French: depositaireEnglish translation: guardian 
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French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Music / Tuareg traditional music | | French term or phrase: depositaire | La societe Touareg est matrilineaire...
Et ce sont surtout les femmes qui sont *depositaires* de cet art musical chante par une soliste et repris en choeur par les autres femmes du campement.
(sorry no accents)
I'm trying to find an elegant way of putting this.
somehow guardians/protectors/keepers of music just doesn't work for me.
I am tempted to rewrite simply with something like women uphold or perpetuate musical tradition, but that loses part of the meaning.
Any ideas would be so welcome! |
| | Clarification request(s) and responseFrench Foodie (asker): 12:35pm Jan 7, 2005: What's a hairess, Francis?
Michele Fauble: 6:07pm Jan 9, 2005: REpository, not DEpository, and it is used in English in exactly the same way that 'dépositaire'is used in your French text. 'Guardian' changes the meaning. -
Michele Fauble: 6:12pm Jan 9, 2005: Consult an English dictionary for the meaning of the word 'repository.
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French Foodie (asker): 8:23pm Jan 9, 2005: Yes, sorry michele, I typed too quickly, I did indeed see you offered REpository. :-)
And while I do think it is an excellent option, I chose guardian in the end for several reasons. The text describes the Tuaregs as a fiercely independent people whose way of life is incompatible with modern-day society, so guardian fit in with this context nicely.
I always consult dictionaries before turning to Proz, it would seem the least we could do...;-)
According to my understanding, a repository is a place where things are put for safekeeping, and a guardian is a protector (so the person who ensures the things are kept safe!). A slight nuance perhaps, but since the women are in fact PEOPLE, I think this works. Thanks again for your suggestion.
Michele Fauble: 5:22am Jan 10, 2005: It was precisely because 'guardian' implies protection that I offered my suggestion. The culture of the Tuaregs may indeed be under attack, but the Tuareg women were quite likely repositories of this musical tradition before contact with the modern world. -
Michele Fauble: 5:30am Jan 10, 2005: 'Repository' is very commonly used in reference to PEOPLE in contexts such as yours.This may even be its most common usage in English. -
French Foodie (asker): 8:17am Jan 10, 2005: Michele, I really appreciate your suggestions and comments. I could see from your references and the subsequent research that I did that repository is often used in conjunction with women and culture. BUT, as I said above, guardian fit well with the rest of the description of the Tuareg people and women's role in their culture. Yes, repository may be the best one-to-one solution for depositaire, but I am working at a textual level as well. And my choice of guardian fits in with the tone and textual layers of the writing. Sometimes you can lose a nuance when you make a choice, but gain meaning and clarity overall. And that is what I'm after here.
However, thanks to your great suggestion, I *did* use repository later in my text in reference to the griots. :-)
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| | gardian | Explanation:
another possibility
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Note added at 6 mins (2005-01-07 12:34:37 GMT)
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sorry, I didn\'t read to the end!
Still, it does work ... it is mainly the women who are the guardians/upholders of this musical tradition
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Note added at 7 mins (2005-01-07 12:35:48 GMT)
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it is mainly the women who continue to uphold this .... |
| Selected response from:
 suezen
France
| Note from asker to answererWhile it was very interesting to see how often the word depository is actually used in a context of women and culture (thanks Michele - I researched this a fair bit after your posting), I ended up going with guardian for this text. I like the ring of "guardians of the faith", and felt that guardians of tradition had a similar sound.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer |
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The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +3
