https://www.proz.com/kudoz/french-to-english/art-literary/437580-le-chat-sommeillant.html
This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
  1. KudoZ™ Top
  2. French to English

le chat sommeillant

English translation: cat in repose / contemplative cat

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:chat sommeillant
English translation:cat in repose / contemplative cat
Entered by: Yolanda Broad

04:43 May 19, 2003
French to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary
French term or phrase: le chat sommeillant
phrase on a poster with a striped cat. Third word may be mis-spelled.
Irene
sleepy / dozy
Explanation:
nocturnal?
cat in repose?
quiet cat?
docile cat?
If you look at the poster, the cat is wide-awake!
Others in the series include: black cat/white cat/curious (curiosity killed the...) cat.

Catnapping is good...Catnap Cat...but this sweeties isn't napping?!

Just an observation!
If this was for a translation you would be best not to translate (or just put some kind of explanation in brackets).
If it's for information...I think you get the idea from all answers what sommeiller means.
Selected response from:

jerrie
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:55
Grading comment
Hello, I like your answer because the cat in the poster is awake and looking wistful. Thank you/merci
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +11the dozing cat; the napping cat
Susana Galilea
4 +9Catnapping
Rowan Morrell
3 +4sleepy / dozy
jerrie
4 +2the sleeping cat
Francis MARC
5 +1The Contemplative Cat
Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
5 +1"Spacing Out"
Christopher Crockett
5 -1The Dizy Cat
Agimus
4A cat napping...
Jean-Luc Dumont
3 +1cat resting
Caroline Mackay-Sim (X)


  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
the sleeping cat


Explanation:
GitesCanada.com: Le Chat Dormant/The Sleeping Cat, ...
Le Chat Dormant/The Sleeping Cat Eastern_Ontario, Ville Nom du gîte. ... Le
Chat Dormant/The Sleeping Cat. Address: Contact: 93 West Mary St. ...
www.gitescanada.com/7117.html - 24k - En cache - Pages similaires

[PDF]Awakening a Sleeping Cat: A Review of "Information Theory and the ...
Format de fichier: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Version HTML
Awakening a Sleeping Cat: A Review of "Information Theory and the Brain" edited
by R. Baddeley, P. Hancock, and P. F¨oldi´ak (to appear in Neural Networks ...
www.cs.washington.edu/homes/rao/cat.pdf - Pages similaires

ArtSelect: Choose a Size - [ Traduire cette page ]
... Custom Framed Canvas. Small : 12" x 12" $99.95 to $139.95. As Shown. Title:
Sleeping Cat. Artist: Skip Whitcomb. Copyright: © 1989. Current USA, Inc. ...
www.artselect.com/perl/frChooseSize?artID=7450 - 19k


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-05-19 04:57:20 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

IDIOMES - [ Traduire cette page ]
... ropes are falling). Let sleeping dogs lie Il ne faut pas réveiller
le chat qui dort (one shouldn\'t wake a sleeping cat). Like a bull ...
www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pmbd/langidiomes.htm - 6k

Francis MARC
Lithuania
Local time: 22:55
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in pair: 6500
Grading comment
This answer is not applicable-Thanks anyway

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jennifer White: I would use this too
12 hrs
agree  evelyn evans: Sommeillant is asleep, not dozing, napping or otherwise spacing out!
4 days
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)
The asker has declined this answer
Comment: This answer is not applicable-Thanks anyway

51 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -1
The Dizy Cat


Explanation:
The quite cat

Agimus
France
Local time: 21:55
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic
PRO pts in pair: 14
Grading comment
The Cat on the poster does not look dizzy. Thanks anyway!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Rowan Morrell: I fail to see how you reached either of those conclusions.
42 mins
neutral  Wendy Cummings: either way, do you mean 'dozy' and 'quiet'?
2 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)
The asker has declined this answer
Comment: The Cat on the poster does not look dizzy. Thanks anyway!

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +11
the dozing cat; the napping cat


Explanation:
... Dozing Cat The contentment of a sleeping cat and his companion is beautifully
captured in this piece by an award-winning American designer. ...
www.presentsdirect.com/go/Product_2616.html - 20k - Cached - Similar pages

Napping Cat Style. Cats are the world's best sleepers. ... A napping cat is
on "radar patrol", scanning the environment for any small sound. ...
bluedog2001.tripod.com/Sativa/Nap.html - 8k - Cached - Similar pages


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-05-19 05:54:42 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Source: The Collins French Dictionary Plus © 2002 HarperCollins Publishers:

sommeiller [sɔmeje]verbe intransitif
to doze
(emploi figuré) to lie dormant


Susana Galilea
United States
Local time: 14:55
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in pair: 319
Grading comment
The cat in the poster is not sleeping. Thanks anyway.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jean-Luc Dumont: dozing is exactly sommeillant, and napping is SO ex-cat-ly it ;-) nothing like making the effort to open a good old paper dictionary
15 mins
agree  Rowan Morrell: The correct literal translation, although I also think "catnapping" might be possible here (see below).
25 mins
agree  Caroline Mackay-Sim (X): I like dozing best of all. Napping is quite right too but "napping cat" doesn't flow off the tongue so well.
46 mins
agree  truptee: "dozing" it is!
2 hrs
agree  Nancy Bonnefond
2 hrs
agree  Pascale Dahan
2 hrs
agree  EJP
2 hrs
agree  hirselina
2 hrs
agree  Wendy Cummings: I think "catnapping" would go well
2 hrs
agree  Elisabeth Toda-v.Galen
2 hrs
agree  Ino66 (X)
6 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)
The asker has declined this answer
Comment: The cat in the poster is not sleeping. Thanks anyway.

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +9
Catnapping


Explanation:
"The dozing/napping cat" is a correct literal translation of your phrase, but in English we also have the word "catnap", which means to have a nap or a little doze. Given that there is a sleeping cat in this poster, I think "Catnapping" or "Having a catnap" would work really well here, capturing the essential meaning of the French while making a clever little caption in English.

Rowan Morrell
New Zealand
Local time: 07:55
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 202
Grading comment
The cat is not sleeping in the picture. Thanks anyway.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Wendy Cummings
2 hrs
  -> Thanks wleech.
agree  hirselina: I like "having a catnap"
2 hrs
  -> Thanks hirselina.
agree  Elisabeth Toda-v.Galen
2 hrs
  -> Thanks Elisabeth.
agree  lien
2 hrs
  -> Thanks lien.
agree  Björn Houben: yep, concise&catchy, excellent
4 hrs
  -> Thanks Crionn. Appreciate that. However, Jerrie's answer has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works ...
agree  Ino66 (X)
6 hrs
  -> Thanks Ino66.
agree  RHELLER: cute
6 hrs
  -> Thanks Rita.
agree  Caroline Mackay-Sim (X)
8 hrs
  -> Thanks Caroline.
agree  Andreina Baiano: funny :)
10 hrs
  -> Thanks Andreina.
neutral  Christopher Crockett: Naw, a catnap is characterised, above all, by its brevity. There's no actual sleep, here.
13 hrs
  -> I hadn't seen the poster in question (to which Jerrie has provided a link) when I submitted this answer. Now that I have seen it, I agree the cat is not actually sleeping.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)
The asker has declined this answer
Comment: The cat is not sleeping in the picture. Thanks anyway.

4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
sleepy / dozy


Explanation:
nocturnal?
cat in repose?
quiet cat?
docile cat?
If you look at the poster, the cat is wide-awake!
Others in the series include: black cat/white cat/curious (curiosity killed the...) cat.

Catnapping is good...Catnap Cat...but this sweeties isn't napping?!

Just an observation!
If this was for a translation you would be best not to translate (or just put some kind of explanation in brackets).
If it's for information...I think you get the idea from all answers what sommeiller means.


    Reference: http://www.katsation.com/posters/2artsycats.html
jerrie
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:55
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 77
Grading comment
Hello, I like your answer because the cat in the poster is awake and looking wistful. Thank you/merci

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Rowan Morrell: Assuming that the poster you've linked to and the one the asker is referring to are the same (and it certainly looks that way), maybe something like "cat in repose" would be more appropriate. I didn't realise the picture was on an Internet site.
19 mins
agree  Ino66 (X)
3 hrs
agree  Jean-Luc Dumont: indeed if it is the cat by Martin Wiscombe - it is not sleeping :-)
5 hrs
agree  Andreina Baiano: if that is the cat Irene meant, too
7 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
The Contemplative Cat


Explanation:
the problem is that the cat is neither dozing, nor sleeping nor catnapping because it is sitting up and has its eyes at half mast...but that does not mean it is dozing...

When cats doze, they do that with their eyes at half mast BUT, but then they are lying down or are sitting on their haunches...

This cat seems to be contemplating something



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-05-19 19:08:13 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

answer to CC

Cat As Space Cadet

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-05-19 19:08:42 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Actually , there should be no THE in any of them

Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in pair: 8576
Grading comment
Your answer is best. Cannot correct decision. Thanks

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Christopher Crockett: Yes, not dozing, etc. This is an in-between state my cat spends a lot of time in. "Contemplation" is a bit of a projection, however.
1 hr
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)
The asker has declined this answer
Comment: Your answer is best. Cannot correct decision. Thanks

9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
A cat napping...


Explanation:
This is a "cliché"

Of course Rowan's answer "catnapping" is cat...chy but doesn't it put the emphasis on a verb, on the action or lack of rather than the cat...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-05-19 15:02:15 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

other possibility :

\"The somnolent cat\"

sounds close to sommeillant too


indeed Jerrie, that cat is not sleeping :-)

Le chat sommeillant by Martin Wiscombe


Jean-Luc Dumont
France
Local time: 21:55
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in pair: 1108
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

10 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
"Spacing Out"


Explanation:
If Jerri is right and this is the poster in question :
http://a1259.g.akamai.net/f/1259/5586/1d/images.art.com/imag...

My cat (The Airhead) does this all the damned time.
As Jane says, she's neither catnapping nor dozing, much less sleeping.
otOh, she's not really in "Contemplation" (which implies much more activity than is going on), nor is she in the Fully Attentive State, either.
She's just kinda S p a c i n g O u t , paying just enough attention to the External World to pick up on whatever might be happening there of possible interest, mainly trying to decide whether or not it's worth it to go and get a drink or a bite or take a pee, when she *knows* it's so much easier to just lay down again and catch a few more winks.
"The Decisive Cat" might be more accurate, if a bit ironic.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-05-19 19:24:22 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Jane to the contrary notwithstanding, I\'ll stick with the simple caption, \"Spacing Out\" for that poster.
It\'s this *state* they get in, not nearly asleep, nor even dozing, but not \"here now\", either, just Spced Out.
Motor Running, but the Mind in Neutral.
Babies get the same way, sometimes, like when they\'re quietly filling their diapers.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-05-19 19:27:12 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

O.k., I just saw it.
Jane\'s \"Space Cadet\" will do the job.

Christopher Crockett
Local time: 15:55
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 444

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X): Schizzy Kitty? Seriuously though, the person needs a poster title
3 hrs
  -> She's not "ski[t]zzy", Jane, she's a sweetheart. Just dumber than a box of rocks and a Spacey Tracey like you wouldn't believe. People don't call her The Airhead for nothing. "Contemplation" is *way* too much work. O.K. "Spcacey Kitty."
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 day 7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
cat resting


Explanation:
Would that do, do you think?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-05-20 23:54:05 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

On reflection, I would change this to \"The Restful Cat\"

Caroline Mackay-Sim (X)
Local time: 05:55
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in pair: 96

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X): I still prefer the title form: The Resting Cat
2 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help

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

See also:
ProZ.com term search
Search millions of term translations