# Norwegian: faglig feil/ikke korrekt (adjective)



## Ben Jamin

Hei!
Jeg lurer på om det er noen som kunne hjelpe meg med et passende engelsk uttrykk som tilsvarer det norske "faglig feil", som i setningen: "Dette er faglig feil, slik kan ikke gjøres". 
Med faglig feil mener jeg her en feil i den faglige vurderingen, basert på manglende kunnskap/kompetanse.


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## Segorian

Ben Jamin said:


> "Dette er faglig feil, slik kan ikke gjøres"



In my experience, _faglig_ needs to be translated differently depending on context and subject matter. I therefore think that more information is required.

I also have a question: would it be correct to assume that _faglig_ is an adverb in this sentence? (Otherwise, shouldn't it have read "Dette er *en* faglig feil…"?)


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## NorwegianNYC

Professional error?


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## Segorian

"Professional error" is certainly one possible translation, but we still need to know the context. For example, if the context is the provision of health services
(I guess not), _faglig feil_ can be translated as "medical error" or "medical mistake", although people are more likely to speak of "malpractice". If the context is academic, "theoretical mistake/error" is perhaps the term we are looking for.


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## raumar

If the context is academic, would it be better to refer to the specific subject - instead of trying to find a single word for "_faglig_"?

For example, mathematically/theologically/medically wrong (adverb version), and mathematical/theological/medical error/mistake (adjective version)? 



Segorian said:


> I also have a question: would it be correct to assume that _faglig_ is an adverb in this sentence? (Otherwise, shouldn't it have read "Dette er *en* faglig feil…"?)



Yes, I think so.


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## Ben Jamin

More context here:

When writing an assessment of a paper on technical subject one has the need of emphasising that a passage contains an error that suggests that the author has not got a sufficient knowledge of the technological/professional matter.
For instance if the incriminated passage is something like this: "People can die from the poisonous refrigeration R-22 (a hydrofluorocarbon)." This is incorrect, as R-22 is not poisonous, but it can kill people by depriving them of oxygen if the gas fills a closed room without ventilation. In Norwegian we say "dette er faglig feil (incorrect)"


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## DerFrosch

Ben Jamin, are you aware that you asked about the same word some years ago?

http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/norwegian-english-faglig.2306625/


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## NorwegianNYC

Too funny!
And I was in on relying to it - and cannot remember myself


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## raumar

Well, this time we have more context, so maybe we can find a better answer? 



Ben Jamin said:


> When writing an assessment of a paper on technical subject one has the need of emphasising that a passage contains an error that suggests that the author has not got a sufficient knowledge of the technological/professional matter.
> For instance if the incriminated passage is something like this: "People can die from the poisonous refrigeration R-22 (a hydrofluorocarbon)." This is incorrect, as R-22 is not poisonous, but it can kill people by depriving them of oxygen if the gas fills a closed room without ventilation. In Norwegian we say "dette er faglig feil (incorrect)"



Ben Jamin: In this example, do we really need a word that corresponds to "_faglig_"? Isn't it sufficient to simply write "This is incorrect" or "This is a factual error"? Or, do you need to make a distinction between "_faglige feil_" and other kinds of errors, such as "_språklige feil_", when you assess the paper?


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## bicontinental

Ben Jamin said:


> More context here:
> ... the incriminated passage is something like this: "People can die from the poisonous refrigeration R-22 (a hydrofluorocarbon)." This is incorrect, as R-22 is not poisonous, but it can kill people by depriving them of oxygen if the gas fills a closed room without ventilation. In Norwegian we say "dette er faglig feil (incorrect)"



Hello Ben Jamin,

If it’s your opinion that this statement is (factually) incorrect, I think the best term here is _factual error_. A professional error…at least in my view…often pertains to an error of judgement which again could be based on lack of knowledge or lack of technical skill either in a medical context, legally or other.


That said, I don’t understand why don’t you consider refrigerants to be poisonous…especially since you acknowledge the fact that exposure to high levels can be lethal? 

Bic.


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## Ben Jamin

[QUOTE="bicontinental, post: 15508194, member: 545453"

That said, I don’t understand why don’t you consider refrigerants to be poisonous…especially since you acknowledge the fact that exposure to high levels can be lethal? 

Bic.[/QUOTE]
In the same way that suffocation with a pillow is not poisoning. The mentioned stuff  does not alter anything in your body, it only deprives you of oxygen. You can breath it in without damage if it is mixed with enough oxygen in the room.

But this is only an example, and I did not mean to go into discussion in that direction. I can as well use another example, like "Wood is a kind of metal".
My point is that there may be many different kinds of errors in a paper: a typographic error, using unconfirmed information as factual, confusing information, and others. In Norwegian there is this specific concept of "faglig feil" meaning that the statement discloses lack of (usually fundamental) professional knowledge, which the author is expected to possess.
Saying simply "this is incorrect" doesn't define the kind of error (it can be any of the mentioned kinds of error).


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## bicontinental

As far as ‘wood being a kind of metal’, I would consider that a _factual error_, i.e. an error involving a fact, or _an error based on a lack of factual knowledge _(pertaining to the subject matter).

In reply to your comment about your first example let me just say that the medical literature presents a different view on refrigerant exposure.

Bic.


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