【英国问答】effective和efficient(2/2)
Could you explain the difference between something 'effective' and something 'efficient'?
Both could be translated in French by "efficace", although the word "efficient" also exists in French and there is a difference between both.
When it is 'efficient' in French, it means that it produces effect. When it is 'efficace', it means that it works well. Does that difference exist in English too - 'effective' / 'efficient''?
Hints:
Hervé
英式拼法，全部不加双引号
http://t1.g.hjfile.cn/listen/201303/201303231038348638377.mp3In English, effective means that something produces results or an effect. It does what it is supposed to do. Efficient means that something is done in a good way, without wasting time, money or energy. For example, a car with an effective engine will move, because the engine does what it is supposed to do. It produces results. It moves the car.
A car with an efficient engine is a car that travels a long way without using a lot of petrol. It is efficient, it doesn't waste energy.
It seems from what Hervé says, that the French word efficient is more similar to effective than the similar sounding efficient. However, I am not a French expert, so I'll leave him to decide.
A couple of other examples of these false friends include sympathetic and sensible. Sympathetic' is a false friend for the French and sensible is a false friend for the Spanish.
Well, I hope my explanation has been effective, and that I have made it in an efficient way.
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