Mistranslation because misunderstanding

Question

A 'parlement' was not a parliament; the connection is etymological but not semantic. The latter is a representative national assembly, so you  might risk translating it either as 'assemblée nationale' or 'états généraux', although you start to move into controversial historical territory here! However, a 'parlement' was an entirely different institution: it didn't pass laws, it was a kind of appeal court. The people gathered there were judges, not (elected or nominated) representatives. In addition, the English, the British now UK Parliament is a national institution, whereas there was one 'parlement' for each regional. The 'parlements' were abolished in 1790, so aren't a useful point of reference for contemporary politics. I'd drop it from your list, as retention unfortunately helps this longstanding misunderstanding continue.

Céline Pickard · Accepted Answer

Bonjour Lucien,
Thank you for making such an interesting point about an important part of French history.
In most modern contexts though, ‘parlement’ / ‘assemblée’ are sort of equivalent (strictly with a capital p).
For example:
Parlement Européen = European Parliament
They are both very important words of vocabulary to know for French learners who are or not at all familiar with French history.
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée!