la vie ne vaut pas la peine d'être vécue si on ne la vit pas comme un rêve

English translation: life isn\'t worth living if you don\'t live it like a dream

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:la vie ne vaut pas la peine d\'être vécue si on ne la vit pas comme un rêve
English translation:life isn\'t worth living if you don\'t live it like a dream
Entered by: Jean-Paul ROSETO

12:50 Jul 17, 2010
French to English translations [Non-PRO]
Poetry & Literature
French term or phrase: la vie ne vaut pas la peine d'être vécue si on ne la vit pas comme un rêve
bonjour, un ami m'a demandé de traduire cette phrase vers l'anglais qui n'est pas ma langue maternelle. Je vous remercie pour vos suggestions.
Jean-Paul ROSETO
Local time: 09:57
life isn't worth living if you don't live it like a dream
Explanation:
would be one way of saying it
Selected response from:

Trudy Peters
United States
Local time: 04:57
Grading comment
merci
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +8life isn't worth living if you don't live it like a dream
Trudy Peters
4 +6life is not worth living if you don't live it like a dream
Chris Hall
4life isn't worth living when not lived as a dream
Isabelle Parsley
4Life isn't worth living if you can't live out your dream(s)
Catherine Gilsenan
3There's no point in living if you can't ... feel alive
Stephanie Ezrol
3 -1Autres propositions
Martyn Greenan


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
life is not worth living if you don't live it like a dream


Explanation:
la vie ne vaut pas la peine d'être vécue si on ne la vit pas comme un rêve
=
life is not worth living if you don't live it like a dream

Chris Hall
Local time: 08:57
Meets criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 20

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  bcsantos
2 mins
  -> Many thanks bcsantos.

agree  Trudy Peters: didn't see your answer when I posted mine
4 mins
  -> Many thanks Trudy - I have also agreed with your answer.

agree  Rebecca Davis: or "if we don't...
10 mins
  -> Many thanks Rebecca.

agree  SMcG (X): yes, in a nutshell
34 mins
  -> Many thanks jsmcgregor.

agree  Evans (X)
1 hr
  -> Many thanks Gilla.

agree  David Hollywood: spot on :) maybe with "isn't" to keep the balance
1 hr
  -> Many thanks David.

agree  sktrans
14 hrs
  -> Many thanks sktrans.

disagree  axies: manuel seixo: I agree with Martyn G; Your answer is only a ''paraphrase'' of the French expression a/a which states many thoughts besides yours for the right or wrong translation. [Click here to delete your comment] [Click here to edit your comment]
1 day 46 mins
  -> I don't really need to take such feedback as this seriously. I see you have forgotten to disagree with Trudy's answer, which is very strange. Never mind. Onwards and upwards...
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +8
life isn't worth living if you don't live it like a dream


Explanation:
would be one way of saying it

Trudy Peters
United States
Local time: 04:57
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
Grading comment
merci

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Hermeneutica: For rhythm I prefer this version ...
10 mins

agree  writeaway: two contractions. agree with above comment
22 mins

agree  Jennifer White
1 hr

agree  Evans (X)
1 hr

agree  David Hollywood: nice one :) I like the balance in "isn't"/"don't"
1 hr

agree  Esther van der Wal: This sounds best to me.
1 hr

agree  Chris Hall
4 hrs

agree  Sarah Bessioud
1 day 37 mins
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

28 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
life isn't worth living when not lived as a dream


Explanation:
Just to provide you with an embarrassment of riches to choose from. If this is prose or poetry, as it seems to be, then it's important to keep the rhythm as was mentioned above.

Not disagreeing with the above answers at all -- just an alternative option. :)

Isabelle Parsley
United States
Local time: 02:57
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  writeaway: hmm. replacing if by when makes it less poetic and too adamant imo.
19 mins
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
There's no point in living if you can't ... feel alive


Explanation:
From googling the French, it appears to be a translation from a James Bond film, The World is not Enough.

This is the text from a transcript of the film, spoken by the character Elektra King.

http://www.screenplays-online.de/screenplay/113

also

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0143145/quotes

I checked because the literal or almost literal translation of the English sounded odd to me. My other option in English, for the second part of the phrase would be " living the dream," or "living your dream"

Stephanie Ezrol
United States
Local time: 04:57
Meets criteria
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Martin Cassell: indeed - if there is in fact a connection with the film, then a back-translation is pointless; but I suspect the French version of the screenplay is alluding to an existing motto
35 mins
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
Autres propositions


Explanation:
Je vois des choses un peu différemment, Jean Paul. Alors que toutes les traductions suggérées jusqu'ici sont tout à fait correctes, je prendrais une route moins littérale, moi. D'autant plus qu'il s'agit d'un tatouage...
Voici donc quelques autres possibilités:

1) Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning how to dance in the rain (un truc qu’on voit un peu partout ces jours-ci)
2) When your life flashes before your eyes, make sure you've got plenty to watch (tirée d'une pub [!], mais ça garde la même idée)

...ou, encore plus poétique:

3) The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough (Rabindranath Tagore)
4) May you live all the days of your life (Jonathan Swift)

Voilà. À réfléchir. Que votre ami ne se fasse pas trop mal ! :)


Martyn Greenan
United States
Local time: 03:57
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Chris Hall: Some of these suggestions are miles away from the literal and obvious meaning of the French ST. "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning how to dance in the rain" - nothing to do with the meaning of ST. Same as suggestion 3.
6 mins
  -> Chris, if I could have bet my mortgage on one person objecting to a non-literal suggestion, it would have been you, mate. :)
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 day 9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Life isn't worth living if you can't live out your dream(s)


Explanation:
-

Catherine Gilsenan
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:57
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 7
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.


See also:
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search