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le plaisir du mot juste

English translation: The joy of finding the right word

13:29 Sep 1, 2008
French to English translations [PRO]
Other
French term or phrase: le plaisir du mot juste
pas de contexte. Il s'agit d'un titre. merci
clauzet
Spain
English translation:The joy of finding the right word
Explanation:
Not easy without a context...
Selected response from:

Irene Chalmers Preire
France
Local time: 10:29
Grading comment
je prends! mreci à tous
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +3"Words don't come easy"
kashew
3 +4The joy of finding the right word
Irene Chalmers Preire
3 +2nailing that perfect word
Glen McCulley
4Delighting in the right word
Serge F. Vidal
3 +1The pleasure of the "mot juste"
B D Finch
4The right word thrill
Mary Carroll Richer LaFlèche
4the pleasure of the word "juste"
Bourth (X)
3a felicitous turn of phrase
Helen Shiner
2 +1Word perfect
Connor
3Right Word Satisfaction
MatthewLaSon
3The gratification of finding the mot juste/right word
Miranda Joubioux (X)
3the delight of a perfect word
madalina_ro
1the joy of lex
Alain Pommet
1the joy/pleasure/sheer relief of context
Rachel Fell
Summary of reference entries provided
Miranda Joubioux (X)

Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Delighting in the right word


Explanation:
Ou 'Right Word Delights"

Serge F. Vidal
Switzerland
Local time: 10:29
Native speaker of: French
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15 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
a felicitous turn of phrase


Explanation:
Not a translation as such, but an EN idiom with similar meaning.

Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:29
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 28
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25 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
nailing that perfect word


Explanation:
just another option
the 'mot juste' is indeed widely used in English but i feel it has intellectualo-literary overtones: if you think your context is a little more 'freeflow', you could opt for the more dynamic (imho) "nailing that perfect word"...

Glen McCulley
Local time: 10:29
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Nadia Ayoub
6 hrs
agree  Harald Moelzer (medical-translator)
1 day 15 hrs
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12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
The pleasure of the "mot juste"


Explanation:
Without even the context of what it is the title of, one can only guess at the register, readership, type of publication. However, "mot juste" is quite widely used in English. I wouldn't use it for Daily Mail readers though.

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Note added at 35 mins (2008-09-01 14:04:36 GMT)
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"Novelists, to put it crudely, search for ‘le mot juste’; ... information in each of Buchan’s sentences; sometimes you have to read them two or three times. ..."
readers.penguin.co.uk/nf/shared/WebDisplay/0,,214668_1_12,00.html

"'It seemed the mot juste'. Peregrine Worsthorne; The Guardian, ... word on British television and it almost cost me my job at the Daily Telegraph. ..."
www.guardian.co.uk/media/2004/feb/05/broadcasting.tvandradi...



B D Finch
France
Local time: 10:29
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 52

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Emma Paulay: But fine for readers of The Spectator: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3724/is_200112/ai_n9...
6 mins
  -> Thanks Emma.
neutral  Elizabeth Slaney: I agree that "mot juste" is often the "mot juste" but the whole phrase sounds like a translation here.
1 hr
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36 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
The joy of finding the right word


Explanation:
Not easy without a context...


Irene Chalmers Preire
France
Local time: 10:29
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
je prends! mreci à tous

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  looby
48 mins
  -> Thanks!
agree  Elizabeth Slaney: I like this but maybe even just "Finding the right word" if it's a title?
53 mins
  -> Yes, that would work for me too. Thanks!
agree  Myriam Dupouy: A book about translators would read "The difficulty in finding the right word" though...Especially without a context ;o)
4 hrs
  -> How very true - lol - thanks
agree  Harald Moelzer (medical-translator)
1 day 15 hrs
  -> thanks
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
The right word thrill


Explanation:
?

Mary Carroll Richer LaFlèche
Italy
Local time: 10:29
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 4
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
the pleasure of the word "juste"


Explanation:
Being silly, I suspect, but without context how are we to know the book is not a treatise on the virtues of social justice, of fair trading, etc.

Bourth (X)
Local time: 10:29
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 328
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5
the joy of lex


Explanation:
Not really a serious answer, but who knows...

http://www.discoverycivilization.ca/reports/rw/8494/The-Joy-...

Alain Pommet
Local time: 10:29
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 21

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Serge F. Vidal: Lovely!! D'où ça vient?
7 hrs
neutral  Sandra Petch: Hilarious :-) !
15 hrs
neutral  B D Finch: Brilliant!
15 hrs
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Word perfect


Explanation:
FWIW

Connor
Local time: 10:29
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  suezen
1 day 15 hrs
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59 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +3
"Words don't come easy"


Explanation:
F.R.David

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 hrs (2008-09-01 20:37:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHeseOjdgZI&feature=email

kashew
France
Local time: 10:29
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 24

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Bourth (X): Would you care to karaoke that for us?
1 hr
  -> No problem!
agree  Yolanda Broad: Depending on the register of the rest of the text, this could be an excellent solution.
2 hrs
  -> Thanks for your kind words.
neutral  writeaway: ok, but don't agree with use of maximum confidence level given the limited context.
9 hrs
  -> There was no option for me! It's my theme-tune - so 5/5!
agree  Gayle Wallimann
17 hrs
  -> Thanks
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5
the joy/pleasure/sheer relief of context


Explanation:
if it's daft answers time -
sorry (and know I haven't always given enough context either, but still!)!

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Note added at 6 hrs (2008-09-01 20:03:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

obviously, also "the delight of finding 'le mot juste'" but don't know that that's much help.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 hrs (2008-09-01 20:45:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

and possibly inaccurate to boot on 2nd thoughts...

Rachel Fell
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:29
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12
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9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Right Word Satisfaction


Explanation:
Hello,

My try...

I hope this helps.

MatthewLaSon
Local time: 04:29
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 64

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  B D Finch: Sounds a bit Yorkshire to me! e.g. "This girl, she were about my age, and we were right pals, and she came from Liverpool".
9 hrs
  -> B D Finch, I am not from the UK. I think this would work ok for a North American audience.
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1 day 3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
The gratification of finding the mot juste/right word


Explanation:
Depends on what kind of readers its aimed at.

See my reference re: mot juste

Miranda Joubioux (X)
Local time: 10:29
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
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2 days 9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
the delight of a perfect word


Explanation:
i think this might do

madalina_ro
Romania
Local time: 11:29
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in RomanianRomanian
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Reference comments


23 hrs
Reference

Reference information:
A dictionary of foreign words and phrases by A.J. Bliss
(le) mot juste [Fr.] the right word, the word which exactly serves the required purpose in literary composition. 20c. The phrase is associated with he name of Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880), but seems not to be a quotation.

Miranda Joubioux (X)
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
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