Letters: Readers share the drôleries of getting by in French
From old false friends to the latest translation tech - sometimes everyone gets language wrong
Automatic translation tools do not always make life easier, especially if you do not understand the words they produce
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To the Editor,
I have two translation howlers to share. The first is a mis-translation of my name, which I saw repeatedly when translating official French correspondence into English.
"Jeanette" was often translated as "sleeve-board," an ironing fixture in dry cleaning establishments. In fact, in Toulouse you can find "La Petite Jeannette Pressing", and it is not named for a little woman.
The second howler was my doing. I was negotiating a home exchange for my first long trip to France. Since my French was rudimentary at best, I was using a well-known translation tool to correspond with an interested couple in Paris.
Read more: Learning French: the origins and meaning of impossible n’est pas français
As they were not quite ready to commit, I wrote to them to say: "I will contact you again in the Fall.”
However, my translation tool turned this simple sentence into "Je vous recontacterai dans le tombé."
I did not catch the error, and my correspondents must have been so puzzled! However they did exchange homes with me, and I had three fabulous weeks in Paris while they enjoyed a vacation on beautiful Vancouver Island.
Jeanette MORRIS, Haute-Garonne
To the Editor,
A colleague from my past had lived and worked in Paris for a couple of years and used to say (knowing I was a lover of France and the language, now happily living here): “ça roule ma poule.”
It was his version of “that floats my boat” and it always made me laugh.
Denise READ, by email
Read more: Learning French – When do we say bonjour, bonsoir and adieu?
To the Editor,
As a fellow expat who chased my dream to France but now lives in deep isolation due to my aged brain’s inability to absorb French, I want to express my solidarity with Mr Burdett, the reader who eventually moved back to the UK.
I am sure this publication will be showered with chiding admonishments, reprimanding this man for his lack of fortitude and weakness of character.
Mr Burdett: I see you. I feel your pain.
Trudy Swenson, by email
How did you learn to get by in French? Have you ever made a fool of yourself by saying the wrong thing? Share your experience at letters@connexionfrance.com
