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ébranlé

English translation: shaken, undermined, unhinged, shattered,

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:ébranlé
English translation:shaken, undermined, unhinged, shattered,
Entered by: Maya Jurt

06:20 Oct 19, 2001
French to English translations [Non-PRO]
French term or phrase: ébranlé
la toute-puissance américaine est ébranlée
Sita
unhinged,shattered,
Explanation:
shattered is a too strong term.

unhinged means a bit more than shaken.
Selected response from:

Maya Jurt
Switzerland
Local time: 13:44
Grading comment
Thanks
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +6American omnipotence has been badly shaken
mckinnc
5American might has been shaken
Louise Atfield
5unhinging, shattering, shaking
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
5All-powerful America has been shaken
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
4is shaken
studio
4has taken a battering
mckinnc
4... has been badly undermined...
Parrot
4 -1unhinged,shattered,
Maya Jurt
4 -2unhinged
Maya Jurt


  

Answers


1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
is shaken


Explanation:
good luck

studio
Local time: 06:44
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in pair: 28
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +6
American omnipotence has been badly shaken


Explanation:
HTH

mckinnc
Local time: 13:44
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 922

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Mary Worby: Shaken to the core, to its roots, to its very foundations! Might also work ...(-:
10 mins
  -> shaken to the core is nice
agree  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: Appropriate tense for UK English. I prefer "core" to "foundations" for obvious reasons of sensibility
36 mins
  -> hmm, fair point
agree  Sheila Hardie
56 mins
  -> thanks
agree  Abu Amaal (X): nicelly calibrated just as is
3 hrs
agree  athena22
5 hrs
agree  Helen D. Elliot (X)
1 day 3 hrs
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19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
unhinged,shattered,


Explanation:
shattered is a too strong term.

unhinged means a bit more than shaken.

Maya Jurt
Switzerland
Local time: 13:44
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in pair: 412
Grading comment
Thanks

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: Shattered is strong, but closer in meaning than shattered. "Ebranlé" is not completely destroyed, shattered = irrep
23 mins
  -> "shatteredcloser than shattered? What about unhinged? That is my proposal.
neutral  Mary Worby: 'unhinged' is normally used to refer to mental states, 'he was unhinged by the death of his wife' ...
58 mins
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
has taken a battering


Explanation:
Just another one that occurs to me

mckinnc
Local time: 13:44
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 922
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -2
unhinged


Explanation:
If you do not want to use the word "shaken", "unhinged" is definitely a possibility.

Webster defines the word and gives an example: "unhinge the balance of world peace"

Here are some more examples, taken from google:
From the St.Petersburg Times (Fla.) Headline: Royal slayings unhinge Nepal


It has taken 10 years for the question that could UNHINGE the "national" system of corporate law to be asked, but it finally has been - and the High Court is about to provide the answer.

Market Free-Fall Will Not UNHINGE Power Semiconductor Stronghold, Says
Allied Business Intelligence

Moreover, Turkey’s expansionist aggression against Greece and Cyprus has created dangerous instability in NATO's crucial eastern European flank, threatening to UNHINGE the two most democratic, peaceable and Western-oriented nations in the entire Balkan and Middle East region.

Rural Australia could UNHINGE the Howard Government. Worse, they could UNHINGE all of us unless "progress" is managed a little more sensitively than any of the main political parties has managed to date.

HTH



Maya Jurt
Switzerland
Local time: 13:44
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in pair: 412

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Mary Worby: Unhinged would mean broken down completely, not just shaken.
19 mins
disagree  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: Something doing the unhinging is different to the state of being unhinged.
51 mins
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
American might has been shaken


Explanation:
I find "omnipotence" a little too strong, even though it is the litteral translation. I think that "might" or even "power" is closer to the original meaning. Or you could possibly use "world power" to strengthen its meaning.

The original text doesn't warrant the use of "badly shaken" or "shaken to the core" etc. In fact you could very well use "somewhat shaken" and this would be every bit as good. The author doesn't specify and neither should you. I would stick with the basic "shaken", nothing more, nothing less.

Louise Atfield
PRO pts in pair: 300
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
unhinging, shattering, shaking


Explanation:
I do see what you are getting at Maya, but I think there is a distinct difference between the terms.

"unhinging" suggests a dislocation, a separating of parts, an unhooking.

"shattering" suggests breaking into small pieces.

"shaking" involves movement, shock but no breaking or separating of parts or smashing into pieces.

America may be shaken (shocked, disturbed) but has not been disassembled in any way, nor has it been broken.

Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Local time: 13:44
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 4638
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
All-powerful America has been shaken


Explanation:
A simple translation of the original.

Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Local time: 13:44
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 4638
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
... has been badly undermined...


Explanation:
Just adjusting the tenor a bit to realities...

Parrot
Spain
Local time: 13:44
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 1861
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