dans tous ses états

08:27 Sep 9, 2009 

Thanks for all the help.
The client was quite attached to the triple play on words - which actually formed part of the original title. I think she liked having an upbeat title for a very serious and consequential paper on changing views about the legitimacy of governance and government. She realizes now that it is near-impossible to keep all the meaning. But yes, it is probably the light "popular" side of the expression that most interests her.

08:04 Sep 9, 2009 

David, how have you translated "saisir"? If you use "grasp" it might be easier to keep the personification.
The client says they want to keep "le sens du Français"? But is it the triple play on words they want to keep or do they actually have one particular meaning in mind? They're probably going to have to state (!) which meaning is most important.

07:50 Sep 9, 2009 

Yes, XXX is the name of a quasi-governmental research organization.

07:39 Sep 9, 2009 

You're right, Emma. It may depend on who XXX is. I presumed that it was an institution or foundation of some sort. Can you give us any insight, David?

07:35 Sep 9, 2009 

I assumed the XXX were to indicate the name of a person. Is that so? or is it a country? or a company? I'm not sure the answer will help anyone help you, but you never know!

07:16 Sep 9, 2009 

Yes, especially given the quote marks in the original, to me it is clear as Emma says that this is a triple play on words. "Dans tous ses états" implies something somewhat chaotic. Exactly what "états" (or emotional states) depends on the person involved - and here the 'person' is legitimacy.

05:07 Sep 9, 2009 

I see the same two meanings as Gabrielle, plus a possible third meaning depending on context: to be "dans tous ses états" is "to be in a bit of a state". Is the person the leader of a country?

22:26 Sep 8, 2009 

The play on words seems fairly clear to me: expression "dans tous ses états" = in all its forms, from all angles, in its various states of full, semi- and challenged legitimacy (from solidly anchored to open to contestation); and legitimacy in all the States (countries) that are contemplated or where legitimacy is an issue. N'est-ce pas?

20:38 Sep 8, 2009 

How I understand it - if there is a play on words here it's sort of 'the state of the state'. It's questionning the legitimacy of the functionning/creation of the 'state' itself, only the play on the word state really translates as society here,hence the difficulty of an English equivalent for 'tous ses états'. goodness does that make any sense to anyone else?Food for thought anyway...

19:40 Sep 8, 2009 

Sorry to be a bit slow...

19:36 Sep 8, 2009 

I may be wrong, but I don't think there is an English equivalent, and the client may have to accept something more literal.

18:48 Sep 8, 2009 

The sort of straight-forward translations suggested so far is exactly what the client has rejected - they hope to find an expression that will maintain something of the play on words in the original.