Help with translation please (English to French)

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papillon
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Help with translation please (English to French)

Post by papillon »

Hello to everyone,

I am trying to find a way to translate some text from English to French, but all the translation tools I have used or searched on the web for are translating too formally. It always tranlates with 'vous'. I am trying to translate a couple of sentences, informally, to my grandmother in France, but am having no luck! Is there anybody here that can help me please?
This is what I want to say:

"Dear Mamie, this is a keepsake for you. We will make sure that you get some photographs of the wedding day. We will be thinking of you. Lots of love and kisses xxxx"

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you so much x
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ANTHOS
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Re: Help with translation please (English to French)

Post by ANTHOS »

Here's my attempt. I'm not an expert in personal correspondence, so I'm sure there'll be some good suggestions from others.

I assumed the keep sake is little.

Bonjour Mamie
Voici un petit souvenir pour toi. Nous ne manquerons pas de t'envoyer des photos du mariage.
Nous vous embracons très fort. Bisous.
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Fuokusu
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Re: Help with translation please (English to French)

Post by Fuokusu »

ANTHOS wrote:Nous t'embrassons très fort.
;)
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Sisyphe
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Re: Help with translation please (English to French)

Post by Sisyphe »

;) For a letter you send by post you have to write "chère Mamie", never "bonjour" - which suits (at a pinch) for an e-mail, in an friendly context ; never forget that french sociability is astonishingly formal in written matters ;). Otherwise, you lacks of consistency, Anthos : using "tu" (=thou, still in use in french) for the first "you" and "vous" for the second. It sounds odd (for the letter is sent to single "mamie" and not a couple).

Hypothetising that Papillon does not belong the upper-upper-class and that his grand-mother-in-law (or everyone this "mamie" can be whatsoever) does not expect an too formal deference, I suggest :

Chère Mamie,

Voici un petit souvenir pour toi. Nous ne manquerons pas de t'envoyer quelques photos du mariage. Nous pensons à toi très fort. Bisous*.

(*"bisous" is colloquial for "kisses" and translates "Lots of love and kisses" and the "XXX" all together (XXX is not understood in France, as it strikes me). You can also say "plein de bisous" - a bit childish I think - but Anthos' "nous t'embrassons" is correct too, but the orthography (with an S : comes from "bras" (arm)).
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Maïwenn
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Re: Help with translation please (English to French)

Post by Maïwenn »

Sisyphe wrote:;) For a letter you send by post you have to write "chère Mamie", never "bonjour" - which suits (at a pinch) for an e-mail, in an friendly context ; never forget that french sociability is astonishingly formal in written matters ;).
Well, well, well. I don't write so many letters anymore, but my grand-parents were never offended by a simple bonjour. "chère Mamie" is probably better, but in my opinion "bonjour" is totally acceptable as well in 2010!
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ANTHOS
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Re: Help with translation please (English to French)

Post by ANTHOS »

thanks for correcting my silly mistakes! it was late when I wrote it!
papillon
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Re: Help with translation please (English to French)

Post by papillon »

Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond to my post. I am very very grateful, Mamie will be as well!! Thank you xx
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