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Les paroles s'envolent, les écrits restent

English translation: Words fly, writings remain

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:Les paroles s'envolent, les écrits restent
English translation:Words fly, writings remain
Entered by: Michael Bastin

05:12 Feb 21, 2003
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary
French term or phrase: Les paroles s'envolent, les écrits restent
Cette phrase me hante. Je travaille pour des partenaires de "confiance", les relations se font souvent par téléphone, je commence donc à traduire avant de recevoir le PO, j'aimerais donc mettre cette expression dans ma signature... I am under a tight deadline for a s....y price and would like this motto translated.

Thanks to my peers.

P.S: Ceci est juste une explication, pas besoin de traduire, sauf le slogan ;)
Michael Bastin
Spain
Local time: 01:31
Words fly, writings remain
Explanation:
it hit me that this must already have been translated into English:

http://www.upnaway.com/~cherry/quotelist.htm

it's no. 99 on the site
good site...

also:
http://www.schrauder.org/

As a Latin proverb says:
"Litera scripta manet, verbum ut inane perit." [which is very nice and poetic]
Words fly, writings remain.

I think any one of the answers would do...all depends on preference (as usual and thank heavens).



Selected response from:

Meri Buettner
France
Local time: 01:31
Grading comment
It was a hard choice and I thank you all, I have chosen this one cause I checked in Google and it seems to be the most widespread translation
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +7Verba Volant, Scripta Manent/ The words fly away, writings remain
BOB DE DENUS
5 +3The spoken word passes away, but the written word endures forever
Rowan Morrell
3 +3"verba volant, scripta manent"
Maurizio Valente
5 +1Words fly, writings remain
Meri Buettner
5words
douani
5Spoken words gone with the wind / Written words count , keep this in mind
Narasimhan Raghavan
3 +2words vanish, yet writings remain
Susana Galilea
4Spoken words transpire, written words endure.
Roddy Stegemann
4Words may go (disappear, pass), but what its written remains.
Teletariat
4spoken words are fleeting/ephemeral, but writings are long lasting/remain
Nancy Bonnefond
3What is said can be forgotten. What is written remains.
Marie Lauzon


  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
words


Explanation:
word disappear, writings remain.In English: get it in writing.

douani
Local time: 07:31
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in pair: 16
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12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +7
Verba Volant, Scripta Manent/ The words fly away, writings remain


Explanation:

See ref: on google below
The proverb is well known in latin as
Verba Volant, Scripta Manent. (The words fly away, the writings remain.).
A game of letters and bluff Copyright by Bruno Faidutti. ...


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-02-21 05:29:03 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Dictionnaire Robert&Collins 6° édition

les paroles s\'envolent, les écrits restent (Prov) verba volant, scripta manent (Prov)


BOB DE DENUS
Local time: 09:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in pair: 417

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Shog Imas: Bien formule'
46 mins
agree  Joanne Panteleon
1 hr
agree  Scott Horne (X)
2 hrs
agree  Ioana Bostan
3 hrs
agree  cjohnstone
4 hrs
agree  danyce
5 hrs
agree  Steffen Walter
9 hrs
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16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
"verba volant, scripta manent"


Explanation:
Ou:
"The spoken word flies, the written word remains"

voir:
http://www.taliesin.clara.net/articles/submissions/words.htm

Roman culture already knew how important that is, seeing as they had a proverb stating :"Verba Volant, scripta manent", meaning "The spoken word flies, the written word remains". I think at one point in our lives, every one of us has written a letter or card that we were not proud of or even truly ashamed of afterwards. You are waiting for me to give an example now, are you not?



Maurizio Valente
Italy
Native speaker of: Italian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Scott Horne (X)
2 hrs
agree  EJP
3 hrs
agree  Peter McCavana: Yes, it is necessary to specify "The _spoken_ word" for "paroles"
5 hrs
neutral  Meri Buettner: kind've obvious "words" are spoken - since "writings" remain [does "verba" [word] really mean "spoken word" or is it understood because of "scripta" which DOES mean written word?)
5 hrs
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18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Spoken words gone with the wind / Written words count , keep this in mind


Explanation:
Being a motto, better make it sound poetic

Narasimhan Raghavan
Local time: 05:01
Native speaker of: Tamil
PRO pts in pair: 300

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Dmitry Arch: wind and mind do not rhyme
2 hrs
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49 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Spoken words transpire, written words endure.


Explanation:
Les choix sont infinies.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-02-21 06:03:51 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

infinies => infinis

Roddy Stegemann
United States
Local time: 16:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 168
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
words vanish, yet writings remain


Explanation:
Bonne chance!

Susana Galilea
United States
Local time: 18:31
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in pair: 319

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Meri Buettner: nicer without the "yet"...more proverb-like
35 mins
  -> yes, that was my first idea...sometimes you try too hard ;-)
agree  Scott Horne (X): Yes, drop the "yet"
1 hr
  -> consider it done...
disagree  Peter McCavana: No, just "words" is not enough for "parole". You have to say "spoken word(s)" for the proverb to make sense.
4 hrs
  -> not sure I agree but fair enough..."spoken words vanish, written words remain"...this is starting to feel like translation by request ;-)
agree  lien: spoken words vanish, writings remain, c'est parfait
8 hrs
  -> finalement :-)
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Words may go (disappear, pass), but what its written remains.


Explanation:
Just another shot at it.

or
The spoken disappears, but the written remains.

Teletariat
France
Local time: 01:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 34
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +3
The spoken word passes away, but the written word endures forever


Explanation:
Another alternative. I think turning it into a singular could work quite well here.

Rowan Morrell
New Zealand
Local time: 11:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 202

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Peter McCavana
2 hrs
  -> Thanks Peter.
agree  Sarah Walls: or simply 'The spoken word passes away, the written word endures"
3 hrs
  -> Yes, that could work too, although I feel my wording has a slightly more poetic ring to it. Thanks Sarah.
agree  Noel Castelino: with Sarah. "Forever" sounds slightly redundant to me.
5 hrs
  -> I have to disagree. I think "forever" rounds it off nicely and gives it a better "feel".
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
spoken words are fleeting/ephemeral, but writings are long lasting/remain


Explanation:
another go

Nancy Bonnefond
France
Local time: 01:31
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 63
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9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Words fly, writings remain


Explanation:
it hit me that this must already have been translated into English:

http://www.upnaway.com/~cherry/quotelist.htm

it's no. 99 on the site
good site...

also:
http://www.schrauder.org/

As a Latin proverb says:
"Litera scripta manet, verbum ut inane perit." [which is very nice and poetic]
Words fly, writings remain.

I think any one of the answers would do...all depends on preference (as usual and thank heavens).





Meri Buettner
France
Local time: 01:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 165
Grading comment
It was a hard choice and I thank you all, I have chosen this one cause I checked in Google and it seems to be the most widespread translation

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Marie Lauzon: I like this one, very much to the point.
2 hrs
  -> thanks...I really like it, but it's not mine - found after google search.
neutral  Rowan Morrell: The most frequent translation on Google is not always the most correct.
6 hrs
  -> I agree, but when it's this good...
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12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
What is said can be forgotten. What is written remains.


Explanation:
1.
J'utiliserais idéalement le latin avec la traduction anglaise choisie entre parenthèses dessous. En effet, il ne semble pas exister de proverbe équivalent en anglais.

Latin.
(Anglais.)

2.
Et pourquoi pas ajouter la version française, même (sans parenthèses)!

Latin.
Français.
Anglais.


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-02-21 17:53:04 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Vive la traduction de Meri ci-dessus, apparue en même temps que la mienne!

Marie Lauzon
Canada
Local time: 19:31
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in pair: 16
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