Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
espérer un Au Revoir
English translation:
hope to see you soon
Added to glossary by
Patrick McKeown
Apr 1, 2005 03:39
19 yrs ago
French term
espérer un Au Revoir
French to English
Other
Linguistics
from a personal letter that I'm translating. This is the very last paragraph.
Toute la famille d'Alsace, de Forstheim, et d'ailleurs vous transmet ses cordiales et amicales salutations.
Vous avez aussi le Bonjour de xx, notre jeune interprète ..
Et qui sait, on continuera à espérer un Au Revoir.
The man writing the letter is involved in humanitarian work. He and the recipient of the letter have previously discussed their dismay at Bush's election. Could this possibly be a reference to that?
My hunch is that this sentence will only make sense in context, so that's why I'm explaining some background details. Another detail: the recipient of the letter also previously visited the author of the letter, in France.
Toute la famille d'Alsace, de Forstheim, et d'ailleurs vous transmet ses cordiales et amicales salutations.
Vous avez aussi le Bonjour de xx, notre jeune interprète ..
Et qui sait, on continuera à espérer un Au Revoir.
The man writing the letter is involved in humanitarian work. He and the recipient of the letter have previously discussed their dismay at Bush's election. Could this possibly be a reference to that?
My hunch is that this sentence will only make sense in context, so that's why I'm explaining some background details. Another detail: the recipient of the letter also previously visited the author of the letter, in France.
Proposed translations
(English)
3 +9 | "hope to see you soon" | Patrick McKeown |
4 +5 | and, who knows, maybe one day we'll meet again | CMJ_Trans (X) |
3 +3 | let's go on hoping we'll meet again | Tony M |
3 +2 | hope for a Good-bye. | A-C Robertson (X) |
3 | (who knows) we always expect to see you again | kelime |
1 | Just a thought, not for grading | Kelvin Wu |
Proposed translations
+9
9 mins
French term (edited):
esp�rer un Au Revoir
Selected
"hope to see you soon"
... in the sense that writer would like to be in a position to wish au revoir to his/her corespondent, but that the person would have to visit again in person for that to be possible, so it's a kind of wistful or wishful remark ...
Peer comment(s):
agree |
writeaway
: my thoughts too. (no time to answer.....)
23 mins
|
Thanks, writeaway.
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agree |
RHELLER
: hope that we will meet again: thanks, "parting is such sweet sorrow" :-)
34 mins
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now that's much better than my suggestion!
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agree |
Sarah Walls
1 hr
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thanks, Sarah
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agree |
Assimina Vavoula
1 hr
|
Thank you
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agree |
Michele Fauble
1 hr
|
thanks, Michele
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neutral |
A-C Robertson (X)
: I hate putting "disagree" so I use neutral...but the "et qui sait" makes me think the writer is referring back to the "meat" of the matter, which is the dismay at the extension of Bush's presidency. I'd like to say goodbye to Bush too! :)
2 hrs
|
Thanks for the input, Anh-Chi
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agree |
Ghyslaine LE NAGARD
: yes for sure
2 hrs
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Thank you, Newcal
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agree |
Gayle Wallimann
: I really don't think that it has to do with Bush, the writer is just hoping "until we meet again".
2 hrs
|
Thanks Gayle
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agree |
Shaila Kamath
23 hrs
|
Thanks divya (both of you!)
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agree |
Clothilde
: For sure, I would not see much more into it than a simple wish to meet again.
3 days 8 hrs
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Thanks, Clothilde
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+2
1 min
French term (edited):
esp�rer un Au Revoir
hope for a Good-bye.
In the Bush context, it could be hoping for a good-bye for Bush...for him to leave the presidency for good?
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
writeaway
: he can't be re-elected so that doesn't really make sense. "Another detail: the recipient of the letter also previously visited the author of the letter, in France."
3 mins
|
neutral |
Patrick McKeown
: hmm ... wouldn't it be more a case of adieu than au revoir, if that were the case? (tired, my spelling is terrible!)
4 mins
|
agree |
sarahl (X)
: yes, definitely hoping someone will leave.
1 hr
|
neutral |
Tony M
: Surely in that case 'adieu', or even 'bon débarras'!
3 hrs
|
neutral |
Ian Burley (X)
: If he were referring to Bush Junior's departure, he probably wouldn't express it in this way.
3 hrs
|
agree |
Dylan Edwards
: also with Sarahl and trying to make logical sense of it.
1 day 15 hrs
|
1 hr
French term (edited):
esp�rer un Au Revoir
(who knows) we always expect to see you again
expectations
+5
2 hrs
and, who knows, maybe one day we'll meet again
here's hoping....
It has nothing to do with "goodbye"!
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Note added at 2005-04-01 08:12:24 (GMT)
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Dusty: Very interested in your comment. In truth I see absolutely no negative inference in my proposal. The thought never crossed my mind. For me, in the French, it is clear that they are saying \"here\'s hoping\" = we will go on hoping that one day we may meet again. I don\'t see any \"let\'s go on hoping\" however in there. The more I think of it, the less I see the \"who cares\" element that you seem to read into my suggestion. But maybe I\'m alone in my thinking
It has nothing to do with "goodbye"!
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Note added at 2005-04-01 08:12:24 (GMT)
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Dusty: Very interested in your comment. In truth I see absolutely no negative inference in my proposal. The thought never crossed my mind. For me, in the French, it is clear that they are saying \"here\'s hoping\" = we will go on hoping that one day we may meet again. I don\'t see any \"let\'s go on hoping\" however in there. The more I think of it, the less I see the \"who cares\" element that you seem to read into my suggestion. But maybe I\'m alone in my thinking
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
A-C Robertson (X)
: I never heard the expression in my whole life... :-| it's certainly stranger than saying "ce n'est qu'un au revoir" or something...don't you think?
8 mins
|
are you referring to the French or the English?
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agree |
Ian Burley (X)
: Perfectly acceptable expression, in British English in any case. Plus, it has the advantage of respecting the rather staid style of the French original
34 mins
|
agree |
Tony M
: I lke the "here's hoping...", but personally, I'd simply leave out the "maybe"...
2 hrs
|
For me no - they are hoping but do not seem to suggest that the others are also!
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agree |
writeaway
: with your comments as well-don't see any all-in involvement either.
3 hrs
|
agree |
Patrick McKeown
: I like this one
6 hrs
|
neutral |
lien
: ce n'est pas faux, mais la façon dont il le dit est moins directe, par pudeur peut-être (noter l'utiilisation du "on" au lieu de "je"), ou pour ne pas tenter le destin ; sous-entendu "j'espère que nous nous reverrons plusieurs fois dans le futur".
6 hrs
|
agree |
Michele Fauble
15 hrs
|
3 hrs
French term (edited):
esp�rer un Au Revoir
Just a thought, not for grading
Could the "Au Revoir" have anything to do with the "jeune interprète", as in the writer is hoping for a farewell from an unwanted house guest? This might be too fanciful.
+3
3 hrs
French term (edited):
esp�rer un Au Revoir
let's go on hoping we'll meet again
I feel sure this is referring to a renewed personal encounter, as so many answerers have already said; I just wanted to add that the 'on continuera à espérer...' not only seems to confirm this theory in my view, but also deserves not to be just overlooked --- it seems to me the writer is saying "let's keep our hopes up" or "let's not give up hope of one day seeing each other again"
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Note added at 4 hrs 2 mins (2005-04-01 07:42:17 GMT)
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In response to CMJ\'s comment:
I didn\'t feel my suggestion was all THAT \'stilted\' as you say, though I was deliberately trying to reflect the tone and style of the original. But I do think there is an important distinction to be made in the meaning between mine and your own answers. I do like the colloquial way you\'ve chosen to express it, but at the same time I feel you may have added an unwanted nuance. For me, the problem is that \'maybe\' --- it kind of suggests \"And hey, you never know, maybe we just might see each other again one of these days...\" --- in other words \"..but I\'m not holding my breath, and I really don\'t care either way\"
But my interpretation of the French was very much more that the writer genuinely DOES wish to see the person again, even if the chances are fairly slim: \"We must keep our hopes up that, despite all the odds, we are going to see each other again one of these fine days\"
I\'d be very interested to hear from others whether or not they read the same into it as I do, and whether they think this distinction is important or not?
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Note added at 5 hrs 37 mins (2005-04-01 09:16:47 GMT)
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Writeaway and CMJ have brought up some very interesting points there! Isn\'t it funny how someone can read something into a text (or a reply) that another person doesn\'t see at all?
I\'d thought that \"on continuera à espérer...\" was intended in the sense of \'nous\', i.e. BOTH the writer AND the recipient, and hence I\'d read it in the sense \"Nous devrions continuer à...\"; but perhaps as CMJ suggests, it is the expression of only the writer\'s wish (a more literal use of \'on\' = \'one\')?
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Note added at 4 hrs 2 mins (2005-04-01 07:42:17 GMT)
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In response to CMJ\'s comment:
I didn\'t feel my suggestion was all THAT \'stilted\' as you say, though I was deliberately trying to reflect the tone and style of the original. But I do think there is an important distinction to be made in the meaning between mine and your own answers. I do like the colloquial way you\'ve chosen to express it, but at the same time I feel you may have added an unwanted nuance. For me, the problem is that \'maybe\' --- it kind of suggests \"And hey, you never know, maybe we just might see each other again one of these days...\" --- in other words \"..but I\'m not holding my breath, and I really don\'t care either way\"
But my interpretation of the French was very much more that the writer genuinely DOES wish to see the person again, even if the chances are fairly slim: \"We must keep our hopes up that, despite all the odds, we are going to see each other again one of these fine days\"
I\'d be very interested to hear from others whether or not they read the same into it as I do, and whether they think this distinction is important or not?
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Note added at 5 hrs 37 mins (2005-04-01 09:16:47 GMT)
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Writeaway and CMJ have brought up some very interesting points there! Isn\'t it funny how someone can read something into a text (or a reply) that another person doesn\'t see at all?
I\'d thought that \"on continuera à espérer...\" was intended in the sense of \'nous\', i.e. BOTH the writer AND the recipient, and hence I\'d read it in the sense \"Nous devrions continuer à...\"; but perhaps as CMJ suggests, it is the expression of only the writer\'s wish (a more literal use of \'on\' = \'one\')?
Peer comment(s):
agree |
CMJ_Trans (X)
: that is precisely what I was trying to say in less stilted fashion
14 mins
|
Thanks, CMJ! Please see my note to be added above in a tick...
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agree |
Jocelyne S
37 mins
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Thanks, J S!
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neutral |
writeaway
: ok-am working and didn't really flash on that-but don't like the 'lets' go on hoping' structure-is not really the same register as the text./glad you liked it. no time now for a mountain out of a molehill episode, so WYSIWYG ;-)
1 hr
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Thanks, W/A! /// Great, that's really helpful feedback :-))
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agree |
lien
: "let's not give up hope of one day seeing each other again" is the way I understand it too.
5 hrs
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Thanks a lot, Lien! I was beginning to feel a bit out on a limb here ;-)
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Discussion