French and Latin Diplomatic Terms

French and Latin Diplomatic Terms French and Latin Diplomatic Terms French and Latin Diplomatic Terms By Mark Nichol For hundreds of years, France was a world power militarily, economically, and culturally, and thus its language became the political, well, lingua franca. Although the nation is no longer a superpower (yet influential in world affairs), the French language is still well represented in the vocabulary of diplomacy- as is its precursor, Latin. This post lists and defines words adopted directly from French (and Latin) into diplomatic discourse, now dominated by English. (Each term is followed by an English translation. Latin terms are designated with the abbreviation L.; all other terms are from French.) Acte final (â€Å"final act†): A formal statement summarizing the results of a conference between representatives of two or more nations. Agrà ©ment (â€Å"agreement†): Approval by a nation’s government of a proposed new ambassador or other diplomat to represent another nation’s interest in the first nation before the diplomat is appointed Aide mà ©moire (â€Å"memory aid†): A summary of key points of an official conversation between representatives of two nations, prepared by one party and submitted to the other at the end of the meeting or at a later time to aid memory. Alternat (â€Å"alternate†): The principle that when two or more nations enter into an agreement, each nation’s official designation will be listed first on its respective copy of the agreement when copies are distributed to representatives of each nation. Ambassador extraordinary and ambassador plenipotentiary: These phrases are alterations of, rather than direct borrowings from, French, but the syntax of compound nouns consisting of postpositive adjectives (in which an adjective that further specifies a noun follows the noun) is an artifact of French. (Other examples include â€Å"attorney general.†) Attachà © (â€Å"attached†): Any of several various officers in an embassy, including one or more attachà ©s representing the military branches of the nation represented by the embassy; professional specialists known as, for example, the cultural attachà ©; or junior ambassadorial officers. Also, part of the phrase â€Å"attachà © case,† denoting a type of briefcase, originally used by such officers to carry documents, that became popular for general use. Bout de papier (â€Å"piece of paper†): A document for conveying information between an embassy and the government of the host nation that is more informal than an aide memoire or a memorandum. Chargà © d’affaires, a.i. (â€Å"in charge of business in the interim†): Originally, without the abbreviation (for â€Å"ad interim†), the designation for an embassy official ranking below an ambassador or a minister; now, with the abbreviation, the term for an official substituting for the ambassador in his or her absence. Communiquà © (â€Å"communication†): A carefully managed and innocuous public statement summarizing the result of a meeting between representatives of two or more nations. By extension, a synonym, in general usage, for bulletin. Concordat (â€Å"agreement†): An agreement between one or more nations and the Vatican. Consul (L., â€Å"one who consults†): Any one of various officials, subordinate to an ambassador, who represents a nation’s political and economic interests in a major city of another nation and supports the interests of other citizens of his or her nation who are visiting, or living in, the host nation. The office of a consul is a consulate, a lower-ranking official is a vice consul, and an honorary consul is a citizen of a host nation appointed by another nation to represent its interests in the absence of a consulate and its officials. During the time of the Roman Republic, and briefly in France following the French Revolution, the term denoted one of two (in Rome) or three (in France) chief magistrates who led the government. Demarchà © (â€Å"walk†): An official overture by an ambassadorial diplomat to representatives of a host nation about a matter of concern to the diplomat’s nation, usually made in conjunction with a request for action or a decision on the part of the host nation. The term derives from the notion of the diplomat walking to the office of a host nation’s representative to discuss the matter in question. Dà ©tente (â€Å"relaxation†): An easing of tension between nations. Entente (â€Å"understanding†): A relationship between two or more nations with similar interests or objectives, resulting in an oral or written agreement less formal than a treaty (from the phrase â€Å"entente cordial,† or â€Å"friendly understanding†). By extension, the term also denotes a coalition of parties to such a relationship. Exequatur (L., â€Å"let him perform†): a document issued by the government of a host nation that authorizes a consul to perform his or her duties in that nation. Ex gracia (L., â€Å"by grace†): An action performed as a gesture of goodwill rather than an obligation. Modus vivendi (L., â€Å"manner of living†): A temporary interim written agreement composed as a record that stands until the final document is completed. In general usage, denotes a practical compromise or a way of life. Persona non grata (L., â€Å"unacceptable person†): A person from another nation that the government of a host nation considers unacceptable or unwelcome. By extension in general usage, any such person in a social situation. Rapporteur (â€Å"reporter†): A representative of a committee or a subcommittee responsible for preparing a summary of its proceedings. Rapprochement (â€Å"a bringing together†): Establishment of improved relations between two nations. By extension in general usage, any such reconciliation between any two parties. Tour d’horizon (â€Å"overview†): A general discussion between diplomats of different nations about topics that concern both or all nations. Ultimatum (L., â€Å"final†): A final statement of position issued by representatives of one nation’s government to another, sometimes as a preliminary to a declaration of war. By extension in general usage, any statement by one party to another expressing a demand that will, if not met, result in stated or implied consequences. Visa (L., â€Å"seen†): A document authorizing a citizen of one nation temporary or permanent residence in another nation. Also, the following abbreviations are employed in social correspondence between diplomats and representatives of a host nation as shorthand for various sentiments: P.C.: â€Å"pour condoler† (â€Å"for sympathy†) P.F.: â€Å"pour fà ©liciter† (â€Å"for congratulations†) P.M.: â€Å"pour memoire† (â€Å"for a reminder†) P.P.: â€Å"pour presenter† (â€Å"for introduction†) P.P.C.: â€Å"pour prendre congà ©Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"for taking leave†) P.R.: â€Å"pour remercier† (â€Å"for thanks†) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Types of Language8 Writing Tips for Beginners10 Tips About How to Write a Caption

Can You Write in the ACT Test Booklet

Can You Write in the ACT Test Booklet SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips I don’t know about you, but scratch paper is really useful for me when I’m working through a test. You might know that you’re not allowed to bring paper or notebooks in with you when you take the ACT - you also won't get scratch paper. But are you allowed to write on the ACT test booklet? The short answer is yes, but there’s a bit more to it than that. Here, I’ll go through exactly when and why you’re allowed to write on the booklet. Then, I’ll tell you how you can use the ACT booklet to your advantage by taking the most effective notes possible. Can You Write in the ACT Booklet? AsI mentioned above, you are allowed to write in the ACT test booklet. You can write all over it, in fact - anything you want. The real question is what should you write? Here’s what you should know before you go to town on that ACT test book. You Can Write Wherever You'd Like Any free space you see is yours to use. There are no limitations - you won’t be penalized for writing on any of the test pages. Since you won't receive scratch paper, this booklet will be the only place for you to take notes or work through problems. But Nothing You Write in the ACT Test Booklet Will Be Graded Graders won’t even see your test booklet.This is great if you need to scratch out some notes that no one will understand but you. This is not great if you only record a response in your test booklet and forget totransfer it to the answer sheet. Quick tip: You might find it helpful to work through a section just on your test bookletbefore transferring all your answers to the response sheet at the end.Most students actually save time by bubbling in all their responses after finishing the questions. Worried about timing? Check out our guide to budgeting your time on the ACT. How Do You Use the ACT Booklet Effectively? A pristine ACT test booklet is a sad test booklet. Here are the best ways to use this de facto scratch paper to your own advantage. It's the only scratch paper you'll get, so you might as well use it wisely. Use Notes to Engage With Reading Passages Something I see a lot of students struggle with is staying focused while reading passage after passage. This goes for the science section as well. You may end up wasting time if you get distracted and have to re-read passages or sections of passages multiple times. Actively reading - taking notes and engaging with the passage the first time you read it - may help you save time. If you understand the passage better the first time you go over it, you won’t have to go back and re-read as often. This gives you more time to focus on the questions. Here are some active reading strategies I like to use: Underline topic sentences and thesis sentences Circle key terms Take notes in the margins alongside each paragraph (just a few words summarizing the main point) Work Through Math Problems (Especially Word Problems) When you have to keep track of several variables, writing down your thought process will keep you from getting confused. You should also mark up geometry diagrams with information that’s provided to you! This is especially helpful when figures are not drawn to scale. Mark Up Your Answer Choices You know that only one of the answer choices can be correct. If you use the process of elimination, get a visual of your thought process by crossing off the answers you know to be incorrect (this saves you time if you come back to the question later). Speaking of coming back to questions later †¦ it’s a great time management strategy if you’re taking too long on a particular problem. Circle those difficult time-suck questions, so you find them again quicklyonce you've worked through the rest of the section. Don't Waste Your Time Writing Things That Won't Help Your Score Don’t worry about explaining your answers (I know it’s a force of habit for many students). There are no points for showing your work. If you're bored, try not to doodle! Extra time at the end of a section should be used to review your answers. Can You Write in the ACT Booklet: The Short Answer Yes, you can write all over the ACT test booklet. In fact, writing on the ACT booklet can help you work through many of the problems on the test. Just remember that nothing you write (outside of the bubbles on the answer sheet) will be graded, and you’ll be good to go! What's Next? There's a lot more to learn about preparing for ACT test day!You can start by taking care of logistical concerns (and taking care of yourself) the night before the ACT.Learn about exactly what to expect the day of the test and how you should prepare. Finally, read our top five tips for preparing for the ACTand 14 last-minute ACT strategies you should use. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.