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les coups durs, cela n'arrivent pas qu'aux autres

English translation: Hard knocks can also come your way.

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:les coups durs, cela n'arrivent pas qu'aux autres
English translation:Hard knocks can also come your way.
Entered by: Francesca Battaglia

20:22 Mar 12, 2002
French to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary
French term or phrase: les coups durs, cela n'arrivent pas qu'aux autres
c'est la phrase qui commence un paragraphe. l'auteur voudrais prouver aux lecteurs que normalement les gens pensent que les accidents ou le mauvaises experiences n'arrivent pas qu'aux autes et il fait des exemples.
Francesca Battaglia
Italy
Local time: 23:04
Bad things don't only befall others.
Explanation:
elegant solution

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Note added at 2002-03-12 22:31:35 (GMT)
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OR
Hard knocks can also come your way.

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Note added at 2002-03-12 22:31:35 (GMT)
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OR
Hard knocks can also come your way.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-03-13 05:23:39 (GMT)
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Bad news: it can happen to you
Selected response from:

Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
Grading comment
"hard knocks can also come your way" i really like that!!! really!! thank you!!

francesca--
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +8It could never happen to me ...
Mary Worby
4 +5Bad things only happen to other people
markmx
4 +2Hard times do not only hit others.
French_Engl
5 +1Bad things only happen to other people... not.
alisontoon
5Les cours durs, cela n'arrive pas qu'aux autres
Nicole Dargere
5'bad luck doesn't always happen to others' or 'bad things don't always just happen to others'
erudite (X)
5Bad things don't only befall others.
Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
5 -1Hard blows, that does not only happen to others
Lilla (X)
4the hard blows,
Sladjana Stojanovic
4 -3Bad things happen to other people
PaulaMac (X)
4 -4hard knocks, that do not happen to others
qiyote


  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -1
Hard blows, that does not only happen to others


Explanation:
Hope it helps!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-03-12 22:01:59 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

well, i guess that the word \"blow\" is the word that the asker is looking for!


    Reference: http://www.wordreference.com
Lilla (X)
Local time: 23:04
PRO pts in pair: 3

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  PaulaMac (X)
11 mins
disagree  FionaBrind: clumsy and gramatically incorrect
12 hrs
disagree  ydmills: certainly grammatically incorrect
1 day 12 hrs
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17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -3
Bad things happen to other people


Explanation:
Hit agree with first response - meant to hit disagree -incorrect and ungrammatical

PaulaMac (X)
PRO pts in pair: 324

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Endre Both: You probably meant "Bad things don't happen to other people only".
9 mins
  -> No, I don't mean that - that is not English. Bad things happen to other people - natural emphasis is on other, meaning, not me
disagree  erudite (X): This is the opposite of what has been said. Try bad things don't just happen to others.
1 hr
disagree  French_Engl: I agree with erudite.
1 hr
disagree  FionaBrind: as above
12 hrs
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29 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -4
hard knocks, that do not happen to others


Explanation:
...

qiyote

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  PaulaMac (X): Again, not English
3 mins
  -> er ... how about "hard knocks, whcih do not happen to other" :)
disagree  Lilla (X): That does not make sense either sorry
1 hr
  -> eek, typos ... long day. i give.
disagree  French_Engl: in terms of conveying the right "polarity" of the source text, should be smthg like "does not just happen to others"
1 hr
disagree  FionaBrind: does not make sense
12 hrs
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42 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +8
It could never happen to me ...


Explanation:
A slightly different way of looking at it!

HTH

Mary

Mary Worby
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:04
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 484

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  markmx
9 mins
agree  Sheila Hardie
36 mins
agree  Parrot: I agree. The author is talking about a popular misconception.
2 hrs
agree  Endre Both
11 hrs
agree  Rachel Carrée: yes, that must be what it means!
12 hrs
agree  FionaBrind
12 hrs
agree  Nicola Da Si (X)
17 hrs
agree  Yolanda Broad: A good one!
18 hrs
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50 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
Bad things only happen to other people


Explanation:
or some variation, depending on the style and subject of the text. Other suggestions are:

'Disasters only happen to other people'
&
'It couldn't happen to me',

markmx
Local time: 23:04
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 63

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  cheungmo: bad things...
12 mins
agree  Jennifer White: yes, exactly.
19 mins
agree  Sheila Hardie
28 mins
agree  DPolice
8 hrs
agree  FionaBrind
12 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Les cours durs, cela n'arrive pas qu'aux autres


Explanation:
Same answer but the verbe arrive is singular.

Nicole Dargere
Canada
Local time: 14:04
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
'bad luck doesn't always happen to others' or 'bad things don't always just happen to others'


Explanation:
As Rublik states the author is trying to dispel the misconception that bad things happen to others and not to oneself.

erudite (X)
Local time: 22:04
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 3

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Parrot: But he states it ironically. (ne...que)
1 hr
agree  Yolanda Broad: 'bad things don't always just happen to others' gives the right idea. Your first version doesn't quite do it.
17 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Hard times do not only hit others.


Explanation:
"les coups durs" peut se traduire aussi par "bad things", mais "hard times" preserve la notion de durete ("dur" = harsh, hard in the figurative sense).

French_Engl
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in pair: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Pierre POUSSIN: do not hit others only
27 mins
agree  bilbun: irat56 is right
44 mins
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Bad things don't only befall others.


Explanation:
elegant solution

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-03-12 22:31:35 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

OR
Hard knocks can also come your way.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-03-12 22:31:35 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

OR
Hard knocks can also come your way.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-03-13 05:23:39 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Bad news: it can happen to you

Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in pair: 8576
Grading comment
"hard knocks can also come your way" i really like that!!! really!! thank you!!

francesca--
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Bad things only happen to other people... not.


Explanation:
Depends on the context of the entire paragraph, and the writing style overall. Many of the translations suggested earlier work.

alisontoon
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:04
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sam D (X): Depending on the style of the original, a nice twist!
17 hrs
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11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
the hard blows,


Explanation:
the hard blows, that do not arrive only at the others

Sladjana Stojanovic
Serbia and Montenegro
Local time: 23:04
PRO pts in pair: 4
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