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la valeur n’attend pas le nombre des années

English translation: you don't need a lifetime to have a wealth of experience

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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

French term or phrase:	la valeur n’attend pas le nombre des années
English translation:	you don't need a lifetime to have a wealth of experience
Entered by:	Héloïse King

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10:22 Jul 30, 2008

French to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - Advertising / Public Relations

French term or phrase: la valeur n’attend pas le nombre des années

"OSER LA CRÉATIVITÉ: L’abus de créativité est vivement recommandé et la valeur n’attend pas le nombre des années. Chez XXX, la différence cultivée en interne se voit à l’extérieur : mosaïque culturelle de nos équipes, actionnariat féminin à 66 %, formation interne permanente."

From a marketing brochure for a consultancy firm.

I know this has already been asked and what the translation of this would be:
http://www.proz.com/kudoz/french_to_english/poetry_literatur...

But what I need is not a literary translation, but an English equivalent - something much snappier.

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

Héloïse King KudoZ activity Questions: 98 (none open) (3 closed without grading) Answers: 29
Local time: 22:27

you don't need a lifetime to have a wealth of experience

Explanation:
This might be what they're getting at. I think it's more to do with being born creative, not becoming so with time - that sort of idea.

Selected response from:

Emma Paulay
France
Local time: 23:27

Grading comment

This was really tricky! Thanks to everyone who made suggestions for all your help.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +3

you don't need a lifetime to have a wealth of experience

Emma Paulay

true value does not need to wait for the test of time

simina craciun

"good ideas quickly snapped up" or "we are always quick to innovate"

lundy

flair (or talent) can surface at any time

ormiston

courage soon pays off

Carol Gullidge

talent heeds no rules

ormiston

genius ripens early

ormiston

quality is quickly rewarded

Andy Bliss

the cream soon rises to the top

Dave 72

goodness/merit has no age

Laura Rodriguez

no need for time to impose oneself/leadership is now

mimi 254

Discussion entries: 6

Answers

28 mins confidence:

true value does not need to wait for the test of time

Explanation:
The idea is that someone or something that is good is immediately recognized so. If this is for a HR add, it probably refers to the fact that those who are good at what they do will get a promotion based on that, and not on the number of years they have been working there. Hope it was useful!

simina craciun
Romania
Local time: 00:27
Native speaker of:

Romanian

37 mins confidence:

quality is quickly rewarded

Explanation:
This is obviously quite a free translation, but I think you have more leeway with this kind of text than you would, say, with a user manual or a contract. I do a fair bit of marketing translation, and I find the snappy solution is often to be found in a non-literal translation.

Andy Bliss
Local time: 23:27
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English

45 mins confidence:

the cream soon rises to the top

Explanation:
Just an idea- although I'm not sure this idiom is necessarily associated with speed, or indeed how fast cream rises!

Dave 72
Local time: 22:27
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English

55 mins confidence:

goodness/merit has no age

Explanation:
I think it means you do not have to be old to be acknowledged for your work or good on it.

Laura Rodriguez
Local time: 23:27
Native speaker of:

Galician,

Spanish

1 hr confidence:

no need for time to impose oneself/leadership is now

Explanation:
Pas besoin de beaucoup d'années pour s'imposer

mimi 254
Local time: 22:27
Native speaker of:

English,

French
PRO pts in category: 4

2 hrs confidence:

genius ripens early

Explanation:
as the 'abus' is deliberatley provocative in the first part of the sentence you could maybe get away with this slant !

ormiston
Local time: 23:27
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16

3 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

you don't need a lifetime to have a wealth of experience

Explanation:
This might be what they're getting at. I think it's more to do with being born creative, not becoming so with time - that sort of idea.

Emma Paulay
France
Local time: 23:27
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 96

Grading comment

This was really tricky! Thanks to everyone who made suggestions for all your help.

2 hrs confidence:

flair (or talent) can surface at any time

Explanation:
I think my first suggestion was off on a slight tangent

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2008-07-30 13:26:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I agree that the first part says more or less "go for it" but here they're saying don't be intimidated by not having years of experience, 'talent will out' sort of thing. Tricky

ormiston
Local time: 23:27
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16

3 hrs confidence:

"good ideas quickly snapped up" or "we are always quick to innovate"

Explanation:
ie the agency good enough to see the value of good ideas as and when they arise - it's dynamic and on the ball. They don't leave their competitors any time to get in there before them.
It's interesting that there is a food/beverage thing going on here - l'abus (d'alcool) et the interne/externe recalls the Danône - ce qui se fait à l'intérieur se fait à l'extérieur. So you could maybe even go so far as "At xxxxx excessive creativity is highly recommended and good ideas quickly snapped up". I think the notion of "ideas" or something equivalent is OK because that's what comes from being creative. You could also have "and we are always quick to innovate"

lundy
France
Local time: 23:27
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 16

3 hrs confidence:

courage soon pays off

Explanation:
It doesn't take long for courage to pay off

Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:27
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 8

1 day3 hrs confidence:

talent heeds no rules

Explanation:
am breaking away from the literal here but this is today's offering. i.e. am highlighting that years / a lifetime of experience is not even necessary for genius to show through !

ormiston
Local time: 23:27
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16

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la valeur n’attend pas le nombre des années

English translation: you don't need a lifetime to have a wealth of experience

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la valeur n’attend pas le nombre des années

English translation: you don't need a lifetime to have a wealth of experience

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KudoZ™ translation helpThe KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

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The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.