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« Stock » et « Capital » dans The Wealth of Nations : traduire pour comprendre

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  • Fontaine, Philippe

    (Université Antilles-Guyane)

Abstract

This paper discusses the concepts of "stock" and "capital", as envisaged in The Wealth of Nations, from the perspective of their translation into French. Clearly the translation of "stock" poses serious problems, to which one must add Smith's continual hesitations between a definition of "capital" as money invested and a definition which equates "capital" with the things in which it has been invested. It is suggested that by translating "capital" by "capital" and "stock" by "richesses mobiliaires", borrowed from Turgot's writings, one can expect to solve some of these problems without hiding Smith's own ambiguity. More generally, it is shown that problems of translation raise interesting theoretical questions and that they cast a new light on the way the reader may approach the original text. Cette note propose une réflexion sur les concepts de « stock » et de « capital » dans An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations d’Adam Smith. La traduction de la dénomination « stock », en français, pose de nombreux problèmes, lesquels s’ajoutent aux ambiguïtés d’un texte qui balance largement entre une conception pré-smithienne, qui utilise « capital » pour désigner une somme d’argent susceptible d’être investie ou ayant déjà fait l’objet d’un investissement, et une conception qui assimile le « capital » aux actifs physiques. Cette note propose d’adopter la notion de « richesses mobiliaires », empruntée au vocabulaire de Turgot, pour résoudre certaines de ces difficultés tout en préservant l’ambiguïté du texte de Smith, laquelle traduit certaines des difficultés théoriques rencontrées par l’auteur dans la conceptualisation du capital.

Suggested Citation

  • Fontaine, Philippe, 1995. "« Stock » et « Capital » dans The Wealth of Nations : traduire pour comprendre," L'Actualité Economique, Société Canadienne de Science Economique, vol. 71(4), pages 498-506, décembre.
  • Handle: RePEc:ris:actuec:v:71:y:1995:i:4:p:498-506
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cannan, Edwin, 1921. "Early History of the Term Capital," History of Economic Thought Articles, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, vol. 35.
    2. Edwin Cannan, 1921. "Early History of the Term Capital," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 35(3), pages 469-481.
    3. Charles A. Tuttle, 1927. "The Entrepreneur Function in Economic Literature," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 35(4), pages 501-501.
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