Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

Au meilleur de ma connaissance et de mes croyances

English translation:

to the best of my knowledge and belief

Added to glossary by Barbara Cochran, MFA
Jun 16, 2022 08:43
1 yr ago
49 viewers *
French term

Au meilleur de ma connaissance et de mes croyances

Non-PRO French to English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Does this expression exists in French : "Au meilleur de ma connaissance et de mes croyances"? If yes, then what is the exact translation?
Change log

Jun 16, 2022 08:43: changed "Kudoz queue" from "In queue" to "Public"

Jun 16, 2022 11:24: Yana Dovgopol changed "Language pair" from "English to French" to "French"

Jun 16, 2022 11:25: Yana Dovgopol changed "Vetting" from "Needs Vetting" to "Vet OK"

Jun 16, 2022 12:00: writeaway changed "Language pair" from "French" to "French to English"

Jun 16, 2022 15:02: Tony M changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"

Jun 16, 2022 15:03: Tony M changed "Field" from "Bus/Financial" to "Other"

Jun 30, 2022 08:39: Barbara Cochran, MFA Created KOG entry

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

PRO (1): Daryo

Non-PRO (3): Conor McAuley, philgoddard, Tony M

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Discussion

Barbara Cochran, MFA Jun 30, 2022:
Might It Have Been Better... ...to translate "et de mes croyanceS" as "in accordance with/on the basis of my beliefS", in this case?
AllegroTrans Jun 18, 2022:
OK Daryo, you can't recall hearing it But the term "croyance" (i.e. meaning a belief/conviction/known fact etc., not religious) is in use and you will find examples on the www
Daryo Jun 18, 2022:
Yes, that's what the dictionnary says but I have no recollection of ever hearing "croyances" being used as anything else than as an abbreviation for "croyances religieuses", which is obviously wrong as a translation for "to the best of my belief", as it's not about invoking any religious credo.

So a French speaker who doesn't speak a word of English, or has never heard "to the best of my knowledge and belief" used in context could very easily misinterpret what "croyances" is supposed to mean. I don't think that that translation could be tolerated for being a "self-correcting error".
AllegroTrans Jun 17, 2022:
croyance = fait de croire une chose vraie The phrase, although not used in French, WOULD be comprehensible to a Fr-spkr, albeit "croyance" (singular) would be far preferable

1.
Action, fait de croire une chose vraie, vraisemblable ou possible.
La croyance à, en qqch.

Similar:
certitude

conviction
foi
2.
Ce que l'on croit (surtout en matière religieuse).
Croyances religieuses.

A bit like the rather obvious error of saying "to the best of my beliefs" (per Barbara's error). Wrong, but not so fatal that it wouldn't be understood
Daryo Jun 17, 2022:
"mes croyances" is a literal translation that is extremely misleading! So in fact it would be grossly misunderstood by anyone not knowing the original version in English.

"to the best of my ... belief" is about "what I believe to have seen / heard" nothing to with beliefs = croyances (religious beliefs)

There is nothing wrong a priori with "literal" - there are plenty of very literal translations that are perfect, but definitively not this one.
AllegroTrans Jun 16, 2022:
Asker Your phrase looks like a back translation from English and is not used in French, albeit it would be comprehensible to a French speaker
Goumiri Abdennour Jun 16, 2022:
"Au meilleur de ma connaissance et de mes croyances" is a literal translation and should be avoided.

Proposed translations

+9
3 hrs
Selected

to the best of my knowledge and beliefs

Peer comment(s):

agree Conor McAuley : Belief not beliefs. Plurals in French often translate as singulars in English.
14 mins
Yes, I just confirmed you're right about that, and I did think twice about that very issue before I entered my translation. Thanks for your "agree".
agree philgoddard
32 mins
Thanks, phil.
agree abe(L)solano
51 mins
Gracias, abe(L).
agree Tony M : This is the correct EN version, although the FR given is in fact an improper translation of it. Thanks for pointing out my slips: I have severe eyesight problems, which make working on-screen sometimes difficult, especially when I'm very tired.
2 hrs
Thanks, Tony. But in the meantime, you better check your spelling!/I do, too. My exclamation was meant as nothing more than a jocular comment from a former high school English teacher and spelling bee champ.
agree Mpoma : yup
5 hrs
Thanks, Mpoma.
agree AllegroTrans : belief (singular)
7 hrs
OK, thanks AT.
agree Anastasia Kalantzi
7 hrs
Thank you, Anastasia.
agree Adrian MM. : (religious) beliefs could be right in Indian context, but that has not been spelt out - too many assumptions made by non-Pro voters https://www.activeindiatours.com/travel-tips/beliefs-religio...
8 hrs
Thanks, Adrian.
agree Daryo : belief // s.o. translating into EN should be able to recognise immediately what it is an approximative translation of - in that sense it's "non-pro". But it could be tricky for s.o. not familiar with legal jargon, so it's still a "pro" question.
1 day 28 mins
Thanks, Daryo.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
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