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comme tel
Arrête
Jul 16, 2009 20:46
14 yrs ago
8 viewers *
French term

...bonne fin de journée...

Non-PRO French to English Marketing General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Advice required - how would you deal with the following phrase which comes at the end of a questionnaire?: "Je vous remercie de m'avoir accordé votre temps et vous souhaite une excellente fin de journée de la part de toute l'équipe de (company name)"

My thought is to just thank them for their time on behalf of the company, rather than wishing them a nice day, as this is specifically into UK English and I have never come across any British person using such a phrase - any other opinions?
Proposed translations (English)
3 +7 enjoy the rest of your day
5 +2 have a good evening OR good afternoon
4 have a good day...
4 Good afternoon (around 4) or Good evening (after 5)
Change log

Jul 16, 2009 22:22: writeaway changed "Field" from "Bus/Financial" to "Marketing" , "Field (specific)" from "Automotive / Cars & Trucks" to "General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters"

Jul 17, 2009 05:25: Gayle Wallimann changed "Term asked" from "...bon fin journée..." to "...bonne fin de journée..."

Jul 19, 2009 15:02: SJLD changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (3): writeaway, texasweed, SJLD

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Discussion

MatthewLaSon Jul 18, 2009:
Also agree with Bourth and BD Finch I don't care for "Enjoy the rest of your day" as a translation. It's not exactly what the French is saying, imho.

The time period implied is very late afternoon 4 pm to 6-7 pm, no? I might not translate it all and just say "Have a nice day" because the fact that it's the last part of the day is clearly implied by the time it is when you are told (you know it's the last part of the day/afternoon). So, the translating the "fin" here is not necessary.

FYI, "Bon reste de journée" is exactly equivalent to "Enjoy the rest of your day"
Bourth (X) Jul 17, 2009:
While I agree with Barbara, maybe we have to live with our times. Once, "Good bye" meant "God be with you", and was understood to mean that. We don't actually interpret "Good morning/afternoon/evening" as anything other than "hello" at the appropriate time of day. "Have a good day" is new for many of us, but I suspect that for younger generations it is perfectly equivalent to "See ya".
B D Finch Jul 17, 2009:
Leave it out I think that however you phrase it, it sounds patronising and insincere in UK English. I cringe whenever a supermarket checkout person in England says "have a nice day" because their employer has ordered them to say it. When your cat has died and your granny has just been diagnosed with dementia, your child has been run over by a bus and your spouse has run off with somebody else, this is just not the sort of meaningless drivel you want from a total stranger!
Bourth (X) Jul 16, 2009:
Phone survey? Sounds like a phone survey. The people doing the job are not allowed to divert from the text on the screen in front of them (i.e. use their intelligence), so unless you know for sure what time of day the calls are going to be made (in which case you could wish people a good afternoon and or evening), the safest bet is to leave it out.
chris collister Jul 16, 2009:
Nice day...? These expressions are common in FR and difficult to translocate into EN. Eg how to translate "bonne continuation"? For "bon fin de journée", "enjoy the rest of the day" might work here.
Adsion Liu Jul 16, 2009:
Bonne fin de journée In fact, Bonne fin de journée is an expression often used in Québec which means "have a nice day('s) end". You make sense by understanding that the author offers thanks for their time on behalf of the company, however, the intention of this expression should be very complicated, you can judge it by your detailed context. Maybe only the author knows, or even he himself doesn't know the actual intention of this...
philgoddard Jul 16, 2009:
Have a nice day is increasingly common in UK English, but I think it sounds inappropriate here. I agree with your suggestion about thanking them for their time on behalf of the company.

Proposed translations

+7
57 mins
French term (edited): ...bon fin journée...
Selected

enjoy the rest of your day

An informal approach would be, for example, 'On behalf of the whole team at xxx I would like to thank you for your time. Enjoy the rest of your day!'

It would be fine to leave it out though and just end with 'Kind regards' or 'With our very best wishes'.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 59 mins (2009-07-16 21:46:04 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Unless it's a phone survey as Bourth suggests, in which case ignore the second bit of my answer!
Peer comment(s):
agree chaplin
1 min
neutral Anthony Lines (X) : Not something I have ever heard in England and the true meaning of "bonne continuation".
20 mins
agree Jean-Claude Gouin : bon fin journée = ?? Bonne fin de journée = Enjoy the rest of your day Have a good evening = Bonne soirée Bon après-midi = Good afternoon
24 mins
agree Loperhet (X)
8 hrs
agree Lianne Wilson : Not as literal as some suggestions, but sounds less forced
9 hrs
agree kashew
10 hrs
agree Sarah Wood : Makes the most sense in the context.
11 hrs
agree Nedhead : Much more natural. In our local French supermarket I regularly get 'Bonne fin de journée's at 11am
1 day 8 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "I think in the context this is the most appropriate response. It's one of those situations where the French have a lovely phrase for something which just doesn't translate, and I wondered how other people would deal with it!"
+2
33 mins
French term (edited): ...bon fin journée...

have a good evening OR good afternoon

For me good evening is best but if you want to stick to the original more what is realy meant here have a good late faternoon but nobody says that!
Peer comment(s):
agree Anthony Lines (X) : This is, in my opinion, as near as you can get in natural English.
42 mins
thank you Anthony
agree George C.
10 hrs
thank you Solar
neutral Sarah Wood : Correct - but perhaps not appropriate for the context: we don't know when the person is completing the questionnaire so in th context I think it refers to the rest of the day rather than specifically afternoon or evening.
12 hrs
thank you Sarah I did not read the comment from the author
Something went wrong...
8 hrs
French term (edited): ...bon fin journée...

have a good day...

Standard phrase when parting with someone.
Something went wrong...
2 days 17 hrs

Good afternoon (around 4) or Good evening (after 5)

Hello,

Bonne fin de journée = Good end of day (said around 4 or 5 into early evening). I think the equivalents in my answer box should work. Or simply just "Have a nice day".

Enjoy the rest of your day = Bon reste de journée (not really the same as "Bonne fin de journée")

Something went wrong...
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