Melanie Kathan (asker) Feb 7, 2022:

Reintroduction of national service Macron reintroduced a system of national service in 2021 that is expected to go into full effect by 2026, so I'm guessing that's what this software is preparing for.
I provided all the context I have in my original question.

Jean Lachaud Feb 5, 2022:

All this discussion looks unreal, seeing as it is that "Service national" in France has been discontinued in 1999.
Some context of the source text would help.

Melanie Kathan (asker) Feb 1, 2022:

maintien=extension/prolongation, recall=? It seems like most people generally agree that 'maintien' means extension or prolongation of national service (not at all training as I originally thought), but 'rappel' is still a bit unclear. Does it necessarily mean being called up a second time? At least in American English (which this translation is meant to be in, didn't think it would matter but apparently it might), a 'recall' is usually used in the context of a company recalling a product for safety reasons. I can't find many examples of 'recall for national service', and while 'recall/being called up for military service' gets a few more hits, it still seems a bit clumsy. The other items in this list are simple terms such as work-related illness, maternity leave, etc., so suddenly saying "recall/being called up for military service/extension of active duty" seems quite lengthy indeed.
I'm beginning to realize I may be looking for something that doesn't exist, though...

ph-b (X) Feb 1, 2022:

oops! Sorry - didn't mean to give the wrong impression (having a moan, etc.). Glad I could help a bit, and you're right about context.

Melanie Kathan (asker) Feb 1, 2022:

@ph-b I completely appreciate your input and correction, apologies if it didn't come across that way- just trying to figure out how much detail makes sense in this context.

ph-b (X) Feb 1, 2022:

CadastreToulous, I agree - and did think of "prolongation" as a possible translation for maintien. Why not suggest this as a translation? Would be a welcome addition to the glossary - which is also what KudoZ is about.

ph-b (X) Feb 1, 2022:

Melanie, Fair enough. My post was just to point out that training isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when discussing maintien au service national. You are of course the best judge of what your translation should be in context.

Anastasia Kalantzi Jan 31, 2022:

@CadastreToulous Things are exactly how you're presenting them in your translated phrases. The same status is applicable in the Greek army too in terms of rappel ou maintien and recall for the national service's prolongation with the sole difference that in Greece is a whole lot more than the French or the Belgian. As I've already mentioned in some other relevant discussions about military terms I'm testifying it by my military children's permanent (professional) military career many years now.

Bourth Jan 31, 2022:

Translation rappel ou maintien au service national
Recall for or extension of national service
Recall for or prolongation of national service

Only slightly longer than the French.

I've found examples of all three.

Melanie Kathan (asker) Jan 31, 2022:

@ph-b, Sévérine That makes sense, thank you. Unfortunately, it also complicates things. Seeing as this translation is for HR software and just mentioning a type of leave, I'm tempted to shorten this to "National service" and leave it at that; I'm not sure the type of service really matters here enough to merit a convoluted explanatory translation.

Melanie Kathan (asker) Jan 31, 2022:

@ph-b, Sévérine That makes sense, thank you. Unfortunately, it also complicates things. Seeing as this translation is for HR software and just mentioning a type of leave, I'm tempted to shorten this to "National service" and leave it at that; I'm not sure the type of service really matters here enough to merit a convoluted explanatory translation.

Séverine Watson Jan 31, 2022:

Maintien = Just training? Admittedly, this is not my area, but... I'll put in my two pennies worth.

From my understanding, "rappel" is the initial call-up for duty and the "maintien (sous les drapeaux)" is where the person enrolled for military service decides to continue/extend it.

It may be training, but equally it could be active service here.

Happy to be corrected if I'm way off the mark!

Séverine Watson Jan 31, 2022:

Maintien = Just training? Admittedly, this is not my area, but... I'll put in my two pennies worth.

From my understanding, "rappel" is the initial call-up for duty and the "maintien (sous les drapeaux)" is where the person enrolled for military service decides to continue/extend it.

It may be training, but equally it could be active service here.

Happy to be corrected if I'm way off the mark!

ph-b (X) Jan 31, 2022:

maintien means you've been called up [edit: "recalled" - see CadTou/Adrian] and told "to stay" in the armed forces. Think of maintenir sous les drapeaux. This is not necessarily about training, more about staying in the army (in case it needs you?). As far as I know, maintenir sous les drapeaux is a decision taken by the armed forces based on who/what they need; you don't volunteer. That would be se rengager.

Melanie Kathan (asker) Jan 31, 2022:

Thanks, Phil! So would you just keep it simple with something like 'National service- active duty or training'?

philgoddard Jan 31, 2022:

I think you've answered your own question! I'd go for "active duty or training".