https://www.proz.com/kudoz/french-to-english/geography/1488322-sentier-de-fortune.html

sentier de fortune

English translation: rough track

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:sentier de fortune
English translation:rough track
Entered by: Katherine Hodkinson

18:42 Aug 6, 2006
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Geography
French term or phrase: sentier de fortune
Talking about rocks/mountain landscapes.

"Elles s'affaissent d'année en année sur le petit *sentier de fortune*. Il y a toujours du pain sur la planche pour le pauvre cantonnier."

TIA
Katherine Hodkinson
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:39
(rough/makeshift) mountain trails
Explanation:
something like this ... paths that have been cut into the mountains by people and which change with time according to the obstacles that block them

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Note added at 37 mins (2006-08-06 19:19:22 GMT)
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perhaps paths instead of trails
Selected response from:

suezen
Local time: 03:39
Grading comment
i'm choosing this as the most useful term to enter into the glossary for future reference, but sandra's "time-worn path" actually fit very nicely with the style of the text. thank you to everyone!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
2 +9(rough/makeshift) mountain trails
suezen
3 +5haphazard path
Dr Sue Levy (X)
3time-worn path
Sandra Petch
4 -2walking track
Ben Gaia
1 -4path of good luck
Jonathan MacKerron


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5 peer agreement (net): -4
path of good luck


Explanation:
a generic take

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Note added at 3 mins (2006-08-06 18:45:16 GMT)
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"path of good fortune" gets nearly 1000 googles

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Note added at 20 mins (2006-08-06 19:02:44 GMT)
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perhaps something like "rough and ready"?

Jonathan MacKerron
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  CMJ_Trans (X): It also gets the bull's rush from me. It's nonsense//because I know what a sentier de fortune is and it ain't that... see Suezen's answer
31 mins
  -> how can you be so sure with so little context - see my confidence level

disagree  df49f (X): nonsens: phrase anglaise n'a pas de sens et le sens de l'expression française est incomprise - cf. Sue's & Suezen's answers for correct meaning
1 hr

disagree  JCEC: In French, the expression "de fortune" means something which has been improvised, hastily put together.
1 hr

neutral  writeaway: Askers want help, not casual guessing. the number of Googles is really no reference. "creamy peanut butter" gets 204,000 Ghits but it's not right either. guessing like this is not helping anyone.
2 hrs

disagree  Tony M: Way too literal, special meaning in this sort of usage.
14 hrs
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17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +5
haphazard path


Explanation:
It means a path that's been worn by people or animals (cf goat or sheep path), meandering between obscacles.

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Note added at 22 mins (2006-08-06 19:04:59 GMT)
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The expression "de fortune" means "makeshift" or "rough-and-ready" (see R-C Senior dictionary).

Dr Sue Levy (X)
Local time: 03:39
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  df49f (X)
1 hr
  -> thanks D!

agree  JCEC
2 hrs
  -> thanks John :-)

agree  writeaway: see R-C and Larousse and Hachette and amazingly enough, Harraps too ;-)
2 hrs
  -> thanks P! what good fortune :-D

agree  CMJ_Trans (X): this is also on the right track !!!
11 hrs
  -> well I wouldn't want to lead anyone down a merry trail ;-)

agree  Tony M: The idea is exactly right, even though I have some hesitation about the actual term you've suggested // Oh, mine too!! And not much 'fortune' about it either ;-)
14 hrs
  -> thanks Tony, yes maybe this expression is used too often in a figurative way - the haphazard path of my life ;-)
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27 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +9
(rough/makeshift) mountain trails


Explanation:
something like this ... paths that have been cut into the mountains by people and which change with time according to the obstacles that block them

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 37 mins (2006-08-06 19:19:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

perhaps paths instead of trails

suezen
Local time: 03:39
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
i'm choosing this as the most useful term to enter into the glossary for future reference, but sandra's "time-worn path" actually fit very nicely with the style of the text. thank you to everyone!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  CMJ_Trans (X): this is the closest - though - confession - I don't have the perfect answer...
8 mins
  -> thanks CMJ

agree  Cervin
19 mins
  -> thanks Cervin

agree  df49f (X)
1 hr
  -> thanks Df

agree  JCEC
1 hr
  -> thanks JCEC

agree  writeaway
2 hrs
  -> thanks W/A

agree  Uma Hariharan
7 hrs
  -> thanks Uma

agree  Bailatjones
9 hrs
  -> thanks Michelle

agree  Tony M: Yes, i think 'rough track OR path' would probably do here.
14 hrs
  -> Ah yes, track ... excelent. Thanks Tony :-)

agree  Gina W
22 hrs
  -> thanks G :-)
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13 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
time-worn path


Explanation:
Just an idea. The path has been worn away over the years through use.

Sandra Petch
Local time: 03:39
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  df49f (X): le sentier de fortune is indeed time-worn as stated in the text, but where's the idea of "fortune"? (cf. Sue & Suezen & other comments)
1 hr
  -> A path that has been worn away rather than deliberately created is, in my mind, "de fortune". When the meaning has been made obvious (cf Sue/Suezen) I still think it's useful to give alternatives (hence "just an idea").
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -2
walking track


Explanation:
This is what it would be in New Zealandish. :-)

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Note added at 15 hrs (2006-08-07 09:44:59 GMT)
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Smileys generally mean humour in computer text world, guys. :-)

Ben Gaia
New Zealand
Local time: 15:39
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  CMJ_Trans (X): with all due respect, I think you must mean "outlandish". Just look up "fortune" in ANY bog-standard dictionary (Collins Robert, etc.) and - lo & behold - the answer is there... Or was this supposed to be a joke? If so, perhaps you should warn readers
3 hrs
  -> I guess there is an element of humour there, however everything in NZ is makeshift by UK standards, so a makeshift track in Europe is a walking track, pure and simple, in New Zealand.

neutral  Tony M: Dangerous: an ordinary 'sentier' (i.e. NOT 'de fortune') often used to mean a 'formally-defined' footpath for walkers, so your term could be ambiguous / But over here in FR, could be WRONG mental picture!
6 hrs
  -> I was trying to translate the mental image conjured by the words of the passage rather than consult a literal dictionary rendering. "Makeshift" is insufficient in this context. We are not translating into French. That said, I like your "rough track".

disagree  df49f (X): walking, riding, hiking trail, track, path, whatever, but where is the idea of "de fortune" which is precisely the point of the question??
6 hrs
  -> In the mountains all trails are haphazard so it could be seen as a tautology. How much mountain walking do you folk do?
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