Jul 25, 2021 11:14
2 yrs ago
44 viewers *
French term
United States
Laudable Lady Linguist
Native in: English 
Works in: Spanish to English, French to English, English to Spanish, and 3 more.
pour remarquer des phrases « accusé de réception »
French to English
Art/Literary
History
From An Art History Book
Contexte:
Par deux fois la BBC fit savoir que le message du Louvre avait été entendu. Il n’était pas nécessaire d’être dans la confidence de ces démarches clandestines, pour remarquer des phrases « accusé de réception » comme : « La Joconde a le sourire » ou « Van Dyck remercie Fragonard ».
Merci Beaucoup,
Barbara
Par deux fois la BBC fit savoir que le message du Louvre avait été entendu. Il n’était pas nécessaire d’être dans la confidence de ces démarches clandestines, pour remarquer des phrases « accusé de réception » comme : « La Joconde a le sourire » ou « Van Dyck remercie Fragonard ».
Merci Beaucoup,
Barbara
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +6 | to notice little confirmatory messages like |
Tony M
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| 3 | to hear phrases confirming that these messages had been received |
Mpoma
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Proposed translations
+6
51 mins
Selected
to notice little confirmatory messages like
I think 'remarquer' here is no stronger than 'notice' (or even, in a less formal register perhaps, 'spot'), and I think too-literal a rendering would make it clumsy and intrusive.
It means that the BBC sent out veiled hints that they had understood what the French were doing by the things the French had said.. such as the example phrases given. A discreet way of confirming "Message received and understood", in essence.
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Note added at 9 hrs (2021-07-25 20:45:55 GMT)
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'confirmatory' isn't ideal, but it for sure needs something neater than 'confirmation of reception' etc. 'receiving you loud and clear' would be nice, given the context — but virtually impossible to fit in!
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Note added at 10 hrs (2021-07-25 22:03:35 GMT)
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I believe it just means that the messages were not literally 'coded', but simply wouldn't have been understood by anyone other than those to whom they were destined; in other words, only those people would 'notice' them.
It means that the BBC sent out veiled hints that they had understood what the French were doing by the things the French had said.. such as the example phrases given. A discreet way of confirming "Message received and understood", in essence.
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Note added at 9 hrs (2021-07-25 20:45:55 GMT)
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'confirmatory' isn't ideal, but it for sure needs something neater than 'confirmation of reception' etc. 'receiving you loud and clear' would be nice, given the context — but virtually impossible to fit in!
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Note added at 10 hrs (2021-07-25 22:03:35 GMT)
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I believe it just means that the messages were not literally 'coded', but simply wouldn't have been understood by anyone other than those to whom they were destined; in other words, only those people would 'notice' them.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Steve Robbie
: Nice solution
4 mins
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Thanks, Steve!
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| agree |
ph-b (X)
: Exactly. Before the 1944 landing, the French resistance had sent out messages listing the places where the Louvre masterpieces had been hidden from German occupiers. The BBC was thus telling the French resistance these places would not be bombed.
16 mins
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Merci, Ph-B !
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| agree |
Conor McAuley
: Nicely worded, but "confirmatory" in inverted commas, like in the French.
1 hr
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Thanks, Conor!
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| agree |
Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
2 hrs
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Thanks, Beatriz!
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| agree |
Katarina Peters
2 hrs
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Thanks, Katarina!
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| agree |
Samuël Buysschaert
4 hrs
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Merci, Samuël !
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
7 hrs
to hear phrases confirming that these messages had been received
I think TonyM's solution works in the context of the whole paragraph, but "confirmatory" doesn't stipulate what is being confirmed, whereas accusé de réception does, i.e. "message received and understood".
The French, and thus the translation necessarily, is a bit unsatisfactory: because 99.9% of those who "noticed" these messages won't have known that they were confirming anything, let alone the fact that the British now knew where not to bomb. I feel tempted to insert the word "mysterious" somewhere... but mustn't. However, this is why I prefer "hear" to "notice". "Notice" might imply more understanding of the purpose/content.
The French, and thus the translation necessarily, is a bit unsatisfactory: because 99.9% of those who "noticed" these messages won't have known that they were confirming anything, let alone the fact that the British now knew where not to bomb. I feel tempted to insert the word "mysterious" somewhere... but mustn't. However, this is why I prefer "hear" to "notice". "Notice" might imply more understanding of the purpose/content.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Tony M
: But that's the whole point! Everybody heard them — but only those 'in the know' would notice them, because they are in the know. Hence 'remarquer', though I think 'remark' is too strong in EN.
1 hr
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But the French says it wasn't necessary to be in the know to *remarquer*. In other words we're looking for a verb which applies to those who *don't* notice them. That's how I read it anyway (!).
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Discussion
This is from a book review of 'Saving Mona Lisa' by Gerri Chanel for the Daily Mail.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/books/article-6091961/Quiet...