platine

[chapteryx]

Cette ampoule à décharge fonctionne uniquement à l'aide d'une platine.

Is this talking about a "ballast", or is there some other kind of "platine" associated with discharge lamps? I can't seem to find a definitive answer in any dictionary, so any help would be much appreciated, thanks!

 

[jann]

The GDT is very useful for technical translations, and it gives quite a list of them for platine, organized by subject area. In the "electronics" category, it suggests two translations (plate, and bearing plate).

I think we need to know exactly what the platine is/does, in French, before we can be sure we've translated it properly.

 

[chapteryx]

Ah, well, if I knew what it actually does, I probably wouldn't be asking what it is in English So I appreciate your request for clarification - perhaps there's a francophone electrician who can shed some light (pardon the pun) ?

Further input from other sources indicates that "platine" is short for "platine d'alimentation", and the platine refers to the fact that the unit in question includes a circuit board with the ballast required for such bulbs and usually also the integrated power supply/transformer. In the context, it would therefore seem appropriate to use "external ballast" so that the potential purchaser understands the installation constraints on the use of such an item.

 

[jann]

Ah, well, if I knew what it actually does, I probably wouldn't be asking what it is in English

Well sometimes with technical translations, even if you know exactly what the object is, it can be hard to find the right technical term English.

Further input from other sources indicates that "platine" is short for "platine d'alimentation", and the platine refers to the fact that the unit in question includes a circuit board with the ballast required for such bulbs and usually also the integrated power supply/transformer. In the context, it would therefore seem appropriate to use "external ballast" so that the potential purchaser understands the installation constraints on the use of such an item.

I'm concerned that platine is a more general term than "external ballast." An electrical ballast is a current limitation device... and the term in French is un ballast. I believe the word platine refers to a "plate" (i.e., a flat planar surface) on which the necessary components (e.g., ballast, power supply, etc.) are mounted. So the word gets used to talk about the whole circuit board assembly.

For the category "éclairage", the GDT defines platine as

Élément rigide métallique ou isolant sur lequel sont fixés les accessoires nécessaires au fonctionnement des lampes à décharge.

...and translates it as mounting plate. This sounds pretty good to me.