English translation: the contestants will be knocked out of their stride by the cow
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11:28 Jul 27, 2010
French to English translations [PRO] Media / Multimedia
French term or phrase:la vachette viendra bousculer
la vachette viendra bousculer les candidats qui se plieront également aux jeux dans les piscines et sur les tournettes.
Explanation: Take a look at some of the photos on the "Intervilles" mini-site on the main France 3 TV station website. Intervilles is a game show tht was pretty much a forerunner to Jeux Sans Frontières, or It's a Knockout in the UK. The main difference being that young cows are involved to provide an additional challenge. For info, the "tournette" is a spinning turntable that the candidates usually have to tackle to collect an object, for example.
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Thanks for the vote of confidence, Jonathan!
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Re. calf v. young cow v. cow
The Intervilles TV show uses "vachettes landaises" for its games. This is quite a small breed but the animals used are, as far as I remember, all fully grown. Their horns are protected but they do occasionally hurt people when they knock them flying - see the last photo on this page http://korn56000.skyrock.com/
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As you said the pro vs non-pro debate is a waste of time - voting pro or non-pro shouldn't really be a big deal. the prob is: "if you think the term is so obvious and easy, vote non pro if u care but also have the courtesy to share your knowledge with those who might be baffled by the term or expression" and not just vote "non-pro".
Hi Sandra, the French may have invented the formula but I'm sure that you'll agree after watching this video that the British took it to unprecedented depths of squalor and imbecility - although following the 'eventually everything old becomes good' rule, the commentators on this video are now suggesting that to enjoy an hour of Stuart Hall laughing hysterically at people falling over was to be present in a vanished Arcadia of popular culture.
"not familiar with French trash culture, so when a reference to some inane game show"
How dare you insult this paragon of French high culture that Intervilles is? ;-)
Thank you for your question, it made me smile and reminded me of the great hours of Guy Lux and Léon Zitrone on telly when I was a kid. I have to confess, I quite liked, against my best judgement, the part where the contestants, dressed in a chicken suit, were chased by a vachette around a board slick with "savon noir".
Another thing, in my (thirty-ish year) experience, nobody else in France uses the word "vachette". So nobody knows what it actually is, except that it is in Intervilles. "Young cow" will therefore be fine, probably.
Anyway, if you need other insights about this great TV show, you just need to ask.
Hardly a rant, I'd say, but the person who suggested that this should be non-Pro and her ilk. By the number of comments, other people are irritated by this too.
This pro vs non-pro debate is a waste of everyone's time. I'm a technical translator not familiar with French trash culture, so when a reference to some inane game show arises in a technical translation about media equipment, the context isn't clear to me. I'm thus v. grateful to the person who can set me straight on this and equally irritated by intellectual snobs who suggest (without saying why) that the person who answers this question isn't adding 'professional' value. If you can't give credit where it's due then keep your idle fingers off the keyboard.
If they consider it is so easy, perhaps they might also deign to offer a translation... :-)
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
16 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +3
la vachette viendra bousculer les candidats
the young cow will rush at the contestants
Explanation: My suggestion.
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La vachette viendra bousculer les candidats qui se plieront également aux jeux dans les piscines et sur les tournettes.
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The young cow will rush at the contestants, who will also submit to the games in the swimming pools and on the spinners.
Chris Hall United Kingdom Local time: 01:36 Native speaker of: English
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +3
