English translation: XX has been in circulation in Orne for 17 years
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French to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - Journalism
French term or phrase:XX hante l’Orne
"XXXXXXX hante l’Orne depuis 17 ans" The XXXXXXX refers to a newspaper and Orne to the region in France. I am assuming that this means that the paper has been popular in this region for 17 years but am unsure how to express this correctly in English. Thanks in advance for your help.
Although I also liked Clonola's answer, this was the one I chose as it made the most sense given the context. Many thanks. 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
The text is just a very straightforward description (history and current activities) of a paper which is based in that region of France but the text is written by a Belgian, for a Belgian publication so the French it is written in is Belgian French. Apologies for the confusion.
the actual (con)text should reveal what it means. After all, it's a Belgian newspaper and the Orne department isn't exactly on the Belgian border afaik. So without more concrete information, it remains anyone's guess.
Writeaway, the context is not a secret. I've given as much information as I have. I have not revealed the name of the publication because it is irrelevant and also because it is not professional to reveal that here- and in any case the name of the paper would not help in translating the word "hante" in this phrase. The sentence I have provided is the full sentence and as I have already stated, it is the title of an article.
It is undoubtedly a weird use of the word hanter for France. Maybe Belgians are more lax with it use. Or maybe Trappistes beer had flowed more liberally on that day. I would say something like "ubiquitous".
This phrase is the title of a short article which has a positive spin but is not a marketing text-it is more of a news piece. There is no other mention of ghosts/spirits in the text which is why this confused me. Nothing else in the text really helps in deducing the meaning of this phrase. Thanks to everyone for their input.
you mentioned that the original is Belgian. My Harraps has this under hanter:
belge (couple → sortir ensemble) to go out together; (→ flirter) to flirt together
So perhaps the sense is that they go back (their relationship goes back) all those years? Some confirmation from someone with more direct knowledge of Belgian French might confirm/refute this ....
if -- as I infer from the minimal context you have let slip -- this is essentially a marketing piece, and efforts to closely reflect the original wording are stopping you from producing an acceptable/congruent translation, forget it and write something that does fit the overall tone and message.
One thought, though: are ghosts/spirits mentioned anywhere, i.e. could there be any irony/wordplay related to the content?
this could refer to anything and only the rest of the (con)text will make it clear what they actually mean. As long as that remains hidden away, people will be forced to guess and hope they nail them thar pointZ
2. Littér. Fréquenter assidûment. Hanter qqn, une société particulière, certains milieux. Quand on est riche et délicat, on ne hante plus les claques à quarante sous (Arnoux, Solde, 1958, p. 208) :
But it is supposed to be for 'objets animés'. Well, a newspaper is such a strong presence that it can almost seem like a living object.
I read it in the sense of 'being pervasive', 'found everywhere' — and of course, a newspaper is a bit like a ghost, gliding silently around in the background sniffing out news!
Explanation: I know it's a little week for "hanter" but it does convey the basic meaning and has a slight sense of hanging around the area (smoking fags...)
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 25 mins (2010-05-17 12:04:16 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
a little weak!!!
Gilla Evans Local time: 19:32 Specializes in field Native speaker of: English
Explanation: Il me semble que "hanter" - "to haunt"- peuvent tous deux être employés au sens figuré, de "présence longue, durable, et quasiment obsédante..."
Michel F. Morin France Local time: 20:32 Specializes in field Native speaker of: French PRO pts in category: 8
Explanation: Littér. Fréquenter assidûment. Hanter qqn, une société particulière, certains milieux. Quand on est riche et délicat, on ne hante plus les claques à quarante sous (Arnoux, Solde, 1958, p. 208) :
The translation workplace 
