Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
effritement
English translation:
decay / the effects of time passing
Added to glossary by
Clare Hogg
Apr 10, 2011 09:56
13 yrs ago
French term
Spain
My passion is your project
Native in: English 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English
effritement
French to English
Art/Literary
Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting
sculpture
I am translating a rather high-brow, poetic text about a sculptor (XXXX) and his wood sculptures (the source text is from the preface and endmatter of a catalogue containing pictures of his work).
I'm having difficulty interpreting and coming up with a suitable translation for "effritement" in the below quote by one of the sculptor's friends:
"Considerez sa [i.e. the sculptor's] lente avancée depuis la premiére nuit, voyez commie il nie l'effritement et l'achèvement. Voyez comme il assemble aussi la memoire du futur."
I don't have any further context as this quote appears on the very last page of the catalogue in isolation! However, from what I can gather from othe sources, this friend invited the sculptor to his house one day, gave him a piece of wood and the sculptor crafted a beautiful piece from it (seemingly taking his time to do so!).
Here's what I have drafted so far:
"Consider his steady progress since that first night. See how he refuses to XXXX or to conclude his work. See/Notice/Look how, at the same time, he is creating/writing the memory of the future.
Any ideas MUCH APPRECIATED. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!!!
I'm having difficulty interpreting and coming up with a suitable translation for "effritement" in the below quote by one of the sculptor's friends:
"Considerez sa [i.e. the sculptor's] lente avancée depuis la premiére nuit, voyez commie il nie l'effritement et l'achèvement. Voyez comme il assemble aussi la memoire du futur."
I don't have any further context as this quote appears on the very last page of the catalogue in isolation! However, from what I can gather from othe sources, this friend invited the sculptor to his house one day, gave him a piece of wood and the sculptor crafted a beautiful piece from it (seemingly taking his time to do so!).
Here's what I have drafted so far:
"Consider his steady progress since that first night. See how he refuses to XXXX or to conclude his work. See/Notice/Look how, at the same time, he is creating/writing the memory of the future.
Any ideas MUCH APPRECIATED. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!!!
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 | go gentle into the good night / be deterred / decay |
Pablo Strauss
|
| 4 | disintegration |
Helen Shiner
|
| 4 | the frittering away of time |
emiledgar
|
| 2 | how he refuses exhaustion and collapse |
David Vaughn
|
Change log
Apr 10, 2011 20:19: Tony M changed "Term asked" from "effritement (in this context)" to "effritement"
Proposed translations
10 hrs
French term (edited):
effritement (in this context)
Selected
go gentle into the good night / be deterred / decay
A few suggestions if you are willing to stray from a literal translation.
I think it'll be pretty hard to come up with something idiomatic that literally translates "effritement." I also think EN would naturally use verbs, not nouns here.
See how he refuses to stop working, to go gentle into that good night.
See how he will not be deterred, or stop working.
See how he refuses to accept decay, or bring his work to an end.
("Decay" brings to mind a John Donne poem)
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173369
I think it'll be pretty hard to come up with something idiomatic that literally translates "effritement." I also think EN would naturally use verbs, not nouns here.
See how he refuses to stop working, to go gentle into that good night.
See how he will not be deterred, or stop working.
See how he refuses to accept decay, or bring his work to an end.
("Decay" brings to mind a John Donne poem)
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173369
2 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Pablo, I didn´t actually use any of your suggested translations directly, but your idea of "decay" (really great poem by the way!), gave me the idea of "the effects of time passing" which is the translation I ended up using - hence I´m awarding you 2 points for your help! Thanks very much!"
36 mins
French term (edited):
effritement (in this context)
how he refuses exhaustion and collapse
Not at all sure, but I think this may very well be talking about his final days. I hear achèvement as death or "the end".
59 mins
Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
Specializes in field
United Kingdom
Arts/Academic translator - Art historian
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
348
French term (edited):
effritement (in this context)
disintegration
I read this as him preventing the material disintegrating, whilst at the same time denying completion to the work. Yet another tension between making and the final work. One might guess from this that the artist is most interested in process.
1 hr
French term (edited):
effritement (in this context)
the frittering away of time
He doesn't deny (or care) if he is wasting time, effort, etc in his work.
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