C’est sûr qu’être le géant nouveau c’est pas top !

English translation: Green giant is a brand in the UK too.

22:08 Apr 29, 2005

French to English translations [PRO]
Linguistics / bilingual teen novel

French term or phrase: C’est sûr qu’être le géant nouveau c’est pas top !

'C’est sûr qu’être le géant nouveau c’est pas top !” renchérit la jeune créole, imbue de son mauvais jeu de mots.'

ok, here i go again: these two teenage twins are going to a new school. First day: tomorrow. Tom, the boy, repeated a class. Graziella, his sister, is a pest who keeps teasing him about it, hence that remark.
The author refers here to the Bonduel commercial: le geant vert (corn). French natives or those of you living in France will know what I'm talking about.
This book has to be in british English, but I live in Canada and am totally unfamiliar with the British commercials. So the best thing I could come up with was a reference to "Jack and the beanstalk".
Whadda you think? anyone has a better idea?
if not, is my translation OK?

“Nothing great about being the new Giant on the beanstalk, Jack!” the young Creole said further, full of her bad pun.

thank you so much!

Sandra C. KudoZ activity Questions: 289 (none open) (1 without valid answers) (15 closed without grading) Answers: 712 France
Local time: 18:22

English translation:Green giant is a brand in the UK too.

Explanation:
if that helps.

and by the way, we call it "sweetcorn" (not just "corn" - that's the stuff that grows in fields)

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Note added at 8 mins (2005-04-29 22:16:50 GMT)
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I seem to remember that \"jolly green giant\" came into it somewhere too.
So maybe \"nothing too jolly about being the giant now, is there?\" might work.

Selected response from:

Charlie Bavington
Local time: 17:22

Grading comment

this is perfect. Thanks a lot CB!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +8

Green giant is a brand in the UK too.

Charlie Bavington

you'll be the new kid on the block

sarahl (X)

See comment below... [not for grading)

Tony M

Discussion entries: 7

Answers

2 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +8

C’est sûr qu’être le géant nouveau c’est pas top !

Green giant is a brand in the UK too.

Charlie Bavington
Local time: 17:22
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 8

Grading comment

this is perfect. Thanks a lot CB!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Joanne Parker: I remember the "ho ho ho green giant" advert well. How about "You're not the jolly green giant now, are you"?

10 mins

-> 'cept I haven't seen one saying "ho ho ho" for ages; wonder if that's 'cos of the influence of hip-hop....

agree

Kate Hudson (X)

24 mins

-> thanks

agree

TesCor -: In the valley of the giant....ho ho ho ho. I'm sure the jingle will be stuck in my head now. But seriously though, I agree with your suggestion.

28 mins

-> thanks

agree

Mario Marcolin

30 mins

-> thanks

agree

Patrice

35 mins

-> thanks

agree

RHELLER: where exactly do you think the "sweet"corn grows?In the U.S. cornfields are aplenty, especially in the midwest;maize is another crop altogether. We call the category "grains" (céréales en français).

41 mins

-> "corn" is a generic term for cereal crops (wheat, barley, oats etc.) over here. I am aware that maize (that's the same stuff isn't it?) grows in fields :-) Two nations divided by a common language :-)

agree

Tony M: GG is a US brand, though actually, I don't think the girl's reference is a very good one...

8 hrs

agree

NancyLynn: I like Joanne Parker's version

1 day 2 hrs

2 hrs confidence:

C’est sûr qu’être le géant nouveau c’est pas top ! you'll be the new kid on the block

Explanation:
petite déviation pour ce qu'elle vaut.
je crois que c'est plutôt un jeu de mots sur "le petit nouveau"

sarahl (X)
Local time: 09:22
Native speaker of:

French
PRO pts in category: 27

8 hrs confidence:

C’est sûr qu’être le géant nouveau c’est pas top ! See comment below... [not for grading)

Explanation:
Actually, i wonder if this truly IS referring to the Jolly Great Giant; the connection with redoubling a year at school seems so tenuous.

Surely it's just to do with the fact that as he is older, he is taller than the others, and the pun is merely 'taller' and 'top' --- he's not the top of the class, despite being the tallest...

I well remember this situation in my class at scholl, with a v. tall Dutch lad who was constantly teased by the sprogs thronging round his knees.

Mayb, if you really want to keep the corny reference, you could say something like "Not so jolly now, eh, my Giant?"

I loved CB's implication that corn doesn't grow in fields! But I was interested to learn that maize is something different; over here in France, they make a clear distinction between the 2 types of maïs, for human consumption, and for fodde. I suppose it's not PC now to refer to it by the old-fashioned name of 'Indian corn'?

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Note added at 16 hrs 40 mins (2005-04-30 14:48:14 GMT)
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Ah, well in that case, Sandra, you\'re one up on the rest of us! Why didn\'t you say that at first? It really is an AWFUL pun --- in fact it\'s not really a pun at all, so much as a dubious cultural reference.

Still, maybe my \"Not so jolly now...\" suggestion could just work in that case...

I do agree with Canaria\'s point about Creole, though --- I doubt many UK kids would have more than a hazy idea what that meant, only that it sounds vaguely racist! Just to give you an idea, as a young person of modest cultural knowledge (and with apologies for the political incorrectness), I always thought Creole and Cajun were something to do with black people in Louisiana... !!!!

Tony M
France
Local time: 18:22
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 23

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