Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Jul 1, 2012 15:27
12 yrs ago
French term
Spain
My passion is your project
Native in: English 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English
constipé
French to English
Art/Literary
Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting
Dance
I am translating a blog about a genre of dance called "waacking".
Not sure how to translate "constipé" in below sentence. Thanks in advance for any help you can give.
Balayez les problèmes psychomoteurs, le waacking nous tend les bras. Mais pas n’importe comment. Des bras ni flasques ni rigides, ni timides ou constipés.
Not sure how to translate "constipé" in below sentence. Thanks in advance for any help you can give.
Balayez les problèmes psychomoteurs, le waacking nous tend les bras. Mais pas n’importe comment. Des bras ni flasques ni rigides, ni timides ou constipés.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 5 +2 | akward |
Debora Blake
|
| 4 +5 | stiff / wooden |
Wolf Draeger
|
| 4 +4 | uptight |
jmleger
|
| 4 +1 | stilted |
Sandra & Kenneth Grossman
|
| 4 +1 | restrained |
Emma Paulay
|
| 4 | constipated |
emiledgar
|
| 3 | inhibited |
JaneD
|
Proposed translations
+2
4 mins
Debora Blake
France
France
Native in French
&
English
France
Audiovisual Translation Specialist
Native in: English , French (Variant: Standard-France)
Works in: French to English, English to French, Italian to English, and 3 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
8
Selected
akward
Dans ce contexte, "constipé" évoque le fait d'être mal à l'aise. "Awkward" fits the situation perfectly.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "I agree entirely in this context! Thanks very much!"
+4
42 mins
uptight
it describes a psychorigid person, not a socially clumsy one. I see a difference. am I the only one?
Note from asker:
| Thanks very much for your suggestion, but on this occasion, I agree with the translators who have posted "neutral" responses. |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Diana Alsobrook
3 mins
|
|
Thx!
|
|
| agree |
Just Opera
22 mins
|
|
Thx!
|
|
| agree |
B D Finch
25 mins
|
|
Thx!
|
|
| neutral |
polyglot45
: they are talking about "arms" - can arms be uptight? I don't think so - but it will still all depend on how you translate the "bras" concept
1 hr
|
|
I don't really think it is about arms. It's about the people those arms belong to. C'est de la métonymie.
|
|
| neutral |
Kate Collyer
: If you look up waacking you'll find out it's very much about arms.
2 hrs
|
|
It's about the people attached to the arms!
|
|
| neutral |
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
: Agree with your reading of it, but the term chosen needs to describe arm movements. The description of those movements help convey the image of someone who is uptight. The original is describing the arms here.
4 hrs
|
|
Des bras qui seraient aussi timides ? Ca ne se tient pas.
|
|
| agree |
Tristan Jimenez
: Des "bras" ne peuvent pas être "constipés" non plus en français... Mais ici, "uptight" correspond bien à l'idée que l'auteur a voulu transmettre.
15 hrs
|
|
Thx!
|
|
| neutral |
Sheila Wilson
: I don't see how anyone can have "uptight arms" and I don't see why the English shouldn't make sense, even if the French doesn't
1 day 5 hrs
|
|
You are focusing too much on the "arms" when it's the people they are talking about.
|
+1
53 mins
Sandra & Kenneth Grossman
Israel
Israel
Native in English
Israel
Quality, Reliability, Experience.
Native in: English , Romanian
Works in: French to English, Hebrew to English, Romanian to English, and 3 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
8
1 hr
inhibited
...but obviously not if you're going to use "inhibitions" later in the sentence.
+5
2 hrs
Wolf Draeger
South Africa
South Africa
Native in English
South Africa
Say the word!
Native in: English (Variants: South African, US, UK)
Works in: French to English
stiff / wooden
Movements can be free and supple, or nervous and stiff.
Example sentence:
...arms that are not too dangly or rigid, not too nervous or stiff/woodden.
...your arms mustn't dangle or freeze up, or be nervous or stiff/wooden.
Note from asker:
| I like your suggestions, but I already used this notion to translate "rigide" in the first part of the sentence. Thanks anyway! |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Kate Collyer
: perfect - though I'm inclined to go for floppy or even flaccid rather than dangly...
50 mins
|
|
Thanks Kate; yes, floppy is better.
|
|
| agree |
Sian Cooper
1 hr
|
|
Thanks Sian.
|
|
| agree |
Bertrand Leduc
14 hrs
|
|
Merci Bertrand.
|
|
| agree |
Sheila Wilson
1 day 3 hrs
|
|
Thanks Sheila.
|
|
| agree |
Yolanda Broad
2 days 21 hrs
|
|
Thanks Yolanda.
|
+1
3 hrs
restrained
The first two terms are about the way the arms are held, the second two are describing the movement. I would say "neither woolly nor wooden, not timid or restrained."
4 hrs
constipated
Maybe we were too literal in my bilingual family but this is how we would have translated this.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Kate Collyer
: As with the discussion under jmleger's answer, this word has to refer specifically to arms.
1 hr
|
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