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In order to translate my resume to English, I found a problem in translating the expression "avec mention très bien" to English, I found some equivalents such as:

  • with honors, using google translation.
  • with high honours, in some forums.
  • with Honours, in other forums.
  • High Distinction.
  • with grade A pass, in collinsdictionary.

I know that sometimes academic "grades" can vary from institution to institution. And certainly from country to country. However I would like to find the closest and the best one to use.

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  • You should rather post to the English language SE, as it asks for advice on an English word or phrase. – Greg Feb 2 '18 at 12:09
  • There is no information here about what "mention tres bien" actually means. For example, some UK school qualifications have an A* grade; an Oxbridge degree might have "magna cum laude". While the question is on-topic here, the information shown on the [translation] tag info is required. – Andrew Leach♦ Feb 2 '18 at 13:44
  • @AndrewLeach I appended some explanations at the end of the OP question. – jlliagre Feb 2 '18 at 23:11
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You cannot translate this as such in an absolute manner.

What you can do is:

  1. Determine what system of grades is used by the English-speaking University you intend your resumé for, or if you are applying for a non-university position, what is the grading system in that country. (US will be different from UK)

  2. Set out the system of French grades with their French names, highest to lowest, so people can see where your “mention très bien” comes (enbolden it in the list). Perhaps as a footnote.

  3. Then state what English equivalent you think this roughly represents, if there is an equivalent.

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  • You can translate it literally. The phrase "avec mention très bien" translates to "with very good mention". This actually means very close to exactly the same thing as the more common translation, which is "with honors". That's not because there's anything grammatically wrong with the phrase "with very good mention". It's more that we tend not to use the word "mention" in this way very often in English, so this translation sounds clunky. Choosing "honors" over "very good mention" is done for style, not for grammatical correctness. – R Mac Feb 2 '18 at 13:48
  • @RMac — I am a native English speaker who speaks French and reads novels in French. I know what the phrase means literally translated. I also know that “with very good mention” is neither English nor meaningful to anyone in a University context or an employment context. I write references for students from the UK applying for PhDs in the US and I do something equivalent to explain what our scale means. I would probably add that it is useful to indicate what percentage of students achieves a particular grade. This has nothing to do with grammar but communication of information. – David Feb 2 '18 at 15:46