faute de

English translation: although without.../while failing to...

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

French term or phrase:	faute de
English translation:	although without.../while failing to...
Entered by:	Clare Hogg

19:03 Dec 19, 2010

French to English translations [Non-PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

French term or phrase: faute de

Help! Not sure if its because its sunday evening, but I'm having trouble understanding the usage of the expression "faute de" in the below sentence. This is a text about the history of Italian cinema, and this sentence appears in the part focusing on 2000 onwards.

I've checked all the other Kudoz entries and none seem to apply here. I'm not sure if the "efforts" mentioned did, almost did or did not lift Italian cinema out of its crisis?

Could it mean "..., while failing to..."??

Thanks in advance for any help you can give:

"Depuis le début du nouveau millénaire, trois événements mémorables sont venus matérialiser les efforts consentis pour redorer le blason du cinéma transalpin, faute de le sortir complètement de la crise."

Clare Hogg KudoZ activity Questions: 154 (6 open) (1 without valid answers) (11 closed without grading) Answers: 62 Spain
Local time: 14:09

although without

Explanation:
although without pulling it entirely out of the crisis

Selected response from:

Marco Solinas
Local time: 05:09

Grading comment

Thanks Marco! I also liked and used your translation of "le sortir" as "pull it out of"...so double thanks!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +5

although without

Marco Solinas

3 +3

while failing

Marion Feildel (X)

4 +1

short of

philippe vandevivere

2 +1

if not completely rescuing it

Marian Vieyra

4 -1

parsing

Bourth (X)

, but with no complete rescue from the crisis

MatthewLaSon

even if

Louis Cyril P

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

6 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

faute de (in this context) while failing

Explanation:
The way 'faute de' is used in the sentence is not correct IMO.

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Note added at 9 mins (2010-12-19 19:12:52 GMT)
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= sans toutefois le sortir completement de la crise.

Marion Feildel (X)
Türkiye
Local time: 15:09
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: French

13 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +5

faute de (in this context)

although without

Explanation:
although without pulling it entirely out of the crisis

Marco Solinas
Local time: 05:09
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English,

Italian
PRO pts in category: 41

Grading comment

Thanks Marco! I also liked and used your translation of "le sortir" as "pull it out of"...so double thanks!

19 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

faute de (in this context) if not completely rescuing it

Explanation:
...restore the image of transalpine cinema, if not completely rescuing it (lifting it out of the crisis)

I agree, the use of 'faute de' is unusual.

Marian Vieyra
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:09
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 16

55 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

short of

Explanation:
:/

philippe vandevivere
France
Local time: 14:09
Works in field
Native speaker of:

French

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): -1

parsing

Explanation:
You have to attach faute de directly to les efforts consentis pour and not to redorer le blason as others appear to have done so far.

Attaching it to redorer means you end up with sth. along the lines of "making Italian cinema look better, without actually pulling it out of the crisis", which suggests that the efforts were intended to pull it out of the crisis but full short, succeeding only in making it look a bit perkier.

If, instead, you attach faute de directly to les efforts consentis pour you get something like "effort made to perk Italian cinema up a little, given that it would have been impossible to achieve full recovery". IOW, the effort did not intend to pull it out of the crisis, something that was recognized as being impossible, merely to make it look a bit healthier.

Depuis le début du nouveau millénaire, trois événements mémorables sont venus matérialiser les efforts consentis pour redorer le blason du cinéma transalpin, faute de le sortir complètement de la crise

Bourth (X)
Local time: 14:09
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 204

4 hrs confidence:

, but with no complete rescue from the crisis

Explanation:
Hello,

That's how I would say it.

faute de = short of

I hope this helps.

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Note added at 4 hrs (2010-12-19 23:17:28 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

three milestone events brought fruition to their express efforts to restore prestigue to...

MatthewLaSon
Local time: 08:09
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 145

10 hrs confidence:

even if

Explanation:
even if it did not.....

Louis Cyril P
Local time: 16:09
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

French
PRO pts in category: 8

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