I heard about this podcast from the French Public Radio (France-Inter) on several mailing lists I’m subscribed to.
“Le Téléphone Sonne” is a daily program where users can give input and ask questions by telephone or email. Yesterday’s broadcast was about Open Source, and Richard M. Stallman was invited. He speaks a very good French, I already new that, and he used a word he made up some time ago. I thought it was a lovely translation mistake, but I realized may be not, just listening to the podcast [in French] a few minutes ago.
He is used to use “Logiciels Privateurs” instead of “Logiciels Privés” or “Logiciels Propriétaires” for Closed-Source or Proprietary Software. “Privateur” means the one who/which deprives or takes away. Quite a good word, really. “Privateur” is not commonly used in French, although a correct word. Looking around, I found that APRIL, a French association advocating free software, also recommends this translation. Quite interesting.
Another new word from RMS I heard in the podcast was “Esclavitude” which is an incorrect version of “Esclavage”, meaning “Slavery”. Here is a little joke for the ones who have been following the French Presidential Campaign last year, and some accidental use of improper words during interviews or meetings with the candidates: I dearly hope our politicians were not listening ^^
b-initials 