# French — Transport and Insurance Sub-Lexicon

Combines French-language transport and insurance vocabulary. Part 1 covers maritime, road, rail, air and multimodal transport: carriage contracts, bills of lading, charterparties, freight forwarding, carrier liability. Part 2 covers insurance contracts, life and non-life lines, reinsurance, brokers, claims handling and regulatory framework. Marine/transport insurance (cargo, hull, P&I, carrier liability) sits at the intersection.

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## Part 1 — Transport and Shipping

Auto-generated from translation experience. Maps French shipping, transport, and maritime
legal terms to their correct English equivalents.

## Core Shipping Terms

| French | English |
|---|---|
| charte-partie / contrat d'affrètement | charter party |
| affrètement à temps | time charter |
| affrètement au voyage | voyage charter |
| affrètement coque nue | bareboat charter / demise charter |
| connaissement | bill of lading (B/L) |
| connaissement maritime | ocean bill of lading |
| connaissement direct | through bill of lading |
| lettre de transport maritime | sea waybill |
| connaissement à ordre | order bill of lading |
| connaissement nominatif | straight bill of lading |
| connaissement net / connaissement sans réserve | clean bill of lading |
| connaissement avec réserves | claused bill of lading |
| armateur | shipowner |
| affréteur | charterer |
| transporteur | carrier |
| chargeur / expéditeur | shipper |
| destinataire / réceptionnaire | consignee |
| capitaine / commandant | master |
| agent maritime | ship's agent / port agent |
| courtier maritime | shipbroker |
| transitaire / commissionnaire de transport | freight forwarder |

## Vessel and Cargo Terms

| French | English |
|---|---|
| navire / bâtiment | vessel / ship |
| pavillon | flag (of the vessel) |
| registre d'immatriculation | register of shipping |
| certificat de navigabilité | certificate of seaworthiness |
| classe / société de classification | class / classification society |
| jauge brute (tjb) | gross tonnage (GT) |
| port en lourd (tpl) | deadweight tonnage (DWT) |
| cargaison / marchandises | cargo / goods |
| marchandises dangereuses | dangerous goods |
| vrac / en vrac | bulk / in bulk |
| conteneur | container |
| connaissement de conteneur | container bill of lading |
| surestaries | demurrage |
| prime de célérité / dispatch money | despatch money |
| staries / jours de planche | laytime / lay days |
| avis de mise à disposition | notice of readiness (NOR) |
| chargement | loading |
| déchargement | discharge / unloading |
| arrimage | stowage |
| avaries | damage / average |
| avarie commune / avarie grosse | general average |
| avarie particulière | particular average |
| contribution aux avaries communes | general average contribution |
| sauvetage | salvage |
| assistance maritime | maritime assistance / salvage |

## Port and Operations Terms

| French | English |
|---|---|
| port de chargement | port of loading |
| port de déchargement / port de destination | port of discharge |
| port sûr / port sécurisé | safe port |
| poste à quai / poste d'amarrage | berth |
| poste sûr | safe berth |
| droit de port / droits portuaires | port dues / harbor dues |
| manutention | stevedoring / cargo handling |
| acconier / manutentionnaire | stevedore |
| pilotage | pilotage |
| remorquage | towage |
| lamanage | mooring |

## Insurance and Liability Terms

| French | English |
|---|---|
| assurance maritime | marine insurance |
| assurance corps | hull insurance |
| assurance facultés / assurance marchandises | cargo insurance |
| protection et indemnité (P&I) | protection and indemnity (P&I) |
| club P&I | P&I club |
| lettre de garantie | letter of indemnity (LOI) / letter of guarantee |
| limitation de responsabilité | limitation of liability |
| responsabilité du transporteur | carrier's liability |
| Règles de Hambourg | Hamburg Rules |
| Règles de La Haye-Visby | Hague-Visby Rules |
| Règles de Rotterdam | Rotterdam Rules |
| Convention de Bruxelles de 1924 | Brussels Convention 1924 |

## Incoterms

| French | English |
|---|---|
| franco à bord (FAB) | free on board (FOB) |
| coût, assurance et fret (CAF) | cost, insurance and freight (CIF) |
| coût et fret (CFR) | cost and freight (CFR) |
| rendu droits acquittés (DDP) | delivered duty paid (DDP) |
| franco transporteur (FCA) | free carrier (FCA) |
| départ usine (EXW) | ex works (EXW) |

## Section Headings

| French | English |
|---|---|
| DESCRIPTION DU NAVIRE | VESSEL DESCRIPTION |
| DURÉE DE L'AFFRÈTEMENT | CHARTER PERIOD |
| ZONES DE NAVIGATION | TRADING LIMITS |
| FRET / LOYER | FREIGHT / HIRE |
| CHARGEMENT ET DÉCHARGEMENT | LOADING AND DISCHARGE |
| STARIES ET SURESTARIES | LAYTIME AND DEMURRAGE |
| ASSURANCES | INSURANCE |
| MAINTENANCE ET RÉPARATIONS | MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS |
| RESPONSABILITÉ | LIABILITY |
| LOI APPLICABLE ET ARBITRAGE | GOVERNING LAW AND ARBITRATION |

## Notes

- **"Surestaries" (demurrage)**: Compensation payable by the charterer for exceeding
  laytime. Always "demurrage" in English, never "demurrage penalties".
- **"Avarie commune" (general average)**: A fundamental maritime law concept (York-Antwerp
  Rules). All parties share losses from voluntary sacrifice. Keep as "general average".
- **"Connaissement"**: Always "bill of lading" — the fundamental maritime transport document.
  A "lettre de transport maritime" (sea waybill) is NOT a bill of lading — it is not
  negotiable and does not represent title to goods.
- **French maritime law**: Primarily governed by the Code des transports (2010) and
  international conventions. Reference as "French Transport Code" on first mention.

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## Part 2 — Insurance and Reinsurance

Auto-generated from translation experience. Maps French insurance legal terms to their
correct English equivalents.

## Core Insurance Terms

| French | English |
|---|---|
| contrat d'assurance / police d'assurance | insurance policy |
| police | policy |
| avenant (à la police) | endorsement / rider |
| conditions générales | general conditions / policy wording |
| conditions particulières | particular conditions / policy schedule |
| assuré | insured / assured |
| souscripteur / preneur d'assurance | policyholder |
| assureur | insurer / underwriter |
| réassureur | reinsurer |
| courtier d'assurance | insurance broker |
| agent d'assurance | insurance agent |
| bénéficiaire | beneficiary |
| prime d'assurance | premium |
| appel de prime | premium call / premium notice |
| franchise | excess (UK) / deductible (US) |
| franchise absolue | deductible |
| franchise relative | franchise (only payable if loss exceeds threshold) |
| plafond de garantie / montant maximum | policy limit / sum insured |
| garantie / couverture | cover / coverage |
| période de couverture / période de garantie | policy period / period of cover |
| sinistre | claim / loss |
| déclaration de sinistre | notice of claim / loss notification |
| indemnité / indemnisation | indemnity / claim payment |
| expertise | loss adjustment / survey |
| expert (d'assurance) | loss adjuster / surveyor |
| subrogation | subrogation |
| déchéance de garantie | forfeiture of cover |
| exclusion (de garantie) | exclusion |
| condition suspensive (assurance) | condition precedent |
| résiliation | cancellation / termination |
| non-renouvellement | non-renewal |
| prescription | limitation period / statute of limitations |

## Types of Insurance

| French | English |
|---|---|
| assurance responsabilité civile | liability insurance / third-party liability insurance |
| assurance responsabilité civile professionnelle | professional indemnity insurance (UK) / errors and omissions insurance (US) |
| assurance tous risques chantier (TRC) | contractor's all risks insurance (CAR) |
| assurance dommages-ouvrage | inherent defects insurance (IDI) |
| assurance décennale | decennial insurance / ten-year latent defects insurance |
| assurance de biens / assurance de choses | property insurance |
| assurance de personnes | personal insurance / life and health insurance |
| assurance vie | life insurance |
| assurance groupe | group insurance |
| assurance crédit | credit insurance |
| assurance caution | surety bond insurance |
| assurance pertes d'exploitation | business interruption insurance |
| assurance transport / assurance maritime | marine insurance / cargo insurance |
| assurance responsabilité des dirigeants (D&O) | directors' and officers' liability insurance (D&O) |

## Reinsurance Terms

| French | English |
|---|---|
| traité de réassurance | reinsurance treaty |
| réassurance proportionnelle | proportional reinsurance |
| réassurance non proportionnelle / en excédent de sinistre | non-proportional reinsurance / excess of loss |
| cédante | cedant / ceding company |
| rétrocession | retrocession |
| note de couverture | cover note / binder |
| bordereau | bordereau |
| sinistralité | claims experience / loss ratio |
| prime de réassurance | reinsurance premium |
| commission de réassurance | reinsurance commission / ceding commission |

## Section Headings

| French | English |
|---|---|
| DÉFINITIONS | DEFINITIONS |
| OBJET DE LA GARANTIE | SCOPE OF COVER |
| EXCLUSIONS | EXCLUSIONS |
| PRIME | PREMIUM |
| DÉCLARATION ET GESTION DES SINISTRES | CLAIMS NOTIFICATION AND HANDLING |
| DURÉE | TERM / PERIOD OF INSURANCE |
| DISPOSITIONS GÉNÉRALES | GENERAL CONDITIONS |

## Notes

- **"Franchise"**: Context-dependent. In most insurance contexts, translate as "deductible"
  or "excess" (UK). A "franchise absolue" is a standard deductible. A "franchise relative"
  is a threshold — the insurer pays the full loss if it exceeds the franchise, but nothing
  if below. Keep the distinction clear.
- **"Assurance dommages-ouvrage"**: A specifically French mandatory insurance (Loi Spinetta,
  1978) that provides first-party cover for structural defects. No direct common law
  equivalent. Translate as "inherent defects insurance" (IDI) with a context note.
- **"Déchéance de garantie"**: Loss of the right to claim under the policy due to the
  insured's breach of a policy condition. Translate as "forfeiture of cover", not
  "cancellation" (which is prospective, not retrospective).
- **Lloyd's market terminology**: When the insurance document references the London market,
  use Lloyd's-specific terms: "slip" (not "proposal"), "placing" (not "subscription"),
  "leading underwriter" (not "lead insurer").
