Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
se débrouiller
English translation:
manages to come out on top
Added to glossary by
B D Finch
Dec 24, 2011 13:32
12 yrs ago
1 viewer *
French term
se débrouiller
Non-PRO
French to English
Other
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Il a confiance en lui, fait même parfois preuve d'auto satisfaction, ce qui lui permet de réussir assez facile ment. Peu importe s'il n'achève pas ses études par manque de motivation : il est de ceux qui sauront toujours ***se débrouiller***!
So far I have: "No matter if he doesn’t complete his studies due to lack of motivation: he is one of those people who always manages to get by!"
But I'm sure someone else can come up with something better... :o)
So far I have: "No matter if he doesn’t complete his studies due to lack of motivation: he is one of those people who always manages to get by!"
But I'm sure someone else can come up with something better... :o)
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +4 | manages to come out on top |
B D Finch
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| 3 +3 | proposal for whole sentence |
polyglot45
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Change log
Dec 29, 2011 18:57: B D Finch Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+4
13 mins
Selected
manages to come out on top
Though I think your own suggestion is fine, this is a slightly more positive formulation.
Note from asker:
| I like, thank you! |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
: "se débrouiller" is used all over the place and it is true that here, this sort of formulation would be more natural here.
2 hrs
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Thanks Nikki
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| agree |
Verginia Ophof
2 hrs
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Thanks Verginia
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| agree |
Jean-Claude Gouin
: I prefer, 'He will always manage to come out on top.' Have a Merry Christmas ...
5 hrs
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Thanks. Solstice Greetings to you too!
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| agree |
NancyLynn
8 hrs
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Thanks Nancy. Season's Greetings!
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| neutral |
AllegroTrans
: I don't see this as "coming out on top" but rather "getting by" or even "scraping by"
2 days 8 hrs
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I don't think "scraping by" fits "peu importe ... ".
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+3
1 hr
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
:
227
proposal for whole sentence
Even if he hasn't the gump to complete his formal education, he's one of those resourceful people who always get there in the end!"
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Note added at 1 hr (2011-12-24 15:25:54 GMT)
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gump is indeed gumption - I don't think we talk about "motivation" that easily in UK English anyway - even he lacks the will to......
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Note added at 1 hr (2011-12-24 15:25:54 GMT)
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gump is indeed gumption - I don't think we talk about "motivation" that easily in UK English anyway - even he lacks the will to......
Note from asker:
| Thanks, but what the diddly is "gump"? Did you mean gumption? The dico says it means resourcefulness... |
| We do say motivation in English yes, when I was at uni I would often find mine sitting in the ashtray... |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Tony M
27 mins
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| neutral |
B D Finch
: I'd never heard of "gump", but it seems to be the same as "gumpf".
1 hr
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must be a regionalism then
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| agree |
chris collister
: One of my favourite words is"oomph" (with ph, not f) which works in a variety of situations, especially for those feeble cars which lack it.
2 days 2 hrs
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| agree |
AllegroTrans
: without the "gump" the "gets there in the end" is fine!
2 days 20 hrs
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Discussion
Afterthought: Speaking of "fine," if the tone is colloquial, "does just fine" might do.