French term
France
j'ai vu les portes se fermer
meaning: no one wanted me
I need some native input, because I found "the doors closing before me", as well as "the doors closing in front of me". I feel like the first one sounds better. I welcome any totally different suggestion as well.
Nov 10, 2009 14:06: Sandra Petch changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"
Non-PRO (3): writeaway, Rob Grayson, Sandra Petch
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Proposed translations
the doors were closed to me
"I felt the doors were closed to me.” Leticia's memories of being undocumented are painful. She recalled, with tears in her eyes, that her life in the eight ..."
www.drclas.harvard.edu/revista/articles/view/309 -
"I knocked on every door of the formal markets trying to sell them the line of sneakers, but all of the doors were closed to me. They said, 'You are offering ..."
higheredbcs.wiley.com/legacy/college/bygrave/.../galindo_case.doc -
"30 May 1996 ... Liable to do what, Musser did not say, but nonetheless, it was clear the doors were closed to me, and with nowhere else to turn, ..."
www.houstonpress.com/1996-05-30/news/space-case/ -
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Note added at 40 mins (2009-11-10 13:45:30 GMT)
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I realise that the source text implies that the doors might have seemed open, but closed as the writer approached. However, unless that is really important to the context, I think this suggestion is more idiomatic in English. But another variation would be the active version: "the doors closed to me".
"racial epithets hurled at me, the racial violence directed against me, and the doors closed to me because of my racial heritage ..."
moritzlaw.osu.edu/lawjournal/issues/volume62/.../williams.pdf -
""I have had all the doors closed to me," said Sharon Shea, who lives in a San Rafael trailer park on $750 a month after losing her two children. ..."
www.johnnypumphandle.com/cc/marin01.htm -
"... before the duchess, and one morning when I tried to get away to Marly, she had the doors closed to me ; and there were others in the same predicament. ..."
www.archive.org/.../memoirsofducdesa01sainuoft_djvu.txt -
Spain
The translator people turn to
Native in: English (Variant: UK) 
Works in: Spanish to English, French to Spanish, English, and 1 more.
I've seen all the doors being closed on me/how all the doors have closed on me
I have found only closed doors
Good luck!
I saw nothing but doors closing in my face/in front of me
the doors all closed on me
I saw the doors all close on me
Other possibilities - I'm not sure the progressive is a good idea here. It sounds like the doors were completely closed.
United Kingdom
Arts/Academic translator - Art historian
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English
I saw the doors closing on me
I have watched as doors have closed on me
Germany
Par Excellence Translations
Native in: English (Variant: British) 
Works in: German to English, French to English, Italian to English, and 3 more.
doors being slammed in my face
Whichever way I turned, doors were always slammed in my face.
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Verginia Ophof
1 hr
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Thanks!
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Ingeborg Gowans (X)
: that would have been my input as well; depends on the overall tone of the text, of course
1 hr
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Indeed, thanks!
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Anne Bohy
: This would be the translation for "me claquer la porte au nez" which is quite different. "Voir les portes se fermer" means simply that interesting opportunities are over. There is no violence here, just bad luck.
4 hrs
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I disagree. This is simply a more emphatic way of saying that opportunities were not forthcoming. (Figurative) doors were being slammed by people not willing to provide opportunities / turning down approaches.
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Germany
A way with words
Native in: English (Variants: British, UK, US)
Works in: German to English, French to English, English
I felt (that I was being) shut out/excluded
In this context :
(....), I felt that I was being shut out
(...), I felt (totally) left out/excluded
i found only a lack of opportunities
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Note added at 44 mins (2009-11-10 13:49:19 GMT)
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I met only with rejection
| agree |
Anne Bohy
: Yes, it means mostly that the opportunities are gone (that somebody has the job already), there is not necessarily any rejection.
4 hrs
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Native in: English , French
Works in: English to French, French to English, German to French, and 4 more.
all that was as good as over by the time I came along
I witnessed the barriers going up
I saw I was up against a brick wall
I saw I was going to be shut out
I saw all the avenues were blocked...
Discussion