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Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

le foisonnement de notre époque

English translation:

our era's always-more attitude

Added to glossary by Philippa Smith
Oct 6, 2021 15:44
3 yrs ago
45 viewers *
French term

le foisonnement de notre époque

French to English Social Sciences Marketing Conscious consumption
From a text about conscious consumption.

The author extends the concept from buying less to going out less, clearing out our email box, getting rid of names in our address book. This, she says, will bring us peace, serenity and "un équilibre face au foisonnement de notre époque".

I get the drift - a kind of "information overload" - but am stuck for a word.

My placeholder translation is "consumption-driven era". Alternative ideas will be welcomed, particularly as consumption comes up several times already.

Thank you.
Proposed translations (English)
3 +1 our era's always-more attitude
3 +2 the decadent excesses of the times we live in
4 +1 the prodigality of our age
4 +1 Our restless modern spirits
4 the exorbitances of our era
4 the abundance of our time
3 Today's relentless pace
3 this generation/era's scramble for opulence.
3 The overstimulation of our age
3 the mass consumption that has characterized our era
3 the constant distractions of modern life
Change log

Oct 8, 2021 09:06: Philippa Smith Created KOG entry

Discussion

Sandra Petch (asker) Oct 8, 2021:
@Helene Tammik I like both your ideas and they capture the meaning well. Thanks.
Barbara Cochran, MFA Oct 7, 2021:
I think it's the idea that one should be more laid back and not be worried about what will happen if they eliminate what or who, they find out, they don't really need. People have learned during the "pandemic exile" that they don't have to pig out on everything, as advertisers would like to convince us we should, to keep up with the Jones' (mass consumption), and that one finds out who their true friends are, and that they do not have to respond to or hang onto toxic, or otherwise unhealthy relationships. It's just another way to find freedom.
Francois Boye Oct 7, 2021:
The Author in the text submitted by Ms. Sandra Petch focuses more on the impact of 'foisonnement' on human mind and life than on the abundance facet of 'foisonnement'
Andrzej Ziomek Oct 7, 2021:
'profuse abundance'?

https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/habitats/trans_pecos/
'The gramma grass, which exists in the most profuse abundance over the entire ...'

https://www.wordreference.com/definition/plenty
'Profusion applies to such a lavish and excessive abundance as often suggests extravagance or prodigality:'
ormiston Oct 7, 2021:
What about 'Over abundance' but is it just about quantity? I sense a kind of burgeoning movement
SafeTex Oct 7, 2021:
@ Emmanuella and all Hello

Your suggestion partly inspired my own. The problem with "abundance" to my mind is that this word has positive connotations whereas we need a word that means much the same thing but with negative ones.
Emmanuella Oct 6, 2021:
Era of abundance ?
Helene Tammik Oct 6, 2021:
How about something along the lines of "'the excessive demands on our attention" or "the lack of an off switch"? Just some ideas...

Proposed translations

+1
16 mins
Selected

our era's always-more attitude

Or something a bit smoother!

Alternatives: "focus on always-more" "obsession with always-more" etc. The idea of the endless "more more more". Not just buying but in every area of life.

I agree it would be good to get away from using "consumption" here.
Peer comment(s):
agree Helene Tammik : I like the “always-more” idea!
13 hrs
Thanks Helene! Yes, I like it, tho' I reckon there could be a prettier way to conveying it...;-)
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you for all these great ideas. I have opted for "an era of more, more, more". Thank you again."
+2
28 mins

the decadent excesses of the times we live in

Th word "decadent" takes us back to the Cold War (for those of us around then), but I think it's a good fit here.

decadent
/ˈdɛkəd(ə)nt/
adjective
characterized by or reflecting a state of moral or cultural decline.
"a decaying, decadent Britain"


The ideas sound a bit Marie Kondo.
Peer comment(s):
agree Peter Shortall : I think I would go with "excesses" on its own, perhaps with "(as a) counterbalance to" if it fits
17 hrs
Thanks Peter! I would maybe go for "more is more" now, to subvert less is more. The word "decadent" is wrong for at least two reasons.
agree Marian Vieyra : Agree with Peter. 'Excesses' tout seul. Was just about to post the same.
19 hrs
Thanks Marian!
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34 mins

Today's relentless pace

My stab at it, with the idea of society moving fast in all directions
Something went wrong...
29 mins

this generation/era's scramble for opulence.

Just an idea. I prefer "generation's" here, but that may be taking too much licence, considering I added the "scramble" idea - I just thought that the "scramble for opulence" combination supported the idea.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 35 mins (2021-10-06 16:20:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Or,
"...the mad scramble for opulence by our generation
Or even,
"...our era's opulence scramble."
Something went wrong...
+1
2 hrs

the prodigality of our age

I think there's a danger in the answers provided so far of over-interpreting the French, of being too specific.
Peer comment(s):
agree Barbara Carrara
11 hrs
Something went wrong...
5 hrs

The overstimulation of our age

The Author is calling for serenity and peace of mind to protect the self from overstimulation.
Something went wrong...
7 hrs

the exorbitances of our era

Hello

The problem is finding one word if possible to cover both information overload and excessive consumerism as both ideas are clearly referred to in the text, plus perhaps other things not explicitly mentioned like excessive emotionalism.

I also like solutions where there is some alliteration or some other linguistic device if possible
So this is my suggestion for what it's worth
Something went wrong...
+1
13 hrs

Our restless modern spirits

As in “this would help calm/bring equilibrium to/still our restless modern spirits”. I see foisonnement as a kind of “constant teeming” that’s happening inside and outside of us, and it’s pretty universal hence “modern spirits”
Peer comment(s):
agree Yvonne Gallagher : I thought your Dbox answers were best "'the excessive demands on our attention" or "the lack of an off switch"?
2 days 13 hrs
Thanks Yvonne! That pesky word "foisonnement" is always so damn tricky :-D
Something went wrong...
18 hrs

the abundance of our time

I believe that we are talking about the consumerism of our times.
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20 hrs

the mass consumption that has characterized our era

. . .
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21 hrs

the constant distractions of modern life

I think the author is saying that we can choose to reduce our exposure to the constant distractions of modern life such as social media, texting, consuming, going out etc in order to focus the mind and find inner peace.
Example sentence:

If we are serious about protecting our children's mental health, we may need to work a little harder if we want our children to be able to swim upstream against the constant distractions of modern life.

Reference:

https://www.familyeducation.com/life/dealing-stress/promoting-mindfulness-kidshttp://

Note from asker:
A later part of the text is "ne pas se disperser dans la futilité", which I translated as "pointless distractions" thanks to your suggestion.
Something went wrong...
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