Mots Maudits #8: Proximité

Shortly after moving to France, I asked a friend what “alimentation gluh” meant. I was met by a blank stare, so I testily explained that she must know what is, after all, it was written on every corner shop façade:

After she explained to me that “GLE” was an abbreviation of “générale” — and after my initial embarrassment had worn off (“well it doesn’t look like an abbreviation…”) — much hilarity ensued. So, what’s the point of this story?

In fact, this anecdote just came back to me because I was pondering the use of “proximité” in French. “Alimentation générale” shops are more commonly referred to in the retail industry as “commerces de proximité” or “convenience stores” in English. This is an interesting nuance because rather than simply referring to the business’s geographical proximity to consumers, which is a relative notion, the English term conveys the benefits of this closeness.

Similarly, the term “établissements de soins de proximité” refers to local healthcare centres or community care facilities. Once again, the English communicates something additional — that the healthcare provider is part of the fabric of the patient’s local community.

It can be tempting to simply translate “proximité” word-for-word, but this is probably not the wisest course of action. There are many more idiomatic ways that it can be translated and, as the two above cases indicate, “proximité” is far more commonly used than its English cousin; indeed, a Google Ngram search shows that the word is four times more common in French than in English:

When used in business French, the author is not necessarily referring to physical proximity; in the expressions “manager de proximité” or “service de proximité”, the idea is that the two parties have a close working relationship. Obviously, this often means they are physically close to each other but – in the time of Covid in particular – that is not necessarily the case.

When companies refer to management “qui favorise la proximité” or talk about “la proximité avec les clients”, the idea is probably not that they are looking over each other’s shoulders, rather that they are in touch with their employees or customers.

There is not always enough context in the source text for the translator to be sure what the exact meaning is. For example, a company might claim in a mission statement that “la proximité est au coeur de notre identité” or may advocate “valeurs de proximité”. Depending on the nature of the business, this could mean that the company understands the customer or strives to adapt to their needs. It might refer to “service presence” or their ability to “connect with” customers, or their “close relationships” or “close ties” with stakeholders.

It is crucial to understand on what axis this proximity lies and to whom it refers. Otherwise, the meaning will be lost and the target text will read like a translation rather than the presumably aspirational tract that the original author intended.