English translation: without bands playing and flag-waving
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18:44 Jun 22, 2011
French to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - History
French term or phrase:sans fanfare ni trompettes
Context: the memoirs of a Frenchman called up for WWII. At the station where the conscripts are leaving, he notes that the atmosphere is sad and heavy with no jingoistic ideas of victory.
'les appelés partaient come prévu... sans fanfares ni trompettes" , unlike, he says what had happened on similar occasions before. I assume he is indeed possibly talking about bands, music, songs to encourage the men, but I'm not sure that it's absolutely necessary for the translation to be "musical". I had thought of putting "without pomp and ceremony". All ideas gratefully received, and thank you in advance.
Explanation: I see no reason to depart from the (almost) literal.
It was still dark in the early hours of the 12th when the 1st Gloucesters, without BANDS PLAYING OR ANY OF THE FLAG-WAVING usually associated with the departure of troops to take part in an overseas war, paraded and marched to Bordon Station where they boarded two trains, the first of which arrived at Southampton at 5 a.m. and the second at 6.30 a.m. http://mikeandjenny.me.uk/military_record.html
You, at your end, seem to have been having some wildly exciting times with your processions in which the Kaiser has been publicly done away with. It's a phase which all countries go through, I suppose. England did at the beginning of the war. But now we entrain for the Front WITHOUT BANDS PLAYING and do our best not to attract attention. We're a little ashamed of arousing other people's emotions on our behalf. All we want is a "Cheerio and God Bless You," for our good-bye. If we come back, it will be " jolly fine"; and if we don't it's "C'est la guerre" http://www.archive.org/stream/livingbayonetsre00dawsuoft/liv...
I realise I'm not going with the majority here, but this really fits my text the best, I feel. Thank to everyone for all the suggestions 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
You could say 'without fuss or fanfare' (a standard expression) if you wanted to keep two terms, but since a fanfare is often/generally played on a trumpet or other brass instruments, I think the French is deliberately a little playful. Anyway, the trumpets don't get an explicit mention in EN generally.
thank you. I do realise that 'sans fanfare ni trompettes' is a figure of speech (and indeed a reworking - though probably unintentional on the part of the author, a 'simple soldat', not a 'writer' - of 'sans tambour ni trompettes')-hence my hesitation about a literal translation; also, the 'trompettes' bit just made me forget the rather simple 'without fanfare', which has been proposed. As has been said on this page, in WWI, the departures for the front were accompanied by optimism, glorification (maybe a brass band send off etc.) and the sentence itself makes it clear to my mind that all this gung-ho type stuff was missing in Sep.1939 - hardly unsurprisingly.
their fathers had gone enthusiastically into a war which was supposed to last a few weeks, and turned out to be the first industrial war ever, leaving 17 million dead in its wake. The second time around they were understandably much less enthusiastic, especially as they had placed so much hope in the appeasement mission of Neville Chamberlain.
It doesn't literally mean there were no trumpets - it's a figure of speech. If it says fanfare in French, I see no reason not to use the same word in English.
Sorry, I may have misled some answerers... the phrase does refer to some kind of jollification, and I think it should be implied in the translation. After the bit quoted, the sentence continues: "comme ça s'était fait, disaient les journaux, dans toutes les guerres précédentes". I should have been clearer, sorry!
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Answers
2 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +8
without fanfare
Explanation: This is a phrase used fairly often in English to mean without any particular notice or celebration. It's an idea.
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +8
