This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
vise la directive
plaie délabrante
May 25, 2010 16:15
14 yrs ago
French term

sans rire

French to English Art/Literary General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
"... ils (les artistes) ont tous les droits, toutes les libertés, y compris celle de contredire le dictionnaire qui affirme sans rire -- le dictionnaire ne rit jamais --..."
Proposed translations (English)
3 +7 without a trace of humour
4 +5 in all seriousness
4 +3 without joking
3 +3 with a straight face
5 unequivocally/flatly
4 which states without kidding
4 no joke
4 without seeking to be facetious
3 without any hint of joking
2 without being taken (too) seriously
Change log

May 26, 2010 08:25: Stéphanie Soudais (X) changed "Field (specific)" from "Poetry & Literature" to "General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters"

Discussion

kashew (asker) May 26, 2010:
Overnight... I thought of "No jestering" (Bette Midler!). Any comments before I choose?
Emma Paulay May 25, 2010:
Thanks, Kashew! Indeed, it makes a whole lot more sense with the full context.
philgoddard May 25, 2010:
It makes a lot more sense now we have the end of the sentence.
philgoddard May 25, 2010:
I don't agree that "le dictionnaire ne rit jamais". What about Chambers' famous definition of éclair ("a cake, long in shape but short in duration") and middle-aged ("between youth and old age, variously reckoned to suit the reckoner")?
kashew (asker) May 25, 2010:
"Full context"? Les artistes annoncent la couleur. Avec elle, ils ont tous les droits, toutes les libertés, y compris celle de contredire le dictionnaire qui affirme sans rire -- le dictionnaire ne rit jamais -- que la couleur, c'est ce qui n'est ni blanc ni noir.
Bourth (X) May 25, 2010:
There are so many possibilities. Knowing what sort of artists are concerned might help. Are we looking at clowns, stand-up comics (especially someone like Devos or Desproges, who played with words so much), etc. Then there's the issue of whether the text itself is "jocular", in which case something familiar like "never cracks a smile" might be appropriate, or wholly serious, which would require sth. more scholarly, more prosaic.
Emma Paulay May 25, 2010:
@Kashew Pleeeeease tell us if this is the end of the sentence or not. And if not tell us what it is. And if it is the end of the sentence give us the next one - or an idea of what they're talking about. TIA!
Chris Hall May 25, 2010:
In all seriousness, it was meant to be a serious answer (no pun intended) and is my interpretation of what is being meant in the ST.
Emma Paulay May 25, 2010:
Thanks for that, Chris It made me laugh.
Chris Hall May 25, 2010:
@Emma... The dictionary never jokes, because it is forever being serious. It is forever providing the individual with serious answers and is hence never in a position to be able to joke about anything.
Carol Gullidge May 25, 2010:
dictionaries don't normally "afirme sans rire" either :)
Emma Paulay May 25, 2010:
@Carol I don't get that impression. Dictionaries don't state that they don't joke, they just don't.
Carol Gullidge May 25, 2010:
affirme... Iisn't that it? ie, that "le dictionnaire ne rit jamais"
Emma Paulay May 25, 2010:
End of sentence? What does "le dictionnaire" "affirme"?

Proposed translations

+7
40 mins
Selected

without a trace of humour

humour being something of which dictionaries are devoid
Peer comment(s):
agree Philippa Smith : I like this solution best
7 mins
agree philgoddard
36 mins
agree Martin Cassell
47 mins
agree Jean-Claude Gouin
1 hr
agree Mark Nathan : and then maybe " - dictionaries are never humorous"
4 hrs
or 'have no sense of humour"
agree Hazel Le Goff
5 hrs
agree mimi 254
14 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
3 mins

without being taken (too) seriously

.......
Something went wrong...
+3
5 mins

without joking

"without laughing" (the obvious solution" doesn't make a lot of sense here.

ils (les artistes) ont tous les droits, toutes les libertés, y compris celle de contredire le dictionnaire qui affirme sans rire -- le dictionnaire ne rit jamais
=
they (the artists) have all the rights, all the freedoms, including that of contradicting the dictionary which maintains / affirms / asserts without joking -- the dictionary never jokes
Peer comment(s):
agree Stephanie Ezrol
1 min
Many thanks Stephanie.
agree Carol Gullidge : my first response was Gilla's answer, but I think this fits better with the last part of the sentence (the dictionary never jokes)
25 mins
Many thanks Carol. I am inclined to say that great minds think alike.
agree Liliane Hatem
42 mins
Many thanks Liliane.
Something went wrong...
+3
8 mins

with a straight face

not joking
Note from asker:
Yes, po-faced, humourless....
Peer comment(s):
agree philgoddard
1 hr
Merci, Phil!
agree Emma Paulay : Yes: straight-faced - dictionaries never joke - ...
2 hrs
Merci, Emma!
agree mimi 254
15 hrs
Merci, Mimi!
Something went wrong...
11 mins

which states without kidding

-- the dictionary never kids around.
Something went wrong...
+5
24 mins

in all seriousness

always tongue in cheek! Might work here.
Peer comment(s):
agree philgoddard
59 mins
thanks, Phil
agree Loperhet (X)
1 hr
thanks, Loperhet
agree Sandra & Kenneth Grossman
3 hrs
thanks, Sangro
agree Françoise Vogel
16 hrs
thanks, Françoise
agree Miranda Joubioux (X)
18 hrs
thanks, Miranda
Something went wrong...
1 hr

no joke

maybe putting it in between parentheses or dashes

And I would go with "... which states, no joke -- dictionaries never joke --"



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2010-05-25 18:06:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

What about "kidding aside"

"which states, kidding aside -- cause dictionaries are never kidding --
Something went wrong...
5 hrs

without any hint of joking

Another suggestion.
Something went wrong...
7 hrs

unequivocally/flatly

Certainement que le dictionnaire ne rit pas. Il y s’agit d’une figure de style : la 'personnification ‘ see as ref.: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personnification.
Dans le contexte en question ce fait est exprimé par les verbes suivants : …contredire…affirme… sans rire (sans rire = expression = sérieusement, syn.: réellement, vraiment’, see as ref. le dictionnaire Larousse )…
L’auteur attribue une attitude ‘combative’ au dictionnaire, une attitude plutôt humaine, par l’intermède de la personnification. C’est pour cela que je vous propose la traduction Anglaise suivante :

...the dictionary that states unequivocally/flatly...

Bonne chance!
Example sentence:

The scientific community states unequivocally that intelligent design is not science;...because they cannot be tested by experiment, ...

Something went wrong...
14 hrs

without seeking to be facetious

- dictionairies are deadly serious - ...

That said, my Larousse Lexis says:
"COULEUR - 2. Dans le langage courant (as if it were not actually the dictionary speaking), ce qui s'oppose au blanc et au noir ..."
Something went wrong...
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search