Why one term per concept
Most construction concepts have more than one acceptable French rendering. A project needs one: the same on the drawings, in the specification and in the reports. When two renderings slip in, someone senior ends up correcting them, project after project. The terms below are approved ones, each tied to its field.
How to use this glossary
The table is alphabetical by English term, with the French term and the field it comes from. Where a term differs by field, the field tells you which context it was approved for. Your firm’s own approved terms always take precedence over a general list like this one. Technitrad’s terminologists review every term; David Fay holds a Master in Terminology from Universitat Pompeu Fabra (IULA, Barcelona) and is an ECQA Certified Terminology Manager (Basic).
The glossary
| English | French | Field |
|---|---|---|
| access road | voie d’accès | Transportation |
| acoustic tile | carreau acoustique | General |
| air barrier | pare-air | General |
| air duct | conduit d’air | General |
| air handling unit | appareil de traitement d’air | Mechanical |
| alternative | solution de rechange | General |
| anchor | élément d’ancrage | General |
| anchor bolt | boulon d’ancrage | Structural |
| armoured cable | câble armé | Electrical |
| as-built drawings | dessins d’après exécution | General |
| asbestos abatement | désamiantage | Environmental |
| asphalt pavement | revêtement bitumineux | Civil |
| authority having jurisdiction | autorité compétente | General |
| automatic transfer switch | appareillage automatique de commutation de charge | Energy |
| backflow preventer | dispositif anti-retour | Mechanical |
| base plate | plaque d’appui | Structural |
| battery charger | chargeur de batterie | Energy |
| bearing wall | mur porteur | General |
| bedrock | substrat rocheux | Geotechnical |
| bid | soumission | General |
| bidder | soumissionnaire | General |
| bonding | cautionnement | General |
| borehole | trou de forage | Geotechnical |
| bridge deck | tablier de pont | Transportation |
| building permit | permis de construire | General |
| cable tray | chemin de câbles | Electrical |
| cash allowance | allocation monétaire | General |
| cast-in-place concrete | béton coulé en place | Structural |
| catch basin | bouche d’égout | Civil |
| caulking | produit de calfeutrage | General |
| ceramic tile | carreau de céramique | General |
| change order | ordre de modification | General |
| check valve | clapet de retenue | Mechanical |
| cleaning | nettoyage | General |
| cohesive soil | sol cohérent | Geotechnical |
| combined sewer | égout unitaire | Civil |
| commissioning | mise en service | General |
| compaction | compactage | Geotechnical |
| concrete slab | dalle de béton | General |
| construction joint | joint de construction | General |
| construction schedule | calendrier de construction | General |
| construction site | chantier de construction | General |
| consultant | consultant | General |
| contaminated site | site contaminé | Environmental |
| contaminated soil | sol contaminé | Environmental |
| contractor | entrepreneur | General |
| control joint | joint de retrait | General |
| curb | bordure | Civil |
| curing | période de cure | General |
| curtain wall | mur-rideau | General |
| dampproofing | imperméabilisation à l’humidité | General |
| dewatering | assèchement des excavations | Geotechnical |
| diesel generating unit | groupe électrogène à moteur diesel | Energy |
| dock leveler | niveleur de quai | General |
| door frame | bâti de porte | General |
| dowel | goujon | General |
| dredging | dragage | Transportation |
| driven pile | pieu battu | Geotechnical |
| drywall | cloison sèche | General |
| earthwork | terrassement | General |
| elevator | ascenseur | General |
| emergency lighting | éclairage de sécurité | Electrical |
| erosion barriers | barrières de protection contre l’érosion | Environmental |
| erosion control plan | plan de contrôle de l’érosion | Environmental |
| exhaust fan | ventilateur d’extraction | Mechanical |
| expansion joint | joint de dilatation | Structural |
| expansion tank | vase d’expansion | Mechanical |
| feeder | artère d’alimentation | Electrical |
| finger dock | appontement | Transportation |
| finish hardware | quincaillerie de finition | General |
| fire damper | registre coupe-feu | Mechanical |
| fire pump | pompe d’incendie | General |
| fire separation | cloison coupe-feu | General |
| fire-resistance rating | degré de résistance au feu | General |
| firestopping | protection coupe-feu | General |
| Fisheries Act | Loi sur les pêches | Environmental |
| flashing | solin | General |
| floor drain | avaloir de sol | Mechanical |
| floor joist | solive de plancher | General |
| footing | semelle | Structural |
| force main | conduite d’égout sous pression | Civil |
| formwork | coffrage | Structural |
| fuel storage tank | réservoir de stockage de carburant | Energy |
| gate valve | robinet-vanne | General |
| general contractor | entrepreneur général | General |
| general requirements | exigences générales | General |
| generator switchboard | tableau de commutation de génératrice | Energy |
| glazing | vitrage | General |
| granular backfill | remblai granulaire | Geotechnical |
| granular sub-base | couche de fondation granulaire | Civil |
| grounding | mise à la terre | Electrical |
| groundwater | eau souterraine | Geotechnical |
| grout | coulis | Structural |
| gypsum board | plaque de plâtre | General |
| handrail | main courante | General |
| hazardous waste | déchet dangereux | Environmental |
| heat exchanger | échangeur de chaleur | Energy |
| heat pump | pompe à chaleur | Mechanical |
| heat recovery | récupération de chaleur | Energy |
| heating boiler | chaudière de chauffage | Mechanical |
| hoarding | palissade | General |
| HVAC | CVCA | Mechanical |
| hydraulic seeding | ensemencement hydraulique | Environmental |
| insert | pièce noyée | General |
| inverter | onduleur | Energy |
| junction box | boîte de jonction | Electrical |
| loading dock | quai de chargement | General |
| main breaker | disjoncteur principal | Electrical |
| maintenance hole | regard de visite | Civil |
| maintenance manual | manuel d’entretien | General |
| masonry unit | élément de maçonnerie | General |
| membrane | membrane | General |
| metal stud | poteau métallique | General |
| mock-up | échantillon de l’ouvrage | General |
| monitoring well | puits de surveillance | Environmental |
| motor control centre | centre de commande de moteurs | Electrical |
| mould remediation | traitement de la contamination fongique | Environmental |
| natural watercourse | cours d’eau naturel | Environmental |
| operation and maintenance manual | manuel d’exploitation et d’entretien | General |
| owner | maître de l’ouvrage | General |
| panelboard | panneau de distribution | Electrical |
| partition | cloison | General |
| pavement marking | marquage de chaussée | Transportation |
| pipe culvert | tuyau pour ponceaux | Civil |
| plug-in busway | barre blindée embrochable | Electrical |
| plumbing fixture | appareil sanitaire | Mechanical |
| power factor | facteur de puissance | Energy |
| precast concrete | béton préfabriqué | Structural |
| primer | peinture primaire | General |
| product data | fiche technique | General |
| progress payment | paiement d’acompte | General |
| pull box | boîte de tirage | Electrical |
| quality assurance | assurance de la qualité | General |
| quality control | contrôle de la qualité | General |
| raceway | canalisation | Electrical |
| railway siding | embranchement ferroviaire | Transportation |
| rebar | barre d’armature | Structural |
| resilient flooring | revêtement de sol souple | General |
| retaining wall | mur de soutènement | Civil |
| revegetation | revégétalisation | Environmental |
| riprap | enrochement | Geotechnical |
| road bollard | borne de protection | Transportation |
| roadbed | plate-forme routière | Transportation |
| roadway lighting | éclairage routier | Transportation |
| rock core | carotte de roche | Geotechnical |
| rubber marine fender | défense d’accostage en caoutchouc | Transportation |
| sample | échantillon | General |
| sanitary sewer | égout sanitaire | Civil |
| scaffolding | échafaudage | General |
| shear stud | goujon de cisaillement | Structural |
| sheet steel piles | palplanches d’acier | Geotechnical |
| shop drawing | dessin d’atelier | General |
| shoring | étaiement | Geotechnical |
| site meeting | réunion de chantier | General |
| skylight | lanterneau | General |
| slab edge | rive de la dalle | Structural |
| sleeve | manchon | General |
| smoke damper | registre de fumée | Mechanical |
| solar flat-plate collector | capteur solaire plan | Energy |
| specifications | devis | General |
| spill kit | trousse de lutte contre les déversements | Environmental |
| steel decking | platelage en acier | Structural |
| steel joist | poutrelle en acier | Structural |
| steel lintel | linteau en acier | Structural |
| steel stud | poteau d’acier | General |
| storage battery | batterie d’accumulateurs | Energy |
| storm sewer | égout pluvial | Civil |
| structural steel for bridges | acier de construction pour ponts | Transportation |
| subcontractor | sous-traitant | General |
| subgrade | couche de forme | Civil |
| substantial performance | achèvement substantiel des travaux | General |
| substitution | solution de remplacement | General |
| supply duct | conduit de soufflage d’air | Mechanical |
| suspended ceiling | plafond suspendu | General |
| switchgear | appareillage de commutation | Electrical |
| temporary facilities | installations temporaires | General |
| test pit | puits d’exploration | Geotechnical |
| testing | mise à l’essai | General |
| topping | couche de revêtement | General |
| topsoil | terre végétale | Environmental |
| traffic control | régulation de la circulation | Transportation |
| traffic signage | signalisation routière | Transportation |
| transformer | transformateur | Energy |
| underpinning | reprise en sous-œuvre | Geotechnical |
| uninterruptible power supply | alimentation sans interruption | Energy |
| unit price | prix unitaire | General |
| unit substation | poste de transformation préfabriqué | Energy |
| valve chamber | chambre de vannes | Civil |
| W-beam guide rail | glissière en profilés en W | Transportation |
| water main | conduite principale de distribution d’eau | Civil |
| waterproofing | imperméabilisation à l’eau | General |
| wet pipe sprinkler system | système d’extincteurs automatiques sous eau | Mechanical |
| wiring diagram | schéma de câblage | Electrical |
Your own glossary
Yours can start from your past translations. Every term your engineers approve is applied to every future document, and the term base is yours, whether you stay with us or not. Your engineers then review the translation in minutes, not hours, because the terms are already right. Upload a recent deliverable, a document or an AutoCAD drawing, for a free, confidential terminology check, or see your term base.