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  2. French to English

les GI

English translation: the GIs

13:41 Aug 18, 2002
French to English translations [Non-PRO]
French term or phrase: les GI
The rest of the sentence reads: "Les petits delinquants du coin s'y retrouvent, il y a des bagarres, certains font du trafic de cigarettes avec les GI de la base de l'OTAN qui ne se trouve pas loin."
Tracy
English translation:the GIs
Explanation:
It is an English expression used in French.
Selected response from:

Eva Blanar
Hungary
Local time: 13:38
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +17the GIs
Eva Blanar
5 +5soldats américains
Francis MARC
5 +2Government Issue
CLS Lexi-tech
5foot soldiers
Marian Greenfield
3 +2American soldiers
Linda Young (X)
4American soldiers
swisstell
4soldiers
markmx


  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +5
soldats américains


Explanation:
Ref TERMIUM:
omaine(s)
  – Military (General)
Domaine(s)
  – Militaire (Généralités)
 
Government Issue
Source CORRECT

  GI Source CORRECT

  G.I. Source

homme de troupe Source

  G.I. Source CORRECT

OBS – In popular or slang
usage it ... designates an
American soldier, particularly
an enlisted man. Source

OBS – De l'anglais
«Government Issue», désigne
depuis la Seconde Guerre
mondiale les soldats de
l'armée américaine. Source



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-08-18 14:14:03 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

*********NOTE: En anglais bien sûr laisser GI, ou plutôt ici \"GIs\" puisqu\'ils sont plusieurs********

Francis MARC
Lithuania
Local time: 14:38
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in pair: 6500

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  GILLES MEUNIER: homme de troupe
15 mins
agree  Florence Bremond: oui mais c'est vers l'anglais..
17 mins
  -> you just didn't read my final note!
neutral  Libero_Lang_Lab: no need to explain, just translate as GIs
1 hr
  -> you just didn't read my final note!
neutral  writeaway: agree with Dan. Why all the fuss. A GI is a GI.
2 hrs
  -> you just didn't read my final note
agree  Mark Nathan: maybe your final note should have been your opening remark
6 hrs
agree  swani (X): I would just keep the word GI.
18 hrs
agree  Sue Crocker
22 hrs
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
foot soldiers


Explanation:
GI (General Infantry)is English, although we wouldn't use it that way, but when talking about organized crime, for example, we would say foot soldiers.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-08-18 15:00:43 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Yes, as Dan pointed out, GI\'s fits perfectly in your context...

Marian Greenfield
Local time: 07:38
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 1518

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Libero_Lang_Lab: but we're not talking about mafia, we're talking about US troops with NATO, or GIs in fact!
1 hr
  -> yes, of course... I read this a bit quickly... GI's is exactly right.
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
American soldiers


Explanation:
the prototype "GI Joe" from the USA

swisstell
Italy
Local time: 13:38
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in pair: 921

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  writeaway: there are no GIs from other countries. A GI from the US is redundant.
4 hrs
  -> if I had said just "soldiers" you surely would have to objected too, as not being explicit enough. Some people can never be pleased.
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
American soldiers


Explanation:
You can use the above or leave it as GI

Linda Young (X)
Local time: 13:38
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 49

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Katza
2 hrs
agree  allemande: GI is widely understood as U.S. soldier
1 day 23 hrs
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7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Government Issue


Explanation:
The Warriors
The American G.I.

From disparate roots but united by patriotic courage, U.S. soldiers preserved freedom around the world
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BY COLIN POWELL
As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I referred to the men and women of the armed forces as "G.I.s." It got me in trouble with some of my colleagues at the time. Several years earlier, the Army had officially excised the term as an unfavorable characterization derived from the designation "government issue." Sailors and Marines wanted to be known as sailors and Marines. Airmen, notwithstanding their origins as a rib of the Army, wished to be called simply airmen. Collectively, they were blandly referred to as "service members."

I persisted in using G.I.s and found I


the entire article explains the term and its use



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-08-18 13:50:31 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

G.I. is a World War II term that two generations later continues to conjure up the warmest and proudest memories of a noble war that pitted pure good against pure evil--and good triumphed. The victors in that war were the American G.I.s, the Willies and Joes, the farmer from Iowa and the steelworker from Pittsburgh who stepped off a landing craft into the hell of Omaha Beach. The G.I. was the wisecracking kid Marine from Brooklyn who clawed his way up a deadly hill on a Pacific island. He was a black fighter pilot escorting white bomber pilots over Italy and Germany, proving that skin color had nothing to do with skill or courage. He was a native Japanese-American infantryman released from his own country\'s concentration camp to join the fight. She was a nurse relieving the agony of a dying teenager. He was a petty officer standing on the edge of a heaving aircraft carrier with two signal paddles in his hands, helping guide a dive-bomber pilot back onto the deck.




    Reference: http://www.time.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/gi01.html
CLS Lexi-tech
Local time: 07:38
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
PRO pts in pair: 162

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Chinoise
20 mins
agree  Florence Bremond: GI's would be enough here I think, it's a very unformal sentence
21 mins
agree  Parrot: GIs
26 mins
disagree  Marian Greenfield: nope, it's GI's... even if that's what it stands for, it's not used to refer to soldiers
1 hr
  -> I don't get it Marian, where did I say soldiers? And Colin Powell is then wrong
disagree  writeaway: GIs. see Marian's comment/explanation.
4 hrs
  -> same comment applies here.
agree  evelyn evans
20 hrs
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39 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +17
the GIs


Explanation:
It is an English expression used in French.

Eva Blanar
Hungary
Local time: 13:38
Native speaker of: Hungarian
PRO pts in pair: 109
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jack Doughty
17 mins
agree  Libero_Lang_Lab: exactly - this is the only proper translation - it will be perfectly understood by any English speaking reader
25 mins
agree  MafaldaDec
45 mins
agree  Peter Bagney: naturally, the GIs
48 mins
agree  Lydia Molea
51 mins
agree  DPolice
1 hr
agree  Florence Bremond
1 hr
agree  jerrie
1 hr
agree  cmwilliams (X)
2 hrs
agree  writeaway: enfin!
3 hrs
agree  Diane Fontainebleau Pochй: it was fairly obvious from the get-go
6 hrs
agree  Teletariat
6 hrs
agree  markmx
8 hrs
agree  morrison
11 hrs
agree  Yolanda Broad
11 hrs
agree  Richard Genest
1 day 8 hrs
agree  Jennifer White
2 days 21 hrs
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44 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
soldiers


Explanation:
if it's not explicit that they're American (NATO soldiers could be from anywhere). If it's in the context of the Second World War, then probably, yes - just GIs

markmx
Local time: 13:38
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 63

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  David Sirett: It is explicit that they're American - only US soldiers are referred to as GIs.
2 hrs
  -> yes, ok
neutral  Libero_Lang_Lab: David's right
3 hrs
  -> ok
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