jusque là étanches

English translation: previously sealed

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase: jusque là étanches
English translation:previously sealed
Entered by: Angelina Galanska

20:22 Nov 18, 2019
French to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
French term or phrase: jusque là étanches
faire communiquer des mondes jusque là étanches
Angelina Galanska
United States
previously sealed
Explanation:
Why not?

"make previously sealed worlds communicate"

That would apply to very different contexts.
Selected response from:

Nicolas Gambardella
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:13
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4impervious...for the first time [rewording]
Cyril Tollari
2 +2hitherto impenetrable
Tony M
3 -1previously sealed
Nicolas Gambardella
3 -1no longer isolated
Stephanie Benoist
2 -1until then shut off
SafeTex


Discussion entries: 7





  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
previously sealed


Explanation:
Why not?

"make previously sealed worlds communicate"

That would apply to very different contexts.

Nicolas Gambardella
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:13
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
Notes to answerer
Asker: I think this is it! thank you!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Carol Gullidge: you have not explained how "sealed worlds" could work in this context - or any other, for that matter!
1 day 19 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
impervious...for the first time [rewording]


Explanation:
faire communiquer des mondes jusque là étanches.
to enable communication between mutually impervious worlds for the first time.
OR
to enable mutually impervious worlds to communicate for the first time. (preferred)

Cyril Tollari
France
Local time: 05:13
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Eliza Hall: "Impervious" suggests the worlds could not RECEIVE outside influences. But in context ("communiquer des mondes..."), the idea here seems to involve communicating something FROM those worlds TO the outside world/other worlds.
6 hrs
  -> That’s not how I understand this phrase. Etanche to me means they cannot communicate between each other.

neutral  Yvonne Gallagher: with Eliza. Impervious means blocking all input
12 hrs

neutral  Tony M: I agree with the others: 'impervious' is unlikely to be the right lexical choice here.
20 hrs
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): -1
until then shut off


Explanation:
I'm not sure as others have mentioned a lack of context but we do say "to be shut off from the outside world" so "worlds until then shut off" is just a grammatical variant of a well-known expression.

SafeTex
France
Local time: 05:13
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Tony M: Regardless of the 'shut off' aspect, it has to be remembered that 'là' in FR means both 'here' and also 'there' — hence it is equally likely to be 'now' as 'then', so better to avoid committing, in the absence of that much-needed context!
1 day 15 hrs
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16 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
no longer isolated


Explanation:
"worlds " , i thought of something like east/west germany...

Stephanie Benoist
France
Local time: 05:13
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Tony M: Yes, but this turns the sense round from 'up till now' to 'from now on'
6 hrs
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23 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +2
jusque là étanches
hitherto impenetrable


Explanation:
With the same proviso that lack of context makes it impossible to get the tone right here.

It seems to me that 'hitherto' is often very useful for expressions like 'jusque là', as it does not place the expression in time in relation to the present or past.

And 'impenetrable' might work, if we are talking about communications getting in somewhere — but of course, a different term would be needed if we were talking about communications getting out!

Tony M
France
Local time: 05:13
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 128

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Carol Gullidge: I would have used "hitherto"! As for the rest, it's impossible to hazard a guess without context
20 hrs
  -> Thanks, Carol! Ah, « les grands esprits... » :-)

agree  philgoddard: Or hermetic.
3 days 17 hrs
  -> Thanks, Phil!
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