Text conversation
Explain in French why you declined a suggested wording change
Explain a declined French wording change with a semantic reason and a courteous alternative. Keep the disagreement about meaning rather than the editor.
- B2
- 3 replies to choose
- Phone-style thread
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In short
Name the meaning the suggestion would change, then offer an alternative that preserves it. Je préfère conserver “les répondants”, car “les habitants” élargirait le groupe décrit. Thank the editor for the clarity aim while discussing the specific phrase.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
An editor suggests replacing a technical noun with a familiar one. The new word is easier to read, but it broadens the population beyond the survey. Your response can accept the aim of readability while declining that particular substitution.
- Je propose de remplacer « les répondants » par « les habitants », ce serait plus simple.I suggest replacing “respondents” with “residents”; it would be simpler.
Explain the semantic reason for declining
- Je crains que le terme soit peu clair pour certains lecteurs.I worry that some readers will not understand the term.
Offer a clearer alternative with the same scope
- D’accord. Je garde cette formulation dans la nouvelle version.All right. I’ll keep that wording in the new version.
Close on the shared purpose
Explain what would change for the reader
Useful reasons include a broader group, a stronger claim, a removed condition or a changed actor. Ce mot élargirait le public is more informative than je n’aime pas ce mot. The conditional helps describe the effect of a proposed edit that has not been accepted.
Je partage votre objectif de clarté ; cette autre formulation me semble le servir sans modifier le périmètre.
I share your aim of clarity; this alternative wording seems to serve it without changing the scope.
If the intended meaning is uncertain, ask before defending a term. An editor may have information about a revised decision that you have not seen. Keep the exchange tied to the current source and version. Once the choice is agreed, make the final wording easy to locate.