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I'm looking for a descriptive, elegant English term or phrase for fausse manoeuvre, which is when a technical operator (a human) performs a "bad" operation or sequence of actions.

For example, "The electrician performed a fausse manoeuvre when he rewired the machine, leading to a short circuit."

I am leaning towards "maloperation", but that often describes an automatic component malfunctioning rather than human error. What would be the best English term?

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  • Does it need to be a technical operator who "performs a bad operation or sequence of actions"?
    – Joachim
    Commented Feb 22, 2022 at 11:28
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    What does "bad" operation mean? Are we talking a typo/miskeying or sabotage?
    – Stuart F
    Commented Feb 22, 2022 at 11:38
  • I suppose 'pig's ear' and 'dog's breakfast' don't come in the 'elegant' style class.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Feb 22, 2022 at 11:55
  • In conversational (primarily, "non-technical") contexts, the basic translation [He made a] wrong move would normally be fine. In Technical contexts, maybe [The user did / performed / carried out an] incorrect operation.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Feb 22, 2022 at 13:08
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    fausse manoeuvre is often used to refer to driving some kind of vehicle. A fausse manoeuvre can be hitting the gas instead of the brake. So, it might not even appear in the translation because you would say: I stepped on the gas instead of the brake.
    – Lambie
    Commented Feb 22, 2022 at 15:09

1 Answer 1

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Have you considered 'mishandle'?

Manage or deal with (something) wrongly or ineffectively. Lexico

The word implies both human manipulation and "bad" operation.

As a noun 'mishandling' can work, but 'misstep' might be more elegant:

A clumsy or badly judged step. Lexico

(Here the emphasis has migrated to the feet of the human :)

The literal translation — '(to make) a false move' — is clear as well, though.

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  • One would not say, in a professional context, "the electrician mishandled the repair" or "the electrician performed a misstep when rewiring the machine". When reporting to laypeople this might translate what happened, but it is not appropriate among professionals.
    – herman
    Commented Feb 23, 2022 at 12:35
  • @herman That the word was to be used in a 'professional context' has not been established.
    – Joachim
    Commented Feb 23, 2022 at 14:20

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