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It was bad enough having...

French translation: C'était déjà une difficulté majeure de devoir transporter

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:It was bad enough having...
French translation:C'était déjà une difficulté majeure de devoir transporter
Entered by: Pierre POUSSIN

13:03 Mar 2, 2002
English to French translations [PRO]
Art/Literary
English term or phrase: It was bad enough having...
The finest pigment available to medieval artists was ultramarine, which began to appear in Western art in the 13th century. It was made from the blue mineral lapis lazuli, of which only one source was known : the remote mines of Badakshan, now in Afghanistan. It was bad enough having to transport the mineral over such distances (ultramarine means “over the seas”) ; but even after the artist got hold of it, making the pigment was a tremendously laborious business.
VGP
Local time: 12:07
C'était déjà une difficulté majeure de devoir transporter
Explanation:
le minerai sur d'aussi longues distances...
Selected response from:

Pierre POUSSIN
France
Local time: 12:07
Grading comment
Merci beaucoup. VG
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2C'était déjà une difficulté majeure de devoir transporter
Pierre POUSSIN
4ce n'était déjà pas un mince problème d'avoir à transporter
DPolice
4Non seulement le transport ... se revelait une tache bien difficile
Red Cat Studios
4C'était déjà assez difficile...
Claudia Iglesias
4Comme si [infinitif] ne suffisait pas, ... il fallait encore ...
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
4 -1ce n'était déjà pas rien
VBaby


  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
ce n'était déjà pas rien


Explanation:
Ce n'était déjà pas rien... Mais même une fois qu'il était en possession de l'artiste...

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Note added at 2002-03-02 13:38:07 (GMT)
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Ce n\'était déjà pas une mince affaire...


    Reference: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22ce+n%27est+d%E9j%E0+...
VBaby
Local time: 11:07
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in pair: 681

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Geneviève von Levetzow: "ne... pas rien" double négation.
27 mins
  -> C'est une expression usuelle
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11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
ce n'était déjà pas un mince problème d'avoir à transporter


Explanation:
none needed

DPolice
Local time: 12:07
PRO pts in pair: 779
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

24 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
C'était déjà une difficulté majeure de devoir transporter


Explanation:
le minerai sur d'aussi longues distances...

Pierre POUSSIN
France
Local time: 12:07
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in pair: 1497
Grading comment
Merci beaucoup. VG

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Geneviève von Levetzow: Bien adapté au contexte.
8 mins
  -> Thank you!
agree  sujata
19 mins
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38 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Non seulement le transport ... se revelait une tache bien difficile


Explanation:
Accents a rajouter.

une tache bien difficile/penible/impossible

Red Cat Studios
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:07
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench, Native in RomanianRomanian
PRO pts in pair: 212
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39 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
C'était déjà assez difficile...


Explanation:
It was bad enough having to transport the mineral over such distances (ultramarine means “over the seas”) ; but even after the artist got hold of it, making the pigment was a tremendously laborious business.

C'était déjà assez dur (ou assez difficile) de transporter...
...exigeait une besogne très laborieuse.

Claudia Iglesias
Chile
Local time: 06:07
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench, Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in pair: 320
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

55 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Comme si [infinitif] ne suffisait pas, ... il fallait encore ...


Explanation:
"Comme si transporter le minéral ne suffisait pas,... une fois entre les mains de l'artiste il fallait encore ..."

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Note added at 2002-03-02 14:00:56 (GMT) Post-grading
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Corrections : \"Comme si transporter le minérai sur d\'aussi longues distances ne suffisait pas..\"



Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Local time: 12:07
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 882
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