Difference between Résultat annuel and Rapport annuel

[Stephanie Ezrol]

Rapport annuel must be an Annual Report, but the cognate doesn't seem to work at all for Résultat annuel.

What's a Résultat annuel?

[Frank]

A "rapport annuel" describes achievements, while a "résultat annuel" focuses on numbers.

[Frank]

Just asked a friend whose wife works as an accountant.

Quoting his answer:

Résultat c'est comptable, ce qui te reste à la fin. Rapport c'est plus "juridique", ça decrit l'activité de l'entreprise...
(après j'ai absolument rien compris à ce que ma femme a voulu m'expliquer)

Donc le rapport Annuel, ça m'a pas l'air beaucoup plus clair, à part le fait que c'est plus du blabla.


Translating this is left as an exercise to the reader. Lotsa juicy words in here.

[Stephanie Ezrol]

I think I understand the French answer, but I would love to hear what his wife had to say. He seems to be saying that the Annual Report is the super duper legal report, and the Annual Result (for want of a better English language equivalent) is both more informal, and maybe less fancy dancy doctored. Is

[Neil Coffey]

Stephanie --

It depends a bit on context, but I think usually the "rapport annuel" is either a report, or a form filled in stating yearly revenue, whereas "résultat annuel" essentially refers to the actual state of accounts (in English, "result", "profit or loss").

[Stephanie Ezrol]

Thank you. Profit and loss looks what I am looking for.