English translation: keeping one step ahead of the game
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Explanation: One-upmanship
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
One-upmanship is the systematic and conscious practice of making one's associates feel inferior and thereby gaining the status of being "one-up" on them http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-upmanship
I can't say for certain what the true definition should be here! (cops & robbers / cat and mouse.....). While the phrase initially seems obvious - cops and robbers; it's true that cat & mouse would seem to make more sense....
Anyway, here's my suggestion if you're looking for a phrase that gives the impression of out doing each other
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr (2008-01-04 11:08:17 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Ref asker's last note about getting the edge on each other:
'a never-ending cycle of staying one step ahead of the game'
Thanks. I think what I've learned most from this fascinating series of exchanges is that some people see the point of "cops and robbers" as catching the criminal, while for others the goal is not being caught! I'm not sure what that says about our various personalities! In the mean time, taking a look at my text after the weekend, I think that "one step ahead of the game" fits best in my context. Many thanks to all for your interesting contributions. 3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
Frankly, if I read a text in English that said "It's cops and robbers all over again" (or the like) I'm not sure I would get the message as intended here.
Look at this: "The battle between spammers and anti-spammers is like a game of 'cops and robbers,' said J.J. Schoch, a security expert at Panda Software..." unless of course that was already a translation from the French!!!! http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/10
suezen: see my note to CMJ_Trans. The context is security, in this case biometric security, and attempts to fool it à la Minority Report. I did wonder about cat and mouse. The idea is less about one catching the other than about one getting the edge on the other, then the other getting an edge over the former, and so on.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 40 mins (2008-01-04 09:58:10 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
or these ...
Security is NOT a game! " sure it is, like cops and robbers; Posted by: lmaxwell Posted .... WinXP: *OPEN INVITATION TO VIRUS & HACKERS* cecker | 10/24/03 ...
talkback.zdnet.com/5208-1009-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=116&messageID=1446&start=-9910 - 76k
Playing cops and robbers with cybersecurity | CNET News.com's Charles Cooper says ... If Microsoft's cash bounties convince any hackers to rat out fellow ... www.news.com/Playing-cops-and-robbers-with-cybersecurity/20... - 47k
Information security continues to be a serious concern for managements all over the ... Software companies regularly play ‘cops and robbers’ with hackers. ... www.garamchai.com/mohan/ITP01Mar04.htm - 51k
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 42 mins (2008-01-04 10:00:40 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
the way I understand cops and robbers is one side trying to outwit the other side, not 'catch' the other ...
suezen Local time: 23:44 Specializes in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 145
Notes to answerer
Asker: I feel rather in the minority here with CMJ_Trans, but I don't think that this means what "cops and robbers" means.
Asker: Thanks for the example, but I'm still not convinced that this means what I'm sure the French means. I think your article is talking about *catching* the criminals, which is not the point understood by this phrase in French ("l'*éternel* jeu...)
Asker: We must have been in different school playgrounds ;) Thoughts from any others?
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +8
