French Glossary Of Construction Industry Terms

This dual-language dictionary lists over 20,000 specialist terms in both French and English, covering architecture, building, engineering and property terms. It meets the needs of all building professionals working on projects overseas. It has been comprehensively researched and compiled to provide an invaluable reference source in an increasingly European marketplace.

I am pleased to present a work which marks a milestone in the history of public works and, more precisely, in that of permanent structures—a comprehensive dictionary of Civil Engineering terms. Since the beginning of time, Man has always tried to find a means to clear the obstacles which nature erected to displace him. With the first tree trunk thrown across a river, man sought to improve the crossing structure. After the invention of the wheel, and to satisfy his thirst for conquest (Roman ways), and comfort (aqueducts), man built bridges that became a preremptory necessity to move quickly. Thus, Man started to build wooden and masonry works. With the passing centuries, the builders became masters in the art of building masonry works. Then came the Industrial Revolution and the advent of the steel (1864), which was closely followed by the invention of the reinforced concrete (1855). The need for railways and improving the road network inspired great works of crossing such as viaducts and tunnels. The boom of the railway network and the development of the car required the construction of an increasing number of new structures. This phenomenon continues today with hundreds of structures built each year throughout the world.

In the last few decades civil engineering has undergone substantial technological change which has, naturally, been reflected in the terminology employed in the industry. Efforts are now being made in many countries to bring about a systematization and unification of technical terminology in general, and that of civil engineering in particular. The publication of a multilingual dictionary of civil engineering terms has been necessitated by the expansion of international cooperation and information exchange in this field, as well as by the lack of suitable updated bilingual dictionaries. This Dictionary contains some 14.000 English terms together with their German, French, Dutch and Russian equivalents, which are used in the main branches of civil engineering and relate to the basic principles of structural design and calculations (the elasticity theory, strength of materials, soil mechanics and other allied technical disciplines); to buildings and installations, structures and their parts, building materials and prefabrications, civil engineering technology and practice, building and road construction machines, construction site equipment, housing equipment and fittings (including modern systems of air conditioning); as well as to hydrotechnical and irrigation constructions. The Dictionary also includes a limited number of basic technical expressions and terms relating to allied disciplines such as architecture and town planning, as well as airfield, railway and underground construction. The Dictionary does not list trade names of building materials, parts and machines or the names of chemical compounds. Nor does it give adverbial, adjective or verbal terms.

This phrase book provides the terms one needs to know when buying, maintaining, renovating or building a home in France. It includes the technical words for tools and equipment and various aspects of painting, carpentry, roofing, plumbing and drainage, as well as terminology for planning structural changes.

This French–English and English–French dictionary lists over 20,000 specialist terms, covering architecture, building, civil engineering and property. It is written for all construction professionals working on projects overseas. This new edition has been revised and extended, as well as pruned, and serves as an invaluable reference source in an increasingly European marketplace.