TERMIUM Plus®

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FOCUS QUESTION [5 records]

Record 1 2017-04-04

English

Subject field(s)
  • Special-Language Phraseology
  • Ecology (General)
  • Environmental Studies and Analyses
DEF

[Said of] taxa which are the focus of a continuing taxon-specific or habitat-specific conservation programme targeted towards the taxon in question, the cessation of which would result in the taxon qualifying for one of the threatened categories above within a period of five years.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Phraséologie des langues de spécialité
  • Écologie (Généralités)
  • Études et analyses environnementales

Spanish

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Record 2 2017-03-13

English

Subject field(s)
  • Occupation Names (General)
  • Indigenous Arts and Culture
DEF

The popular early name for an American Indian who treats the sick or has special powers. More specific terms are used by contemporary scholars. Medicine men also exist in other primitive societies.

CONT

The medicine man played the role of mediator between the gods and simple humans. He interpreted dreams, directed all religious ceremonies and dances, questioned the supernatural powers, looked into the future and advised the warriors. Finally he cured the sick, using magic plants, and practised exorcism and magic with incantations related to the Micmac nation’s religious mythology.

CONT

In religious matters, powwows (priests or medicine men) were in charge, using their powers to cure the sick, bring rain or ensure victory in battle.

CONT

The Indian of the Colombian Amazon distinguish two general classes of bioactive plants. The first are regarded as sacred, and they are used exclusively by or under the strict supervision of the "payé", or medicine man.

OBS

Stylistic synonyms :"medicine man", "pow(w) ow", "predictor" and "shaman". These three terms have all too frequently been used interchangeably, owing to the overlapping job descriptions of each one of these terms. The same can be said of the corresponding French equivalents "sorcier", "guérisseur", "chaman(e) ", "homme-médecine", "sorcier guérisseur", etc. Often an author's selection of one word over that of another is solely based on a particular perspective he wants to impart on his text : by using "medicine", he would emphasize the beneficial powers of the person in question; whereas by using "shaman", a term originally used to refer to a Siberian medicine man, the author would focus on the use of magic in the performance of rituals. Note however that "shaman/chamane" would be the term used by Europeans to describe the occult performed by non-Europeans; it would not be used by native peoples to refer to one of their own kind. As for "powwow", this author does not recommend its use today because of the confusion that might arise, owing to the polysemous nature of the term(could also mean a special meeting). Nevertheless the use of "powwow", a specific native term used by certain aboriginal tribes in the past, could impart an ethnic coloring to a given text if such is desired. The interchangeability of similar terms occurs also in French. Hence, in French, one who heals but is not certified as a doctor is commonly called a "guérisseur"; whereas one who specializes in magic(whether for medicinal purposes or not) is called a "sorcier".

Key term(s)
  • payé

French

Domaine(s)
  • Désignations des emplois (Généralités)
  • Arts et culture autochtones
DEF

guérisseur : Spécialiste censé obtenir la guérison des malades ou réussir un traitement chirurgical grâce à des pouvoirs surnaturels ou grâce à des connaissances expérimentales positives dont la mise en œuvre est seulement favorisée par la bienveillance d'esprits tutélaires [...] Le rôle du «medicine-man» (ou guérisseur) au sens propre fut de la plus grande importance dans la plupart des sociétés indiennes d'Amérique.

DEF

Prêtre-sorcier, à la fois devin et thérapeute [...]

CONT

Le sorcier micmac jouait le rôle d'intermédiaire entre les divinités et les simples mortels. Il interprétait les rêves, dirigeait toutes les cérémonies religieuses et toutes les danses, interrogeait les puissances surnaturelles, prédisait l'avenir et conseillait les guerriers. Finalement, il guérissait les malades à l'aide des plantes magiques et pratiquait l'exorcisme et la magie au moyen d'incantations se rattachant à la mythologie religieuse de la nation micmaque.

CONT

Chez la plupart des tribus populeuses les hommes de médecine de cette classe étaient associés en gildes ou en sociétés, et à des occasions spéciales faisaient de grandes cérémonies de guérison ou «de restauration de la vie (vitalité)» [...]

Spanish

Save record 2

Record 3 2014-12-12

English

Subject field(s)
  • Taxation
  • Humanities and Social Sciences (General)
CONT

Charities can and do charge fees for their charitable programs, but when their fees are high enough that they exclude those in need of the service or provide a return above the break-even point, it raises the question of whether their purpose is indeed charitable. A key to identifying whether a training business or social business is a charitable program in its own right(as opposed to a potentially "related" business) is to determine whether its focus is on helping the clientele or on making a profit.

Key term(s)
  • charitable programme

French

Domaine(s)
  • Fiscalité
  • Sciences humaines (Généralités)
CONT

Les organismes de bienfaisance peuvent exiger des frais pour leurs programmes de bienfaisance et elles le font. Toutefois, lorsque ces frais ont pour effet d'exclure certaines des personnes qui ont besoin de leurs services ou de donner à l'organisme un rendement qui va au-delà du seuil de rentabilité, cela soulève la question de savoir si son objectif relève véritablement de la bienfaisance. Un moyen clé de savoir si une entreprise de formation ou une entreprise sociale met [en] œuvre un programme relevant de la bienfaisance (par opposition à ce qui pourrait être une activité commerciale complémentaire) est de voir si elle se concentre sur l'aide à la clientèle plutôt que sur la réalisation d'un profit.

Spanish

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Record 4 2007-03-26

English

Subject field(s)
  • Education (General)

French

Domaine(s)
  • Pédagogie (Généralités)

Spanish

Save record 4

Record 5 1995-04-20

English

Subject field(s)
  • Calorimetry
  • Thermoanalysis
CONT

Remote heat sensing techniques evolved from space technology developments related to weather satellites can be used to detect comparative heat energy losses from roofs, walls, windows, and so on. A method called thermography is defined as the conversion of a temperature pattern detected on a surface by contrast into an image called a thermogram... Thermovision is defined as the technique of utilizing the infrared radiation from a surface which varies with the surface temperatures, to produce a thermal picture or thermogram. A camera can scan the area in question and focus the radiation on a sensitive detector which in turn converts it to an electronic signal.

OBS

Thermovision is reported as a registered trade name in the Trade Names Dictionary (CRNAM, 1982, volume 2, p.1060).

French

Domaine(s)
  • Calorimétrie
  • Thermo-analyse
DEF

Ensemble des techniques permettant de visualiser l'image thermique d'un objet.

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Calorimetría
  • Termoanálisis
Save record 5

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