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16:08 Mar 7, 2011
English to French translations [PRO] Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
English term or phrase:Why I am an e-book convert
Same text as my last question, this is the title. Written by Charlie Brooker for the Guardian. Text is full of collocations and tongue-in-cheek humour. I want to refrain from using a literal replica, but cannot find something witty enough yet not too familiar so thought I'd see if anyone can come up with anything better than what I've already got. Over to you...
Explanation: le livre électronqiue - je dis "oui"
Pourquoi je suis fan de .....
Le e-book, avenir de la lecture
Le e-book, gadget incontournable
Le e-book, a "must"
Faut dire, cependant que le titre en anglais n'est pas particulièrement humoristique... donc je ne vois pas bien pourquoi vous êtes en train de chercher midi à 14 heures - et j'ai lu l'article.....
Et, au fait, "potboilers" serait plutôt, dans le contexte, des polars à deux balles
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 19 mins (2011-03-07 16:28:19 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
un "must" oups......
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 22 mins (2011-03-07 16:31:30 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I see that you say you "jsut got your mark" — does that imply, therefore, that this question was in fact in the context of some kind of test / homework / academic assignment? If so, please note that you are required to indicate this fact by checking the appropriate box on the question form.
Please confirm exactly what the situation is with this question?
I appreciate the advice, however, as stated below, I've asked for a wittier input, not word-for-word, as I want to see how it goes with the rest of the text. I've been asked to translate the text in a humourous manner, remaining as close to the ST's tone and "sound", and I'm playing around with ideas. I already have the word-for-word and numerous other translations as a back up, I was asking for something a little wittier. @ Tony, that's as far as my head has got so far! Back @Polyglot45, regarding changing register, that's what I'm trying to do here in French, for the reasons that you, yourself, have stated!
@ Tony: As for the religious connotation, good idea, but it's not continued further along in the text. Pity, as I do really like that idea.
would be the obvious religious connotation — if the author used 'convert', it could only have been for that reason, since we are not talking about anything technical here.
So from the rest of your text, can you gauge to what extent this was a revelatory experience, for example? I think it is all these little details that are going to lead you in the right direction for your creative writing in FR... and you may have to start by deciding if you want to keep the religious connotation or not, bearing in mind the EN/FR cultural differences...
As a newcomer to KudoZ, you can perhaps be forgiven for not being familiar with the kind of brainstorming that goes on in this forum.
There is no element of 'arguing' going on, but each contributor simply seeks to "get inside your head" and find out what it is that you're really after, and to examine the issue from all sides.
So I really think you might be a little more grateful that fellow professionals spend their valuable time contributing in all sorts of ways to your question — which has much more of the nature of copy-writing than actual terminology translation!
Hang on there - you asked professionals for input and they are giving you the benefit of their advice.
I read the whole article and while the text is typically British tongue-in-cheek, the title is rather straightforward. I wouldn't over-egg the cake if I were you. It only means - why the e-book finally won me over. Comment il a fini par obtenir mon adhésion - Comment il a su me convaincre. Apart from anything else, the French like clever wordplay in their titles whereas the British approach is less sophisticated. Sometimes you have to change register
Regardless as to whether you think I'm over-interpreting the ST, I've requested something a little wittier, and would therefore appreciate it if that's what people could try and give me instead of arguing. Surely, the idea is to help? These arguments are hindering, not helping.
Je ne vois pas ça comme du mot à mot ...
C'est la seule traduction qui retraduit fidèlement l'idée : j'étais un inconditionnel du livre papier, c'était une "religion"; j'ai résisté au livre électronique, mais quand j'ai essayé, j'ai été conquis et je me suis converti.
..if you add humour that isn't there into the title, surely you're over-interpreting the source text?
What it probably does need to reflect is the extent to which this 'conversion' was radical — i.e. was this person a fierce opponent before, but is now proselytizing for them? Are they eating humble pie (or at least their words)? It seems to me that this is the key flavour that your title needs to convey in FR...
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +1
