Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
la déferlement de la mort
English translation:
a wave of deaths
Added to glossary by
Lara Barnett
Jun 4, 2021 11:39
3 yrs ago
41 viewers *
French term
United Kingdom
www.lingocraft.co.uk
Native in: English (Variants: Irish, Singaporean, UK, South African, British, Scottish) 
Works in: French to English, Italian to English, Romanian to English, and 2 more.
la déferlement de la mort
French to English
Art/Literary
History
Back cover of Historical book
Book on LUCIEN Bonaparte's domestic policies on funerals and death, towards the end of the French Revolution
Massacres, enchevètrement de cadavres, violation de sépultures. La Revolution Francaise a provoqué la déferlement de la mort dans sa tentative d’humaniser la société et de socialiser les hommes.
Massacres, enchevètrement de cadavres, violation de sépultures. La Revolution Francaise a provoqué la déferlement de la mort dans sa tentative d’humaniser la société et de socialiser les hommes.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +5 | a wave of deaths |
polyglot45
|
| 4 | deluge of death |
SafeTex
|
Proposed translations
+5
12 mins
polyglot45
Native in French
&
English
Native in: English 
, French
Works in: English to French, French to English, German to French, and 4 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
12
Selected
a wave of deaths
the verb "déferler" is used to describe the process of waves breaking on the shore.
You could choose another word also, such as "raft", "tsunami", etc.
You could choose another word also, such as "raft", "tsunami", etc.
Note from asker:
| Thanks. Please see above discussion comment, do you think this would work here (at XXX)? |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Emmanuella
: même longueur d'ondes
15 mins
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| agree |
SafeTex
: yes, other words would be "surge" or "spate" all with subtle differences
22 mins
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| agree |
Melanie Kathan
48 mins
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| agree |
mannix
: yes, wave or surge
1 hr
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| neutral |
Francois Boye
: in technical terms, 'déferlement' is more than a wave. It is a breaking wave. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_wave
2 hrs
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read my explanation
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| agree |
Carol Gullidge
: I don't think it matters if the word isn't an exact translation. With metaphors it's only very rarely that the "best" translation is an exact fit. The suggestions posted here are all OK, and you could even consider something like "deluge"
2 hrs
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unleashed a wave of deaths
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| neutral |
Daryo
: sounds too soft - the idea in the ST is more akin to "a flood" or as you said a "tsunami"
15 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you."
2 days 3 hrs
deluge of death
Hello
Polyglot's answer is fine but I do like "deluge of death" as it sounds good with the two nouns starting with the letter 'D' and deluge also has a connection with water (big wave)
Polyglot's answer is fine but I do like "deluge of death" as it sounds good with the two nouns starting with the letter 'D' and deluge also has a connection with water (big wave)
Discussion
OR, maybe better to say "...bodies etc... form the backdrop to the wave of deaths unleashed by the....." ??
Massacres, entangled bodies and violated graves are just some of the XXX of death brought about by the French Revolution in its attempt to render society more human, and its people more civilized.