French term
United States
24 years of experience in many countries
Native in: Spanish 
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, English to French, and 6 more.
“LETTRES MODERNES” *
It's the translation of a professional CV. The CV belongs to a professional interpreter.
Here is the context:
XXXXXXX CARRERA DE TRADUCCIÓN E INTERPRETACIÓN Y “LETTRES MODERNES” *
CLUNY-I.S.E.I.T., anexo de la Universidad Católica de París, Madrid, España.
| 4 +1 | Liberal Arts/Humanities |
Claire Morrissey
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| 4 | Modern Letters |
rkillings
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| 3 +1 | "MOERN LITERATURE" |
pooja_chic
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| Existing Kudoz |
Barbara Carrara
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| Les lettres |
B D Finch
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Sep 7, 2014 14:46: Catharine Cellier-Smart changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"
Non-PRO (3): Rachel Fell, Yvonne Gallagher, Catharine Cellier-Smart
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Proposed translations
Liberal Arts/Humanities
| Thanks Claire. |
| agree |
B D Finch
: Though, as it is "lettres modernes" and not "lettres classiques", perhaps it should be Liberal Arts/Humanities with Modern Literature. I think it does have a stronger focus on literature and language than the American Liberal Arts/Humanities.
1 day 54 mins
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Modern Letters
*Maybe not at U Penn, tho.:-)
| Thanks Rkillings. |
Translation is depth of the passion
Native in: English
Works in: French to English, English to French, Portuguese to English
"MOERN LITERATURE"
CAPES (secondary/high school teaching qualification) in Modern Literature (Lettres modernes), external candidates.
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Note added at 50 days (2014-10-27 21:35:20 GMT) Post-grading
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Typo
Modern literature
| Thanks Pooja_chic |
| agree |
Celeste CS
13 hrs
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Thank you
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| agree |
EJP
15 hrs
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Thank you
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| disagree |
B D Finch
: Despite your reference, "lettres modernes" is much broader than just literature.
18 hrs
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| disagree |
Yolanda Broad
: I agree with B D Finch that "lettres modernes" is much broader than just literature. Maybe "Modern Language and Literature"? (But only as an explanation of the French, which should be retained).
23 hrs
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| agree |
Fanny Gendrau
: Modern Literature ("d" was omitted, in your answer)
22 days
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Thank you Fanny
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Reference comments
Italy
www.theitalianwordshop.com
Native in: Italian 
Works in: English to Italian, French to Italian, Italian
Existing Kudoz
| Thanks for sending me this Link Barbara. |
| agree |
writeaway
: ah yes, research...... it's even in basic Fr-En dictionaries, trick being to look
4 hrs
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Hehe! Definitely a recurring theme here on ProZ...
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| agree |
Yvonne Gallagher
7 hrs
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Thanks, G!
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| agree |
Victoria Britten
8 hrs
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Thanks Victoria
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| agree |
Sheila Wilson
: though you really need to post it as an answer (again) so Asker can close it
11 hrs
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Thank you, Sheila. I'd rather avoid adding another duplicate to the glossary. The asker is free to close the question if none of the answers fits his context. Have a nice one!
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Les lettres
la littérature, classique et moderne (y compris la philologie, la rhétorique et la linguistique),
la philosophie (y compris l'épistémologie)
l'histoire (y compris ses sciences auxiliaires, épigraphie, papyrologie, paléographie et archéologie)
les langues modernes et anciennes (l'allemand, le russe, le latin, le grec, etc.)
La philosophie et l'histoire appartiennent également au champ des sciences humaines, ce qui conduit parfois à assimiler les lettres à ces dernières.
| agree |
Yolanda Broad
: Excellent definition!
5 hrs
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Thanks Yolanda. I agree with your comment that the French term should be retained.
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Discussion
The course should therefore be translated along the lines of “French literature and language, and Latin”.
“Lettres modernes” is in opposition to “Lettres classiques,” the latter adding Greek to the curriculum.
Either degree is required to teach French in a “collège” or a “lycée” in France. A “professeur de lettres modernes” can teach Latin; a “professeur de lettres classiques” can, in addition, teach Greek, and “Letttes classiques” should therefore be translated along the lines of “French literature and language, Latin and Greek.”
Translating any other way (such as “Arts & Humanities,” “Modern languages” or the like) on a transcript or a diploma is not correct, and is a disservice to the holder of these documents.
In France, it is possible to study Lettres modernes or Lettres classiques. The first is French language and literature from the Middle Ages onwards. The second is Latin, Greek and French literature.