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Drole de vibrion libre

English translation: 'real pain in the ass'

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:Drole de vibrion libre
English translation:'real pain in the ass'
Entered by: Vladimir Dubisskiy

12:19 Mar 26, 2002
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Slang
French term or phrase: Drole de vibrion libre
This is what a soviet general thinks about a man who caused him a lot of trouble by bringing in some western journalists.
LM
Local time: 22:13
'pain in the ass' might work
Explanation:
This is funny.
The idea is pretty understandable and I would render it generally 'pain in the ass'(that person was for the general).
'As energetic and active as (cholera, but not necessariyl) vibrio'.

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Note added at 2002-03-26 16:50:32 (GMT)
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ie that guy was a \"real pain in the ass\" for the general.

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Note added at 2002-03-26 16:54:48 (GMT)
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I believe I know what that general might say in Russian besides mentioning \'a vibrio(n)\'. It could be \'as active as spermatozoon\' or alike (though \'cholera vibrio(n)\' was quite \'usable\' as well).
Selected response from:

Vladimir Dubisskiy
United States
Local time: 15:13
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +2one hell of a busybody
Theresa Pisani Moniez
4 +3'pain in the ass' might work
Vladimir Dubisskiy
4 +2a wild fidget
Florence Bremond
1 +5Not exactly an answer to your query, but...
Yolanda Broad
3 +2what a pest! (funny kind of free-roaming bacteria)
swisstell
4 +1loose cannon
Steven Geller
4 -1funny, loose fidget
Lise Boismenu, B.Sc.


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
funny, loose fidget


Explanation:
fidget
inf
à vi
[be restless] avoir la bougeotte, gigoter
stop fidgeting! arrête de gigoter!
to fidget with sthg jouer avec qqch, tripoter qqch
à n
1. [restless person]: she's a little fidget elle ne tient pas en place, elle gigote tout le temps
what a fidget you are today! tu ne tiens pas en place OR tu as la bougeotte aujourd'hui!
don't be such a fidget! arrête de gigoter!
2. phr: to have OR to get the fidgets [be restless, nervous] ne pas tenir en place

Copyright © 1996 Larousse. Computer software copyright © 1996 INSO Corporation. All rights reserved.

Lise Boismenu, B.Sc.
Canada
Local time: 16:13
Native speaker of: French

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Theresa Pisani Moniez: Would anybody SAY that?!
5 mins
  -> Hum! I have already agreed with somone else's response !!!
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6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
a wild fidget


Explanation:
(vibrion = fidget : Harrap's)

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Note added at 2002-03-26 12:53:47 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

we\'re trying to translate a translation as I don\'t expect the soviet general to have spoken in French.

Florence Bremond
France
Local time: 22:13
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Lise Boismenu, B.Sc.: Like this one!
1 min
  -> thanks !
agree  Yolanda Broad
4 hrs
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7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
what a pest! (funny kind of free-roaming bacteria)


Explanation:
the first is how I would translate it.
The second in brackets is a direct translation, a vibrion being a bakteria.

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Note added at 2002-03-26 13:10:12 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

bacteria, of course

swisstell
Italy
Local time: 22:13
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Dr. Chrys Chrystello
1 min
  -> obrigado, Doutor!
agree  Jacek Krankowski (X)
8 hrs
  -> thank you, Jacek!
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10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
one hell of a busybody


Explanation:
Vibrion is a fidget, but I can't think of an expression using fidget like that. "Fussbudget" would work also, but I don't know if you want to be THAT colloquial.

Source for vibrion = Robert & Collins; I'm also a native speaker.

Good Luck!

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Note added at 2002-03-26 12:41:42 (GMT)
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I justify the use of hell by the source. Military personnel (I dislike stereotypes, but there you are), especially when displeased with someone, tend to not mince their words.

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Note added at 2002-03-26 12:42:48 (GMT)
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change hell to \"heck\", if it makes you feel better

Theresa Pisani Moniez
Local time: 22:13
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Lise Boismenu, B.Sc.: I'd leave the HELL out...just for the HELL of it!
4 mins
agree  Linda Young (X): I agree with Lise haha
28 mins
agree  Sheila Hardie
31 mins
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48 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
loose cannon


Explanation:
I suspect they mean that the journalist was a "loose cannon".

Steven Geller
Local time: 22:13

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  zaphod
3 hrs
neutral  FranH (X): Depends on the context. "Loose cannon" is used re someone on your own side who has stepped out of line, isn't it? It would apply for instance if the man was on the general's staff.
11 hrs
  -> You seem not to be familiar with the expression "loose cannon". It means "uncontrollable" or "out of control". It has no connotation whatsoever, which could possibly be construed to pertain to sides. Please try to be more careful.
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5 peer agreement (net): +5
Not exactly an answer to your query, but...


Explanation:
...I wonder what was actually said in *Russian*. After all, you are translating a subjective term that has already been translated from another language, a language that, as we have learned recently, has heavily coded subjective terms. Cf. what happened to Russian President Putin's very derogatory references to Chechen rebels, when interpreted by a US State Department interpreter. I think I'd probe a bit deeper, maybe ask the ProZ Russian community what *they* think "vibrion libre" might have translated. Some of the most active Russian ProZ are in Canada, and know French as well as English, so they should be able to help. Maybe ProZ needs a trilingual function to deal with this kind of situation?

Yolanda Broad
United States
Local time: 16:13
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Florence Bremond: yes, that's what I said too
11 mins
agree  cldumas (X)
41 mins
agree  Theresa Pisani Moniez: this is a very good observation!
50 mins
neutral  Steven Geller: I agree with your observations, however there is nothing that specifically suggests that it was translated into French from Russian.
2 hrs
agree  Jacek Krankowski (X): The connection between the proposed "pain in the ass" and "drole de vibrion libre" being contextual rather than literal/etymological, the issue IMHO remains unsolved. Worth pursuing!
6 hrs
agree  reliable
16 hrs
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
'pain in the ass' might work


Explanation:
This is funny.
The idea is pretty understandable and I would render it generally 'pain in the ass'(that person was for the general).
'As energetic and active as (cholera, but not necessariyl) vibrio'.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-03-26 16:50:32 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

ie that guy was a \"real pain in the ass\" for the general.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-03-26 16:54:48 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I believe I know what that general might say in Russian besides mentioning \'a vibrio(n)\'. It could be \'as active as spermatozoon\' or alike (though \'cholera vibrio(n)\' was quite \'usable\' as well).

Vladimir Dubisskiy
United States
Local time: 15:13
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian, Native in UkrainianUkrainian
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  zaphod
3 mins
  -> thanks
agree  Yolanda Broad: Thanks for coming to the rescue and bringing your trilingual expertise into play here. I still think it would be good for ProZ to have a trilingual query function for KudoZ, too. :-)
31 mins
  -> sure, it's worthy of consideration
agree  Jacek Krankowski (X): The problem for the asker, of course, remains how to say it now in Polish which was his original question...
4 hrs
  -> oh, Polish is as rich as Russian or Ukrainian :-)
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