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joue la touche de la discrétion

English translation: be unassuming, discreet, keeps oneself to oneself

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:jouer la touche de la discrétion
English translation:be unassuming, discreet, keeps oneself to oneself
Entered by: Nikki Scott-Despaigne

18:03 Jan 9, 2002
French to English translations [PRO]
Tourism & Travel / tourism
French term or phrase: joue la touche de la discrétion
Cavalaire, en bord de mer, est une station familiale qui joue la touche de la discrétion à quelques encablures de Saint-Tropez
Bharg Shah
India
Local time: 14:22
unassuming, discreet, keeps itself to itself
Explanation:
"...est une station familiale qui joue la touche de la discrétion à quelques encablures de Saint-Tropez."

"is a family resort with a distinctly discreet/unassuming atmosphere/touch (or - keeps itself very much to itself and...) just a few miles away from Saint Tropez."

Everyone knows, or at least has an image of what he thinks St Tropez is like. The idea which is being conveyed here is that whilst C-S-M and St. T are really close in terms of distance, they are miles apart in terms of atmosphere.

Selected response from:

Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Local time: 10:52
Grading comment
Thanks Nikki - unassuming sounds great in the context.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +5a pleasantly quiet place
adekwatis
4 +3unassuming, discreet, keeps itself to itself
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
5affords privacy
Yolanda Broad
4 +1Cavalaire is a relatively quiet family seaside resort a short distance from Saint-Tropez
USER0034 (X)
4pleasantly remote
Lise Boismenu, B.Sc.


  

Answers


10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
pleasantly remote


Explanation:
sounds good

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Note added at 2002-01-09 18:18:00 (GMT)
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conveniently remote

Lise Boismenu, B.Sc.
Canada
Local time: 04:52
Native speaker of: French

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: Ever been there - it's not that remote! http://www.provenceweb.fr/f/var/cavalair/cavalair.htm, in spite of the fact that "discret" can mean quiet and secluded. I think it's more to do with the atmosphere, calm,unassuming, unpretentious cf. ST Tropez.
11 mins
  -> I'll have it on my next vacation planner.
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30 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
unassuming, discreet, keeps itself to itself


Explanation:
"...est une station familiale qui joue la touche de la discrétion à quelques encablures de Saint-Tropez."

"is a family resort with a distinctly discreet/unassuming atmosphere/touch (or - keeps itself very much to itself and...) just a few miles away from Saint Tropez."

Everyone knows, or at least has an image of what he thinks St Tropez is like. The idea which is being conveyed here is that whilst C-S-M and St. T are really close in terms of distance, they are miles apart in terms of atmosphere.



Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Local time: 10:52
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 24
Grading comment
Thanks Nikki - unassuming sounds great in the context.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Guereau: Good translation in my opinion
1 hr
agree  French_Engl: Tres joli; I especially like "unassuming atmosphere" and "keeps to itself"
3 hrs
agree  Anna Beria: I'd go for this, since "discretion" does not imply quiet, however relative, or remoteness
6 hrs
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35 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
affords privacy


Explanation:
French doesn't really have "privacy" as part of its lexicon, but the French still seek it! I'll have to remember "jouer la touche de la discretion" next time I'm looking for a way to express that notion of privacy in French.


    Oxford 3-in-1
Yolanda Broad
United States
Local time: 04:52
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +5
a pleasantly quiet place


Explanation:
je crois qu'il veut dire qu'il s'agit d'un endroit agréablement calme, quoi qu'il se trouve à proximité de St. Tropez.

adekwatis
France
Local time: 10:52

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Lise Boismenu, B.Sc.: That sounds very good.
27 mins
agree  DPolice
57 mins
agree  Linda Young (X)
1 hr
agree  LJC (X)
2 hrs
neutral  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: Je connais Cavalaire, et le calme est rélatif, par rapport à St Trop, oui, mais je n'irais pas jusqu'à dire que c'est "quiet"..
4 hrs
agree  & Associates (X)
5 hrs
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Cavalaire is a relatively quiet family seaside resort a short distance from Saint-Tropez


Explanation:
This one is for Nikki Scott-Despaigne...does this sound more like Cavalaire?

USER0034 (X)
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: Absolutely!
6 hrs
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