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Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

incumbency

French translation:

en place

Added to glossary by kashew
Oct 29, 2014 10:24
9 yrs ago
8 viewers *
English term

incumbency

English to French Marketing Economics
Could someone suggest how to translate "Incumbency" in the text bellow.

"Barriers to entry, such as regulations favouring incumbent industry, also inhibit new technologies.
Incumbency is powerful – the combination of capital invested (sunk costs), technology maturity, and outdated policy frameworks delay adoption of new technologies and business models."

I have translated "incumbent industy" by "l'industrie en place", but I am now struggling to find the correct translation for incumbency in this context.
I think I understand what the idea is but I can't find the right word to convey this idea.
So far I have come up with "cette influence", "suprematie" "hegemonie" "inertie", "caractère historique", "position attitrée/traditionnelle". None of them seem right though.

Any help greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Proposed translations (French)
4 en place
4 +2 les situations acquises ou enracinées / l'ancienneté
3 La préexistence
Change log

Nov 11, 2014 10:36: kashew Created KOG entry

Discussion

nweatherdon Oct 31, 2014:
Yari,

I think it is safe to say that incumbents usually have fairly high market share, even if I think it is not standard in economics to assume anything specific with regard to market structure in the absence of additional information in a given context. But in fact generally I agree with your point.
Florence Stubbs (asker) Oct 31, 2014:
Thank you for all your updates and entries on this topic. It's been really helpful. i'm going to think about it over the weekend.
Yarri K Oct 31, 2014:
Neutrality in economics Just wanted to specify that my suggested answer "la pré-existence" and discussion comments are based on my training in economics. If this excerpt comes from an academic economics paper then I think it is essential to choose a translation that is as neutral as possible. Economically speaking, incumbency only refers to the fact that the industry player already exists. This pre-existence may take place in a monopolistic context, or not. As long as it is not specified, one cannot assume market dominance, otherwise another term such as hegemony would have been used.
In this sense "en place" and reformulating is the most faithful translation. Francis Marché's suggestion of "ancienneté" I think is also quite faithful.
B D Finch Oct 29, 2014:
@Yarri and Gilbert You misunderstand. My point was that it means currently, or at the time in question, occupying a position, not "préexistence" and certainly not "prééminence". In any context, its strict meaning is neutral with regard (note no "s") to "size or power"; nonetheless, because of its formal register, it is not generally used about unimportant positions unless irony is intended.
gilbertlu Oct 29, 2014:
Alors, au lieu de préexistence, pourquoi ne pas parler de "prééminence". Certes, le mot est fort, mais il faut tenir compte de "powerful".
Yarri K Oct 29, 2014:
@B D Finch I agree with you for general language. But in economics the term is neutral with regards to size or power. How strictly this neutrality needs to be maintained will depend on the context of the document, if it is an academic economics paper, for instance. But I now note that the given category is "Marketing - Economics", so perhaps the strict economic sense is not intended here.
B D Finch Oct 29, 2014:
Position Incumbency means occupying a position, not just "already existing". That position may be one of some power as the word is a bit too formal to apply to a position of minor importance. So, one would talk of a person's incumbency as Managing Director, but not as Filing Clerk (unless it was an intentional witticism).
Yarri K Oct 29, 2014:
My understanding of the term "incumbency" in an economic sense is that it refers merely to the state of already existing. It may imply dominance, but not necessarily, as it can also include industry players not in a dominant market position, but who just exist along with the existing dominant players. Therefore I would hesitate with using "la position dominante".
gilbertlu Oct 29, 2014:
"la position dominante des industries déjà en place" me paraît être la plus fidèle traduction de l'idée exprimée.
Antoine Heudre Oct 29, 2014:
Barrières à l'entrée Vous pourriez parler de "la position dominante dont jouissent les industries déjà en place/ces industries (pour éviter la répétition)" pour reprendre la façon dont vous avez traduit "incumbent industry" mais cette position dominante/protégée vient des barrières à l'entrée sur un marché donc ce n'est peut-être pas complètement absurde d'y faire référence. "Les barrières à l'entrée (sous-entendu et leur impact, à savoir de donner une position dominante aux industries déjà en place) ont des répercussions importantes (elles limitent l'innovation technologique)".
nweatherdon Oct 29, 2014:
It's the fact of basically being currently dominant, often in a fairly official way which may include formal support (legal or otherwise) and in occupying that position most likely making it difficult for others to enter that area of activity. It's a position.

Proposed translations

21 mins
Selected

en place

L'entreprise en place...

This incumbency advantage has ensured that the only new entrants to the relevant market in recent times have had 'deep pockets': Mars, Häagen Dazs and Nestlé. eur-lex.europa.eu
Cet avantage conféré aux entreprises en place a eu pour conséquence que les seuls nouveaux arrivants sur le marché en cause [...] eur-lex.europa.eu


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Note added at 22 minutes (2014-10-29 10:46:50 GMT)
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Maybe rewrite it a little?
Peer comment(s):
agree Daryo
14 mins
Merci
agree B D Finch
5 hrs
disagree Germaine : ça va pour incumbent, mais ça ne résout en rien le cas "incumbency".
1 day 16 hrs
Did you read my explanatory notes? // Depends on how one has translated incumbent industry.
disagree Francis Marche : Sous-traduction : "en place" is "established" or "well-established". Eur-lex.europa is not the Bible.
2 days 1 hr
Did you read my explanatory notes? This depends on how one has translated incumbent industry. Even; "Such a status is powerful" is acceptable to my mind.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "thank you for your answer:)"
27 mins

La préexistence

Declined
Or perhaps "L'état de préexistence" though that might have more philosophical allusions.

Just a suggestion. It is indeed tricky to translate as a noun in French. Otherwise, as you have done, use the formula "en place" and switch the sentence around.
Something went wrong...
+2
23 hrs

les situations acquises ou enracinées / l'ancienneté

Declined
C'est l'idée de "ingrained" (l'enracinement d'une habitude, d'un biais acquis) associée à la notion de préséance que confère l'ancienneté (the unspoken "grand-father clause")

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Note added at 23 hrs (2014-10-30 09:47:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Le terme "ancienneté", concept très français qui recouvre celui d'antécédence dans la place, etc. paraît suffire pour traduire "incumbency" dans ce contexte.

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Note added at 23 hrs (2014-10-30 09:54:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Recourir sinon à des périphrases : "la prévalence de l'existant" ; "le caractère inexpugnable des positions acquises", etc.
Peer comment(s):
agree Germaine : C'était ma première idée aussi, mais je crois qu'on ne parle pas tant d'ancienneté que de prévalence et de "position acquise". // Je vois, dit l'aveugle. D'accord avec "ancienneté".
17 hrs
Oui, mais en l'occurrence "incumbency" n'est pas en soi porteur d'une valeur de prévalence, laquelle n'est explicitée que dans le contexte. Le terme "ancienneté" connote en France ce que nous livre ce contexte : "la défense des avantages acquis".
agree Yarri K : with "ancienneté", which does not add any other assumptions with regard to market dominance so has the same neutrality as "incumbency"
23 hrs
Merci !
Something went wrong...
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