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l'Ile

English translation: the island

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:l'Ile
English translation:the island
Entered by: Claudia Alvis

04:07 Dec 30, 2003
French to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary
French term or phrase: l'Ile
Hello,

I'm translating a very small ad, and the only geographical reference is "l'Ile". I think it's L'Ile de la Cite, but I'm not sure. Could it be some other 'Ile'?


Context

"X Business" informe les touristes sur les activites,les services et les commerces dont ils ont besoin pendant leur sejour sur l'Ile.

Thanks,

Claudia
Claudia Alvis
Peru
Local time: 05:28
"the island" --whatever it is
Explanation:
Specific context would help, of course, but doesn't seem necessary, to me.

The arguments against this being one of the "Iles" in Paris seem convincing ; and England seems rather unlikely, since it would hardly be necessary to assure would-be visitors that they will be able to find everything they need "right there", on the island.

Rather, it is a question of some other --surely relatively small-- island, in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Pacific, Baltic, Lake Michigan, wherever.

The original text doesn't name the island and there's no need to do so in the translation, it seems to me.

So, something like "...a tourist will be able to find everything he/she needs during his/her stay on *the island*" is the sense of it.

Walla.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 hrs 37 mins (2003-12-30 17:44:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Note to Jane:

\"Jersey or Guernsey\" would work, I should think, but not England (or even Ireland) proper --what is intended in this brochure (as I read it) is the giving of assurances to would-be touristas that, despite the isolation of this \"isle\", they\'ll be able to find everything they need on it.

All the islands which Jane mentions are good candidtates --but the isles of the Seine are not, as are truely country-sized islands.

The former are too small and, being in the very heart of Paris, are clearly not in need of such assurances ; and the latter are too large, also without such a need.
Selected response from:

Christopher Crockett
Local time: 06:28
Grading comment
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. But I think Christopher right in this case, as I have no way to know what island is that.

Thanks again. :)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +7l'Ile de la Cite
Katerina Kallitsi
5 +3not Ile de la Cité
sarahl (X)
4 +4"the island" --whatever it is
Christopher Crockett
5 +1lots of islands
Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
1 +4Is "X Business"
Bourth (X)
1 +1the island
David Moore (X)


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


29 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +7
l'Ile de la Cite


Explanation:
If it's in Paris, then you shouldn't change it. It's L'Ile de la Cite".
But if it's somewhere else then it's on the island.

Katerina Kallitsi
Local time: 13:28
Native speaker of: Native in GreekGreek
PRO pts in pair: 36

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Emanuela Galdelli
22 mins
  -> Thanks, Emanuela
agree  cendrine marrouat (X)
1 hr
  -> Merci, Cendrine
agree  Valentini Mellas
1 hr
  -> Ó'åõ÷áñéóôþ, Âáëåíôßíç
agree  moya
2 hrs
  -> Merci
agree  O María Elena Guerrero
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Mary. I hope I'm right
agree  Isabelle DEFEVERE (X)
4 hrs
  -> Merci, Isabelle
agree  Vicky Papaprodromou
8 hrs
  -> Åõ÷áñéóôþ, Âßêõ
neutral  Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X): One would not say ''sur l'iile for ile de la cité...personal experience
1 day 9 hrs
  -> What can I say? Let's wait for the asker's clarifications or final answer. That's just came up when I first saw the question.
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59 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +3
not Ile de la Cité


Explanation:
Ile de la Cité is a tiny island in Paris. Your excerpt mentions stores, activities so forth that tourists can use during their stay on that island, i.e away from the mainland. That's a real island they're talking about. From Ile de la Cité you can walk to other neighborhoods in Paris, and I'm not sure you can even stay there, they have very few hotels if any.

sarahl (X)
Local time: 03:28
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in pair: 1306

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Katerina Kallitsi: They have a lot of hotels on L'Ile de la Cite. What do you mean by "not"? OK, now I've got it. You might be right. However, it has a lot of hotels and monuments to visit and things to do
28 mins
  -> Ile de la Cité is a tiny island, not the kind they're referring to here.
agree  macciaio
2 hrs
  -> grazie mille!
agree  Christopher Crockett: Yes, there would be no need to assure the prospective tourist to the Ile-de-la-Cité that he/she will be able to find whatever is needed on "the island" --though not because it is "tiny".
10 hrs
  -> well, it's not exactly a "stand-alone" island!
agree  Jean-Luc Dumont: on the island
12 hrs
  -> Alcatraz, éventuellement...
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5 peer agreement (net): +4
Is "X Business"


Explanation:
actually the name, or is X a variable? The real name might give some indication as to this mysterious island's whereabouts.

Bourth (X)
Local time: 12:28
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 18679

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  writeaway: good advice. nice to see an honest confidence level that reflects the fact that nobody knows for sure what the Ile is...
2 hrs
agree  cjohnstone: loads of islands in the world!!!
3 hrs
agree  Katerina Kallitsi: I agree with you, writeaway, cjohnstone, but you think you are 100% right about the first thing that comes to your mind. However, modesty really doesn't hurt.
4 hrs
agree  Vicky Papaprodromou
7 hrs
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10 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
lots of islands


Explanation:
There are all kinds of islands off Britany...there'are also three I have been to and can't remember the name now including Bel île...and the ones south of Brittany that look just like the Mediterranean...Just can't remember right now.....

sur l'ile is definitely not a way to refer to l'ile de la Cité....please...they are referrring to either islands off the Atlantic coast OR some DOM TOM.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-12-30 14:20:03 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Les ILES du morbihan, including Belle Ile...Hoadec etc.

45 minutes de croisière vous suffiront pour aborder la plus grande des îles bretonnes (9 km de large sur 20 km de long) par sa capitale Le Palais, abritée derrière sa citadelle Vauban, ou par le petit port fleuri de Sauzon. C\'est dans ses vallons colorés, dans ses dunes fragiles et ses petites criques que Belle-Ile \"la bien nommée\" inspira Alexandre Dumas, Monet, Sarah Bernhardt et bien d\'autres...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-12-30 14:26:41 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Then there are the islands of the Charent Maritime. These are two I couldn\'t think of earlier. I urge everyone to go there...

Ile de Ré and Ile d\'Oléron...absolutely beautiful....

I am coming back with a site that lists all French visitable islands both mainland and DOM TOM

Iles de Charente Maritime

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-12-30 14:28:14 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Here\'s the site= north and south brittany islands and the charente maritime and all the others;

http://www.conservatoire-du-littoral.fr/front/process/Conten...


France has many islands!!!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-12-30 14:32:23 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Please note:

I think the agency that gave you the work should tell what island it is. How can it expect to provide quality translation without even telling you what island is being discussed/ Especially in a tourist context! :)

Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in pair: 8576

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Christopher Crockett: Yep, any of these are good possibilities --just not the islands in the Seine nor England. No, I mean the *big* island, England, which is too big for this context, just as the isles of Gay Parrie are too small.
1 hr
  -> Right you mean Jersey or Guernsey [sp?] :)
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10 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5 peer agreement (net): +1
the island


Explanation:
"l'Isle" is what the French have been known to call "Great Britain", so please be sure it's not a small-ad for an English language course....

David Moore (X)
Local time: 12:28
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  sarahl (X): in the Middle Ages, maybe. The spelling is definitely not 20th century French!
1 hr
agree  Jean-Luc Dumont: the island - any island - very likely a tropical island, not the "Perfide Albion :-)
3 hrs
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11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
"the island" --whatever it is


Explanation:
Specific context would help, of course, but doesn't seem necessary, to me.

The arguments against this being one of the "Iles" in Paris seem convincing ; and England seems rather unlikely, since it would hardly be necessary to assure would-be visitors that they will be able to find everything they need "right there", on the island.

Rather, it is a question of some other --surely relatively small-- island, in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Pacific, Baltic, Lake Michigan, wherever.

The original text doesn't name the island and there's no need to do so in the translation, it seems to me.

So, something like "...a tourist will be able to find everything he/she needs during his/her stay on *the island*" is the sense of it.

Walla.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 hrs 37 mins (2003-12-30 17:44:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Note to Jane:

\"Jersey or Guernsey\" would work, I should think, but not England (or even Ireland) proper --what is intended in this brochure (as I read it) is the giving of assurances to would-be touristas that, despite the isolation of this \"isle\", they\'ll be able to find everything they need on it.

All the islands which Jane mentions are good candidtates --but the isles of the Seine are not, as are truely country-sized islands.

The former are too small and, being in the very heart of Paris, are clearly not in need of such assurances ; and the latter are too large, also without such a need.

Christopher Crockett
Local time: 06:28
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 444
Grading comment
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. But I think Christopher right in this case, as I have no way to know what island is that.

Thanks again. :)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jean-Luc Dumont
1 hr
  -> Thanks, JL.
agree  Laurel Porter (X): I think one would need to determine that the official name of the place wasn't "l'Ile" before deciding to translate it. In any other case, I agree with your well-reasoned supporting arguments.
3 hrs
  -> A good possibility --"l'Ile" is capitalised (at least in the second-hand snippet we have been given). Thanks, Laurel.
agree  sarahl (X)
1 day 4 hrs
  -> Thanks, Sarah.
agree  Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X): Yes I agree with all your statements. It's obviously not islands in the Seine..I live right there for years, right near ile de al cite and no one says that kind of thing
3 days 4 hrs
  -> Well, the ile de al cite is another place altogether. But, thanks, Jane.
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