french into english

[SubEspion]

Yes maybe but we need to try to do the best sentence, the more near
of the French translation without French words...

[didine]

I think we should look for sentences like this: "Could you tell me exactly what is the approximate time?".

I think it's great , and contrary to SubEspion, I think it's the best translation that's been submitted so far.

Yes maybe but we need to try to do the best sentence, the more near of the French translation without French words...

We're trying to translate the meaning of the sentence, not bare words. Sometimes to give a good translation you really have to get away from the sentence in the source language...

[Bernadette]

Yes, it is the idea ... exactly.
The french sentence is paradoxical .

[didine]

"Could you tell me exactly what is the approximate time?".

You should say "Could you tell me exactly what the approximate time is?".

[Bernadette]

We're trying to translate the meaning of the sentence, not bare words. Sometimes to give a good translation you really have to get away from the sentence in the source language...

It must be difficult, but it is marvellous.
I often think of it when I read in french a beautifull book, wrotten in english, japenese, serbian, polish, yiddish etc...

[didine]

I think literature is the hardest thing to translate. Your translation mustn't sound like it's a translation (that's valid for all types of translations), but at the same time you have to be a bit of a writer too deep inside!

[Bernadette]

In a way it's like to write again a book ?

[captncavern]

but I think that the most
comprehensible is...

WHAT TIME IS IT APPROXIMATELY ?

I agree completely and I've been speaking English fluently for over 30 years. (I've reached the 1/2 century)

Probably the most comprehensible, but it is not a translation of the sentence in French. "What time is it approximately" means "quelle heure est-il à peu près", whereas the sentence in French said "bien à peu près", which means "approximately" and "exactly" at the same time... which is why the sentence can be funny. I think we should look for sentences like this: "Could you tell me exactly what is the approximate time?".

I'm not sure there really is an oxymoron here (though I've never been so good at school with this kind of stuff). Isn't "bien à peu près" an expression meaning "very approximately" or something similar ?

Otherwise, I would propose another one : "What time is it, approximately well ?" It doesn't look really good english, but the oxymoron is here at least. It would give in French : "Quelle heure est il, à peu près bien ?" Who would say that ?

[Soleil]

"Could you tell me exactly what the approximate time is?".

I'm a native French speaker, with English as a mother tongue (praticed both for about as long as Beaumont has English). I would say this is the closest as far, as well explained by

there is an oxymoron in French, so there must be one in English too.

Oxymoron: rhetorical figure in which an epigrammatic effect is created by the conjunction of incongruous or contradictory terms.

A few examples:
- compulsory volunteers
- As famous as the unknown soldier.
- I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.
- I paid too much for it, but its worth it.
- If I could drop dead right now, I'd be the happiest man alive.

[Soleil]

Beaumarchais wrote it.

Does anybody have a published translation of Beaumarchais' books?

There, we could have a good proposal and also have the opportunity to admire the work of a book translator!

[Bernadette]

It is from "Le mariage de Figaro" ... where exactly ? I must find.

[Soleil]

We're getting exactly closer to the answer

[Bernadette]

Act V, scene 2 : Figaro, second response (?).

[SubEspion]

I am quite of Didine when you say that literature is the hardest thing to
translate and is must not sound like a translation but it is hard...

[ChrisP]

Hello All,

After much research on the expression, and on the passage in the 'Marriage of Figaro", I've got to admit defeat. But here are my thoughts anyway.

The expression has been used elsewhere, including by Victor Hugo in his preface to "Cromwell", with a meaning along the lines of "approximately" - and with no humorous connotations.

Antonio's reply to Figaro's question (looking up to the sky) - "La lune devrait être levée" - also suggests an 'approximate' answer is all that is required.

But somehow, it doesn't appear to be the correct meaning (just a gut feeling).

I cannot prove this, but I think Figaro, who is highly stressed and has his mind on other things, is only vaguely interested in the answer, as a point of (almost inconsequential) detail. In this sense, it would mean something along the lines of 'incidentally'. If this interpretation is right, I believe the correct translation would be "by the bye".

We'll have to see what the official published translations reveal (beware: there are allegedly some "wobbly" translations of this play around).

All the best

ChrisP