Here is my request for a post on the SHOE list:

"Dear colleagues,

I have recently been embarrassed by the following problem of translating the French word "concurrence" into the English: well, this should be "competition", no worry and "concurrence sauvage" something like "cut-throat competition". But historically, did not "concurrence" precede "competition" in the vocabulary, or the reverse? In other words, when did the two words appear first and when did they become such matter-of-course translations? I apologize to members of the list who are not French-speakers and may care less about this issue, but I would be very grateful to others to please send some useful answers ([log in to unmask], not any other address as the University server has stopped transferring from previous addresses)
With sincere thanks, bien cordialement,
Gilles Campagnolo
Full research professor, CNRS, France
Senior member, Aix-Marseilles School of Economics".

Thank you, 

Gilles Campagnolo