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Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

lettre recommandée A.R. Anticipée par courrier express TNT

English translation:

with advance notification by ....

Added to glossary by Scott de Lesseps
May 17, 2014 04:37
9 yrs ago
13 viewers *
French term

lettre recommandée A.R. Anticipée par courrier express TNT

French to English Bus/Financial General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
This is in the heading of a business letter concerning payment due for a loan agreement.
The source text is Belgian French.

lettre rcommandée A.R.
Anticipée par courrier express TNT

I realize the first line is "registered letter with return receipt requested", but the "anticipée"
is what is throwing me. The target audience is UK. Thanks in advance.
Proposed translations (English)
4 +2 advanced by/ notified in advance by
5 -1 registerd letter with signature on receipt that is notifed in advance by express courrier
Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (1): GILLES MEUNIER

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Discussion

rkillings May 19, 2014:
TNT is a private-sector *package delivery service* As far as I can tell, a document in an envelope is treated by TNT no differently than any other parcel. The term "registered letter" familiar from *postal services* would not appear to apply at all. I certainly could find no mention of it on TNT's various websites.
In any case, any answer that fails to mention "TNT" explicitly misses the boat.
B D Finch May 18, 2014:
@Tony As a result of your comment, I thought I'd better update myself on UK postal services and it seems that both recorded delivery and registered mail have been discontinued and replaced by Royal Mail Signed For™ 1st Class and Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am and 1pm™. The latter gives higher value compensation options. I cannot believe that they trademark those names! I included the "™" just to show how silly it is. This does make our job rather more difficult as there is less international equivalence, though omitting the "Royal Mail" bit of the term would be a start.

Eight years ago, when I was buying a house in France and Registered Post still existed, Royal Mail still delivered the avant-contrat de vente by putting it through the communal letterbox of my London flat, without asking for a signature. My complaint to the sorting office revealed that they didn't consider themselves bound by international agreements.
Tony M May 18, 2014:
@ Nikki Actually, for the UK, NOT 'recorded delivery' but 'registered post with advice of delivery' — I believe the 'recorded delivery service (which used to run in tandem with the 'Registered Post') has since been discontinued, but in any case, the fuller tracking given by Registered Post is what most closely equates to 'Lettre Recommandée'.


In fact, even that service has now been discontinued by the privatized Royal Mail Ltd.

The nearest equivalent now is 'signed-for 1st class'

http://www.royalmail.com/parcel-despatch-low/uk-delivery/roy...

However, a more internationanly-understandable term might be advisable for asker's context.
Scott de Lesseps (asker) May 17, 2014:
Unless I am missing something, this term does not come up in previous glossary entries.
Scott de Lesseps (asker) May 17, 2014:
thanks Thanks for all the comments -- very helpful!
chris collister May 17, 2014:
@Tony You're right, of course, about express mail. I failed to make this distinction when I sent an important package to the UK: it pitched up 16 days later!
Nikki Scott-Despaigne May 17, 2014:
AS for the secodn line of your post, then I think that in addition to the LR+AR, a copy of the letter has been sent ahead (anticipée) by TNT's express mail service. It is not uncommon for formal documents to be sent in multiple forms : recorded delivery, ordinary mail, UPS, TNT, carrier pigeon, baililff, deposited at the town hall etc. It hink this is probably indicating the fact that two forms of delivery have been used.
Nikki Scott-Despaigne May 17, 2014:
For a UK target reader, you will need "recorded delivery with acknowledgement of receipt" for LR + AR.
Tony M May 17, 2014:
@ Chris Not really! TNT and many other carriers (cf. Chronopost) have varying speeds of service, like next day before 13:00, next day before 17:00, 48 hrs, etc.

Clearly it needs to be one of those first two in order for it to actually arrive in advance of the Registered Letter (well, assuming of course they were posted at the same time!)
chris collister May 17, 2014:
I have frequent dealings with TNT, UPS, etc, who send emails to the recipient and sender saying that the package is about to be delivered, and then that it has been delivered. "Express mail" seems a bit redundant since everybody knows what TNT does.

Proposed translations

+2
1 hr
Selected

advanced by/ notified in advance by

registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt...advanced by express mail TNT
Peer comment(s):
agree Tony M : with advance notification by...
11 mins
Thanks
neutral writeaway : this has been asked time and time again, with all terms together or separately. checking the glossary or a dictionary would have paid off. but I don't really understand this answer. advanced by express mail???
2 hrs
agree GILLES MEUNIER
2 hrs
Thanks
neutral Nikki Scott-Despaigne : See discussion post. I think you probably know what you mean, but the suggestion in English is unclear.
5 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks to everyone. Tony, I actually decided to go with your answer. I would give you points if I could. : )"
-1
1 day 2 hrs

registerd letter with signature on receipt that is notifed in advance by express courrier

recommande: registered
A.R.: accuse de reception
Peer comment(s):
disagree Tony M : Although all the elements are not wrong, as a whole this is awkward and misleading — not least, because it seems to suggest that it is the signature that is notified in advance!
2 hrs
Something went wrong...
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