello
Traduit dans certaines universités par :
International _partnerships_
c'est pas très rock and roll mais bon...


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## patbas

Glad to have a clear advice (even though negative) from a native english speaker.
So this phrase (for once) appears as a typically french neologism. Hence th edifficulties to translte it. What we woud need here is a lecturer from a British or US university... "International partnerships" is not exactly the same, but it is a good suggestion !


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## Uncle Bob

Hello,

I'm resurrecting this in the hope there may be new suggestions. The context for me is virtually the same (university courses) as that for *patbas* and, as can be seen from the list (a-d) he/she gives, it is not a question of "partnerships" and something like "open to the world" would be vague and not nearly formal enough. (My French phrase is simply "ouverture internationale" but means exactly the same as the thread title).

I'm afraid I can't suggest a candidate phrase - otherwise I'd use it - though I'm stuck with "international perspective" for the moment!


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## Kelly B

International exposure? International opportunities? Opportunities for international exposure/interactions? None of those really conveys openness per se, though, and that last one is pretty stiff.... Still, it seems to me that's the benefit that " openness"  would be expected to offer.


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## emmsy

International openings?


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## misterk

Since this seems to be a sort of marketing phrase, it might be helpful to know exactly where it is being used, so we could propose some options that would sound right for the intended audience. Is this used in "selling" the university to prospective students? Is it in a list of criteria that new academic programs must meet for the university to judge them acceptable? Something else?


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## Wozzeck

Basically, and used as a generic term without more context "Ouverture à l'international" is a very very vague term and can be a more trendy and marketing way to say simply "Aspects Internationaux (d'un sujet, d'une question)".

 So I don't know if in english "International Aspect/Facet/Angle", would make sense.

  For example : a narrator speaks about drugs in UK, and say now we will analyse the question of drugs in France, USA... does this make sense to say : now let's analyze International Aspects of the question ? If this make sense, perahps you have your translation.

 But in some context "Ouverture à l'international" could mean more precisely Partnership, Opportunities... for example for a  french company, so it depends on the real content of the sub chapter "ouverture à l'international".

If this sub chapter focuses on partnership, Ouverture à l'international = partnership, so just read this sub chapter and you will get the answer.


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## Uncle Bob

misterk said:


> Since this seems to be a sort of marketing phrase, it might be helpful to know exactly where it is being used, so we could propose some options that would sound right for the intended audience. Is this used in "selling" the university to prospective students? Is it in a list of criteria that new academic programs must meet for the university to judge them acceptable? Something else?



It's among the criteria for academic programmes, in this case for a university "Ecole Doctorale".


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## patbas

Uncle Bob said:


> It's among the criteria for academic programmes, in this case for a university "Ecole Doctorale".



Yes I agree: it's exactly this, Misterk: "in a list of criteria that new academic programs must meet for the university to judge them acceptable". It has not necessarily to do with partnerships; Il isted what it involves in my first post: ("(a) invite international speakers, (b) participate in other  international training projects, (c) recruit 'international' students,  (d) collaborate with foreign institutions)

Among the suggestions, I believe that that of Kelly B. "international exposure" would be the less bad...


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## Wozzeck

patbas said:


> Yes I agree: it's exactly this, Misterk: "in a list of criteria that new academic programs must meet for the university to judge them acceptable". It has not necessarily to do with partnerships; Il isted what it involves in my first post: ("(a) invite international speakers, (b) participate in other  international training projects, (c) recruit 'international' students,  (d) collaborate with foreign institutions)
> 
> Among the suggestions, I believe that that of Kelly B. "international exposure" would be the less bad...



As I said before, in your case it seems that "Ouverture internationale" = "Aspects Internationaux"

"Ouverture" is used here as a more "trendy" word than "Aspect", but basically this means "Aspect". So I don't know if "Aspect" is more easy or not to translate.


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## Uncle Bob

Thank you all.

I've decided to plump for KellyB's "international interactions", though I understand Wozzeck's argument. It's just that "interactions" sounds more active and "exciting" (sort of) and thus more trendy than "aspects".

Yes, misterk, it's a sort of marketing...finding intelligent people to do a scientific doctorate when the outcome will likely be a career delivering pizzas.


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## Wozzeck

Uncle Bob said:


> Thank you all.
> 
> I've decided to plump for KellyB's "international interactions", though I understand Wozzeck's argument. It's just that "interactions" sounds more active and "exciting" (sort of) and thus more trendy than "aspects".
> 
> Yes, misterk, it's a sort of marketing...finding intelligent people to do a scientific doctorate when the outcome will likely be a career delivering pizzas.



You have well understood...


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## JeanDeSponde

Uncle Bob said:


> It's among the criteria for academic programmes, in this case for a university "Ecole Doctorale".


Then it probably means that this school / university has contacts with foreign universities.





> _L'ouverture internationale de  l'Ecole Doctorale [Université Paris Est] s'appuie sur les échanges entre les doctorants via les  co-tutelles de thèse,  les participations aux colloques internationaux,  les enseignants-chercheurs et les chercheurs._


_International Dimension_...?


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## misterk

I think I like "international outreach" - i.e., the proactive efforts by the program/department/school to reach out and incorporate international elements/constituencies in its programs.


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## Uncle Bob

JeanDeSponde said:


> Then it probably means that this school / university has contacts with foreign universities.
> _International Dimension_...?



Yes lots - it's Paris-Sud.
My text is almost identical with your quote from Paris-Est. Logically all these universities should club together and get a professional translator to do a standard version. (Do I hear cries of "Hear, Hear"?). But they can't.

The problem with "dimension" is the same as that with "aspects" - it's not very active.



misterk said:


> I think I like "international outreach" - i.e., the proactive efforts by the program/department/school to reach out and incorporate international elements/constituencies in its programs.



I'm afraid that is a marketing step too far, at least for BE ears and they are getting a BE version.

Anyway, it's for a Web site that is "evolutif" (aagh!) so if I change my mind I can always suggest they put something other than "interactions".

Thank you both.


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## JeanDeSponde

The good old problem then — transcription is needed, not translation...
Transcript a meaningless and pompous expression to a Hobbes-ian concept


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## patbas

"aspects" would really work as a "pis-aller". Perhaps "international links" ?


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## Kelimutu

The term appears to be 'international openness' if you google it, you will find tons of references to it...


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## Itisi

In this particular case, dare I suggest looking up 'ouverture à l'international' in linguee.com? They have a whole range of offerings to choose from, and something might suit someone's contex...


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## Lovengli

Working at an international level


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