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load

French translation: appareil électrique

21:30 Dec 10, 2021
English to French translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Electronics / Elect Eng / book
English term or phrase: load
Any device that consumes electrical energy is called a load (e.g., a water pump, tv, lights, or computer, fan, etc.).

I'm translating a book on do-it-yourself solar system installation. The word 'load' typically would be translated as "charge", but in this context, a load is actually a device. Can't find the term in French.
Marguerite Storm
United States
Local time: 12:04
French translation:appareil électrique
Explanation:
I think "charge" is ok personally. See the Larousse definition.

I would personally use "appareil électrique" as it would seem to me like the best way to describe a load in a context like this one.
"appareil électrique en veille" if you are referring to those on standby (Vampire power)
Selected response from:

Alexander Akel
Canada
Local time: 11:04
Grading comment
First, I want to thank all of you who have provided answers and very helpful explanations and references. Second, I believe the word 'load' is an unfortunate (and confusing) choice by the author for devices like a fan or a hairdryer. Consommateur might be the right term but since this is a book for lay people and do it yourselves I will go with 'appareil électrique'.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +6consommateur
Tony M
5charge
Johannes Gleim
4 -1appareil électrique
Alexander Akel
4 -2dispositif de chargement
MassimoA


Discussion entries: 7





  

Answers


9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
consommateur


Explanation:
This is one of the words we use for this in the technical field — récepteur is another, although I think perhaps less suited to the specific context you have here (subject to what the rest goes on to say, of course!)
The only thing I don't know is if this is entirely suitable for your seemingly less formal document.

Tony M
France
Local time: 19:04
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 1453

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Cyril Tollari: récepteur
13 hrs
  -> Merci, Cyril ! Je crains simplement que ce terme soit dans un régistre légèrement trop « formel » pour le document concerné.
agree  Herbie: more appropriate than récepteur in my view; btw: our term is "Verbraucher"
13 hrs
  -> Thanks, Herbie! Yes 'utilisateur' would have been good here too, except for the connotation of the PERSON.
agree  Samuël Buysschaert
16 hrs
  -> Merci, Samuël !
agree  Yvonne Gallagher
17 hrs
  -> Thanks, Yvonne!
agree  Daryo
18 hrs
  -> Thanks, Daryo!
agree  Schtroumpf
1 day 14 hrs
  -> Thanks, Schtroumpf!
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
appareil électrique


Explanation:
I think "charge" is ok personally. See the Larousse definition.

I would personally use "appareil électrique" as it would seem to me like the best way to describe a load in a context like this one.
"appareil électrique en veille" if you are referring to those on standby (Vampire power)


    https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais/charge/14743
Alexander Akel
Canada
Local time: 11:04
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
First, I want to thank all of you who have provided answers and very helpful explanations and references. Second, I believe the word 'load' is an unfortunate (and confusing) choice by the author for devices like a fan or a hairdryer. Consommateur might be the right term but since this is a book for lay people and do it yourselves I will go with 'appareil électrique'.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: Yes, but this is layman's language, not really ideal in a more technical context. The source text uses it in a conceptual sense, whereas this is rather too detailed and specific.
7 hrs
disagree  Johannes Gleim: An electric appliance or equipment is no 'load', but may create a load for the mains. 'load' has the uniit "Watt" or "VA" and referst to the consumed energy. See IEC.
4 days
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11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -2
dispositif de chargement


Explanation:
Speaking of solar panels, I find it more pertinent to translate with "dispositif de chargement".
Perhaps a few more details would be needed, given that - in the field of solar panels - it is topical to charge the solar panel.

MassimoA
Italy
Local time: 19:04
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
PRO pts in category: 1

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Tony M: Absolutely wrong in Asker's context! This would be a 'loading device' — either for loading a lorry, ship, etc.; or possibly a 'load' that is required on the end of a feeder or seomthing, but that's not what the text here is discussing.
41 mins
disagree  Daryo: noticed the part "Any device that consumes electrical energy"? / you would need a truckload of "poetic licence" to turn "taking" into "giving" (electrical energy) // unfortunately, technical texts don't like "poetic license", positively hate it ...
6 hrs
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12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
charge


Explanation:
Please distinguish between 'load' and 'device'. A load can be measured, but a device cannot.

load
the amount of weight carried,
the amount of electrical power that is supplied
the amount of work to be done by a person:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/load

4 The amount of power supplied by a source; the resistance of moving parts to be overcome by a motor.
4.1 The amount of electricity supplied by a generating system at any given time.
‘To estimate your electrical load, total the wattage of all the equipment you'll operate at one time.’
https://www.lexico.com/definition/load

In the previous example, the light bulbs are the LOAD of the generator. The EM2500 generator can handle a LOAD of no more than 2500 watts maximum.
https://www.generatorjoe.net/html/understandingloads.html

Permanent heating appliances also have a fairly heavy electrical load, and most require their own dedicated circuits. Allowing these appliances to share a circuit with other devices can easily overload the circuit, since by nature they have a fairly heavy power draw, especially when they first startup.
https://www.thespruce.com/calculate-safe-electrical-load-cap...

Cette énergie provient du générateur qui fait circuler le courant c'est-à-dire qui met en mouvement les charges électriques par sa force électromotrice.
https://webetab.ac-bordeaux.fr/Pedagogie/Physique/Physico/El...

Lorsque vous utilisez un appareil possédant un moteur (climatiseur, fournaise à air pulsé, pompe à eau, etc.), vous devez considérer qu’il consomme de 2 à 3 fois plus de puissance pour démarrer. Il est donc important de bien gérer la puissance et l’ordre des charges appliquées à votre génératrice.
https://www.outillagemp.com/fr/produits/conseils/18-calculez...

• CHARGE, subst. fém.
• CHARGER, verbe trans.
I.− Action, fait de charger quelqu'un ou quelque chose.
:
- ÉLECTRICITÉ
♦ Quantité d'électricité; en partic., quantité d'électricité statique emmagasinée dans un accumulateur.
https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/charge

Traduction: Tout appareil qui consomme de l'énergie électrique est appelé une charge (par exemple, une pompe à eau, une télévision, des lumières, ou un ordinateur, un ventilateur, etc.).

Explanation: Car il charge la source d'énergie (l‘appareil consomme l'énergie).

Johannes Gleim
Local time: 19:04
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in category: 339

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: That's exactly the point! Here, we are not talking about the 'measured load', but generically about 'devices that constitute a load'; although this could be used, I don't think it is the best term to use in idiomatic EN.
17 mins
  -> In German I'd all it 'Last', same etymological root as 'load'. This is the generic term for devices or burdens consuming energy from a source, stressing or loading the supply network.
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