Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
Pays de convergences
English translation:
a land of convergence
Added to glossary by
Clare Hogg
Apr 24, 2011 18:21
13 yrs ago
French term
Pays de convergences
French to English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
sculpture
I am translating a high-brow, poetic/dreamlike text about a sculptor (XXXX) from the preface of a catalogue containing pictures of his work. In this paragraph, the writer describes a visit he paid to the sculptor's family in Havana.
I'm not sure if it's appropriate to translate **Pays de convergences** directly as "a country of convergences". The latter sounds odd to me and somewhat out of keeping with the poetic style of the rest of this text. I get a few Ghits for "Pays de convergences" in French, but none for "a country of convergences" in English, which further suggests to me that a direct translation isn't the most appropriate option here. I like the way the French repeats the same "X de Y" structure in this sentence ("Pays de convergences, race d'idees") and would ideally like to do something similar in English.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions you can give! MUCH APPRECIATED!!
Here's the entire paragraph for context:
"C'etait a travers un quartier de La Havane, ou j'allais rendre visite a la famille du sculpteur. Son pere, l'assurance retenue de celui qui recoit I'ami de son fils, qu'on comprend et qu'on ne comprend pas. La presentation a la maisonnée, la barriere des langues, la difficulté de saisir tel point de filiation. Mais aussi, cette aise immediate. Une tranquillité sans manieres, comme de parents qui se retrouvent une fois I'an. La dentelle des rais du soleil à travers la piece. Et par dessous ce que nous tentions si paisiblement de nous dire, I'aimant de ce silence a quoi nous eussions bien voulu nous laisser aller. XXXX connait un tel silence. Nous voyons qu'il en vêt les formes qu'il fait surgir. II s'en protege peut-etre, mais surtout it en nourrit son travail, et parfois nous en contamine. C'est la ponctuation du discours. C'est le plus essentiel paysage. Peut-etre l'emportai-je avec moi quand je quittai cette maison, ou nous nons etions trouves si naturellement de meme pays et de meme race. **Pays de convergences**, race d'idees. Au dehors, le soleil frappait toujours son tambour, et Cuba fetait ses palmiers."
I'm not sure if it's appropriate to translate **Pays de convergences** directly as "a country of convergences". The latter sounds odd to me and somewhat out of keeping with the poetic style of the rest of this text. I get a few Ghits for "Pays de convergences" in French, but none for "a country of convergences" in English, which further suggests to me that a direct translation isn't the most appropriate option here. I like the way the French repeats the same "X de Y" structure in this sentence ("Pays de convergences, race d'idees") and would ideally like to do something similar in English.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions you can give! MUCH APPRECIATED!!
Here's the entire paragraph for context:
"C'etait a travers un quartier de La Havane, ou j'allais rendre visite a la famille du sculpteur. Son pere, l'assurance retenue de celui qui recoit I'ami de son fils, qu'on comprend et qu'on ne comprend pas. La presentation a la maisonnée, la barriere des langues, la difficulté de saisir tel point de filiation. Mais aussi, cette aise immediate. Une tranquillité sans manieres, comme de parents qui se retrouvent une fois I'an. La dentelle des rais du soleil à travers la piece. Et par dessous ce que nous tentions si paisiblement de nous dire, I'aimant de ce silence a quoi nous eussions bien voulu nous laisser aller. XXXX connait un tel silence. Nous voyons qu'il en vêt les formes qu'il fait surgir. II s'en protege peut-etre, mais surtout it en nourrit son travail, et parfois nous en contamine. C'est la ponctuation du discours. C'est le plus essentiel paysage. Peut-etre l'emportai-je avec moi quand je quittai cette maison, ou nous nons etions trouves si naturellement de meme pays et de meme race. **Pays de convergences**, race d'idees. Au dehors, le soleil frappait toujours son tambour, et Cuba fetait ses palmiers."
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+1
14 hrs
Selected
a land of convergences
I actually think the word "convergences" or possibly in the singular: "a land of convergence" would work rather well here.
Convergence has the same meaning in English, and I don't think it is necessary to seek out a synonym. It is simple and clear (the essence of poetry).
Convergence has the same meaning in English, and I don't think it is necessary to seek out a synonym. It is simple and clear (the essence of poetry).
Peer comment(s):
agree |
philgoddard
: This works perfectly - there's no point complicating matters.//Phil is short for Philip!
7 hrs
|
thank you, Phil! Oops. I know that, I think I must have pressed one of those pretyped things that come up and I didn't notice... sorry about that!
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|
neutral |
Dieezah
: I think the musicality of the sentence said aloud (as intended by the writer)loses something with that choice of yours...
11 hrs
|
Thank you for your comment Dieezah. When it comes to musicality, English is a very different language to French. Simplicity of expression is often the source of the beauty of the English language (in my view, of course :-))
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: ""convergence" singular. Thanks. "Land" works much better than "country" and gets many more Ghits. My final translation for this phrase was, "a land of convergence; a people of ideas.""
7 mins
country of comings-together
"Mixtures" sounds less poetic. Other ideas begin to sound racist.
9 mins
land of harmony
convergences syn= rassemblement , croisement , harmonie , rencontre , intersection , etc.........
le plus poétique c'est : harmonie
le plus poétique c'est : harmonie
38 mins
a land where opinions/thoughts converge
a race whose ideas merge
2 hrs
Land of fusion,
powerhouse of ideas...?
people of profusion?§
It's hard to work in the word 'race' afterwards
people of profusion?§
It's hard to work in the word 'race' afterwards
3 hrs
land of converging cultures
HTH
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
Dieezah
: That's the meaning... Now I did not chose that for the sake of poetry rythm...
22 hrs
|
+1
8 hrs
A land of gatherings
In the sentence, the writer describes the place as a place where people come together as if they were of the same race, same culture, same country so I thought this word might just be the right one...
14 hrs
terrain of sameness
*
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Note added at 14 heures (2011-04-25 08:35:42 GMT)
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Or; a terrain for sameness - kindred spirits: maybe that fits the rest of your rendition.
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Note added at 14 heures (2011-04-25 08:37:08 GMT)
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I keep thinking melting pot - but that's too banal!
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Note added at 14 heures (2011-04-25 08:38:59 GMT)
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Another shot - "terrain of complicity" - I like that ;-) maybe even poetic?
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Note added at 14 heures (2011-04-25 08:35:42 GMT)
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Or; a terrain for sameness - kindred spirits: maybe that fits the rest of your rendition.
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Note added at 14 heures (2011-04-25 08:37:08 GMT)
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I keep thinking melting pot - but that's too banal!
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Note added at 14 heures (2011-04-25 08:38:59 GMT)
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Another shot - "terrain of complicity" - I like that ;-) maybe even poetic?
Discussion
i.e. 'nation' and not 'land', in the same combination as the sentence before, if you want to retain the same structure.
...de meme pays et de meme race. **Pays de convergences**, race d'idees.
i.e. the same nation and race. Nation of convergences, race of ideas.
I know 'race' is a contentious term, but that's what is written and any other synonyms are kind of tricky to shoehorn into the same structure i.e. land / people, country / origin.
Although you could write:
...the same country and origin. A country of convergences built on ideas.
My 10c