In this context, it is not "shavings" because the ham is not hard, like Parmesan cheese or chocolate... those are easily "shaved". It simply is a fancy word for "slices".

There are a couple of suggestions for you:

Leave the word in French: "culatello copeaux" and add an explanation in parentheses (thinly-sliced culatello ham). Or simply write "copeaux of culatello ham". This at least explains what culatello is.

LE MAGRET DE CANARD CONFIT SAUCE
PRUNE ET COPEAUX DE FOIE GRAS
Duck Fillet Confit with Light Plum Sauce and Goose Liver Copeaux
http://www.lebouchonrestaurant.com/menuvalentine2.php


These links don't even mention copeaux in the translation ,as it is understood that they are slices. So you could simply write "culatello ham".

Mâche, Pine Nut, and Raw Foie Gras Salad (Salade de Mâche et Pignons de Pin au Copeaux de Foie Gras Cru)
http://www.epicurious.com/features/cookbooks/reviews/2001/va...

Go to:
http://www.hertzmann.com/articles/2000/salads/ and then hold the mouse over "salad" at the bottom. It says ."...with truffles". No mention of "copeaux". If you click on the "salad" link, you will see that the truffles are sliced.

This link describes it as "thin slices".

Potage de lentilles vertes du Puy en cappucino, copeaux de foie gras: a creamy green lentil soup, covered with a delicate cream froth, on which two thin slices of foie gras had been deposited.
http://persistent.info/scraped/cz-archive/39.xml


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Note added at 2 hrs (2006-06-30 16:13:19 GMT)
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You could also use "paper-thin slices of..." instead of just "thin".

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Note added at 2 hrs (2006-06-30 16:19:07 GMT)
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Like I said, I wouldn't say "shavings" for the ham but "shaved culatello ham" is a possibility.

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Note added at 4 hrs (2006-06-30 18:32:29 GMT)
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If you want to avoid the French, my suggestion would be:

shaved culatello ham

OR

paper-thin slices of culatello ham

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Note added at 4 hrs (2006-06-30 18:33:24 GMT)
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OR

culatello ham, sliced paper thin

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Note added at 9 hrs (2006-07-01 00:05:23 GMT)
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finely sliced culatello ham