Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
sentier de fortune
English translation:
rough track
Added to glossary by
Katherine Hodkinson
Aug 6, 2006 18:42
17 yrs ago
1 viewer *
French term
United Kingdom
sentier de fortune
French to English
Art/Literary
Geography
Talking about rocks/mountain landscapes.
"Elles s'affaissent d'année en année sur le petit *sentier de fortune*. Il y a toujours du pain sur la planche pour le pauvre cantonnier."
TIA
"Elles s'affaissent d'année en année sur le petit *sentier de fortune*. Il y a toujours du pain sur la planche pour le pauvre cantonnier."
TIA
Proposed translations
(English)
| 2 +9 | (rough/makeshift) mountain trails |
suezen
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| 3 +5 | haphazard path |
Dr Sue Levy (X)
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| 3 | time-worn path |
Sandra Petch
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| 4 -2 | walking track |
Ben Gaia
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| 1 -4 | path of good luck |
Jonathan MacKerron
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Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:
Non-PRO (1): Sandra Petch
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Proposed translations
+9
27 mins
Selected
(rough/makeshift) mountain trails
something like this ... paths that have been cut into the mountains by people and which change with time according to the obstacles that block them
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Note added at 37 mins (2006-08-06 19:19:22 GMT)
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perhaps paths instead of trails
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Note added at 37 mins (2006-08-06 19:19:22 GMT)
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perhaps paths instead of trails
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
CMJ_Trans (X)
: this is the closest - though - confession - I don't have the perfect answer...
8 mins
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thanks CMJ
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| agree |
Cervin
19 mins
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thanks Cervin
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| agree |
df49f (X)
1 hr
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thanks Df
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| agree |
JCEC
1 hr
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thanks JCEC
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| agree |
writeaway
2 hrs
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thanks W/A
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| agree |
Uma Hariharan
7 hrs
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thanks Uma
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| agree |
Bailatjones
9 hrs
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thanks Michelle
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| agree |
Tony M
: Yes, i think 'rough track OR path' would probably do here.
14 hrs
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Ah yes, track ... excelent. Thanks Tony :-)
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| agree |
Gina W
22 hrs
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thanks G :-)
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "i'm choosing this as the most useful term to enter into the glossary for future reference, but sandra's "time-worn path" actually fit very nicely with the style of the text. thank you to everyone!"
-4
1 min
Jonathan MacKerron
Native in English
Retired as of Jan 2019!
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English
path of good luck
a generic take
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Note added at 3 mins (2006-08-06 18:45:16 GMT)
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"path of good fortune" gets nearly 1000 googles
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Note added at 20 mins (2006-08-06 19:02:44 GMT)
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perhaps something like "rough and ready"?
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Note added at 3 mins (2006-08-06 18:45:16 GMT)
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"path of good fortune" gets nearly 1000 googles
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Note added at 20 mins (2006-08-06 19:02:44 GMT)
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perhaps something like "rough and ready"?
Peer comment(s):
| disagree |
CMJ_Trans (X)
: It also gets the bull's rush from me. It's nonsense//because I know what a sentier de fortune is and it ain't that... see Suezen's answer
31 mins
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how can you be so sure with so little context - see my confidence level
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| disagree |
df49f (X)
: nonsens: phrase anglaise n'a pas de sens et le sens de l'expression française est incomprise - cf. Sue's & Suezen's answers for correct meaning
1 hr
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| disagree |
JCEC
: In French, the expression "de fortune" means something which has been improvised, hastily put together.
1 hr
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| neutral |
writeaway
: Askers want help, not casual guessing. the number of Googles is really no reference. "creamy peanut butter" gets 204,000 Ghits but it's not right either. guessing like this is not helping anyone.
2 hrs
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| disagree |
Tony M
: Way too literal, special meaning in this sort of usage.
14 hrs
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+5
17 mins
haphazard path
It means a path that's been worn by people or animals (cf goat or sheep path), meandering between obscacles.
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Note added at 22 mins (2006-08-06 19:04:59 GMT)
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The expression "de fortune" means "makeshift" or "rough-and-ready" (see R-C Senior dictionary).
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Note added at 22 mins (2006-08-06 19:04:59 GMT)
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The expression "de fortune" means "makeshift" or "rough-and-ready" (see R-C Senior dictionary).
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
df49f (X)
1 hr
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thanks D!
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| agree |
JCEC
2 hrs
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thanks John :-)
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| agree |
writeaway
: see R-C and Larousse and Hachette and amazingly enough, Harraps too ;-)
2 hrs
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thanks P! what good fortune :-D
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| agree |
CMJ_Trans (X)
: this is also on the right track !!!
11 hrs
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well I wouldn't want to lead anyone down a merry trail ;-)
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| agree |
Tony M
: The idea is exactly right, even though I have some hesitation about the actual term you've suggested // Oh, mine too!! And not much 'fortune' about it either ;-)
14 hrs
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thanks Tony, yes maybe this expression is used too often in a figurative way - the haphazard path of my life ;-)
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13 hrs
time-worn path
Just an idea. The path has been worn away over the years through use.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
df49f (X)
: le sentier de fortune is indeed time-worn as stated in the text, but where's the idea of "fortune"? (cf. Sue & Suezen & other comments)
1 hr
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A path that has been worn away rather than deliberately created is, in my mind, "de fortune". When the meaning has been made obvious (cf Sue/Suezen) I still think it's useful to give alternatives (hence "just an idea").
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-2
8 hrs
walking track
This is what it would be in New Zealandish. :-)
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Note added at 15 hrs (2006-08-07 09:44:59 GMT)
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Smileys generally mean humour in computer text world, guys. :-)
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Note added at 15 hrs (2006-08-07 09:44:59 GMT)
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Smileys generally mean humour in computer text world, guys. :-)
Peer comment(s):
| disagree |
CMJ_Trans (X)
: with all due respect, I think you must mean "outlandish". Just look up "fortune" in ANY bog-standard dictionary (Collins Robert, etc.) and - lo & behold - the answer is there... Or was this supposed to be a joke? If so, perhaps you should warn readers
3 hrs
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I guess there is an element of humour there, however everything in NZ is makeshift by UK standards, so a makeshift track in Europe is a walking track, pure and simple, in New Zealand.
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| neutral |
Tony M
: Dangerous: an ordinary 'sentier' (i.e. NOT 'de fortune') often used to mean a 'formally-defined' footpath for walkers, so your term could be ambiguous / But over here in FR, could be WRONG mental picture!
6 hrs
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I was trying to translate the mental image conjured by the words of the passage rather than consult a literal dictionary rendering. "Makeshift" is insufficient in this context. We are not translating into French. That said, I like your "rough track".
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| disagree |
df49f (X)
: walking, riding, hiking trail, track, path, whatever, but where is the idea of "de fortune" which is precisely the point of the question??
6 hrs
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In the mountains all trails are haphazard so it could be seen as a tautology. How much mountain walking do you folk do?
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Discussion