Sep 17, 2021 17:29
2 yrs ago
41 viewers *
French term
United States
Laudable Lady Linguist
Native in: English 
Works in: Spanish to English, French to English, English to Spanish, and 3 more.
tient du merveilleux providentiel
French to English
Art/Literary
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
From An Art History Book
Contexte :
Au bout de dix-huit heures le vrai départ parut inévitable. C’est alors que le miracle se produisit. L’armée Leclerc qui était déjà dans la région parisienne aborda Aulnay le 27 et, s’étant fait instruire par la SNCF des tâches immédiates, envoya d’urgence un détachement pour se saisir des wagons et les débarrasser de leur garde allemande toujours fidèle au poste.
Le dénouement de cette histoire, où pendant un mois des épi- sodes successifs firent alterner l’angoisse et l’espoir, tient du mer- veilleux providentiel. Par hasard le groupe libérateur qui apportait une si heureuse conclusion à toute cette affaire était commandé par le fils même de Paul Rosenberg, le célèbre marchand d’art parisien dont une grande partie de la collection se trouvait dans le train récupéré.
Merci Beaucoup,
Barbara
Au bout de dix-huit heures le vrai départ parut inévitable. C’est alors que le miracle se produisit. L’armée Leclerc qui était déjà dans la région parisienne aborda Aulnay le 27 et, s’étant fait instruire par la SNCF des tâches immédiates, envoya d’urgence un détachement pour se saisir des wagons et les débarrasser de leur garde allemande toujours fidèle au poste.
Le dénouement de cette histoire, où pendant un mois des épi- sodes successifs firent alterner l’angoisse et l’espoir, tient du mer- veilleux providentiel. Par hasard le groupe libérateur qui apportait une si heureuse conclusion à toute cette affaire était commandé par le fils même de Paul Rosenberg, le célèbre marchand d’art parisien dont une grande partie de la collection se trouvait dans le train récupéré.
Merci Beaucoup,
Barbara
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+3
4 hrs
AllegroTrans
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
Specializes in field
United Kingdom
Sensible solutions
Native in: English (Variant: Wessexois) 
Works in: French to English, English, English to French
Related KudoZ points
:
115
Selected
is an astonishing tale of providence/of good fortune
Another idea. Just try looking for synonyms and think laterally. The translation does not have to be too literal.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
2 hrs
Was an amazing stroke of luck
To get the ball rolling. Barbara, we offer suggestions because we adore the challenge!
Note from asker:
| Yeah, so do I, absolutely love it . . . Thanks! |
18 hrs
was like a miracle sent by good fate
Le dénouement de cette histoire [, où pendant un mois des épisodes successifs firent alterner l’angoisse et l’espoir,] tient du merveilleux providentiel.
=>
The ending of this saga ... was like a miracle sent by good fate
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
ormiston
: Good fate is not natural English
6 hrs
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| neutral |
AllegroTrans
: a miracle is good fate (or at least one definition thereof); your solution is rather like saying "it is sunny today because the sun is shining" // Em, this is a fairy story?
1 day 1 hr
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You suddenly want logic in fairy tales??? This is not a treatise about making concrete ...
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18 hrs
Adrian MM.
Austria
Austria
Native in English
Austria
Retd.T&I, Barrister & Austro-Advokat
Native in: English (Variants: British, Scottish)
Works in: Spanish to English, English to Spanish, French to English, and 5 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
12
French term (edited):
tient du merveilleux providentiel
partakes - as it does wondrously - of Divine Providence > US: of wondrous serendipity
Initial caps for Divine Providence though some g/hits - sacrireligiously and blasphemously - have lower casing. Objecttion: 'it doesn't say Divine' but the merveilleux arguably moves within such realms.
Example sentence:
Human beings as rational creatures are subject to divine providence in a most excellent way, in so far as they partake of a share of providence ...
That is, the Zoharic authorship perceives in this verse two levels of ... is itself a dimension of, and partakes in, the mystery of the divine Whole
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
AllegroTrans
: Cannot see any need at all to add a subsidiary phrase - as you have done here - when not present in the ST
1 day 5 hrs
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The subsid. phrase had been added for 'stylistic balance', whilst the asker's feedback - only on the first 'stroke-of-luck' answer - suggests that such gem was the turn of phrase actually used.
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2 days 21 hrs
Eliza Hall
United States
United States
Native in English
United States
Lawyer-Translator-Certified Interpreter
Native in: English (Variants: British, UK, US, Scottish, Canadian, Irish)
Works in: French to English, English to French
Related KudoZ points
:
4
[almost] seems like divine intervention
Noun + providentiel often gets translated by something quasi-religious: un investisseur providentiel = "an angel investor" or "business angel." The dictionary CNRTL.fr defines "providentiel" by reference to "Providence": "Puissance supérieure, divine, qui gouverne le monde, qui veille sur le destin des individus."
See https://cnrtl.fr/definition/providentiel and https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/PROVIDENCE
This works in context, since the next sentence of the original text says that by chance, the group that liberated this train full of stolen artwork, including artwork from the collection of the famous art collector Paul Rosenberg, was led by the son of... Paul Rosenberg!
Stylistically I would add "almost," because I don't think the author is suggesting that there literally was divine intervention/the hand of Providence/etc. The meaning of "tient de" is closer to resembling X, not actually being X. So: "The ending of this story, which (blahblahblah), almost seems like divine intervention."
See https://cnrtl.fr/definition/providentiel and https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/PROVIDENCE
This works in context, since the next sentence of the original text says that by chance, the group that liberated this train full of stolen artwork, including artwork from the collection of the famous art collector Paul Rosenberg, was led by the son of... Paul Rosenberg!
Stylistically I would add "almost," because I don't think the author is suggesting that there literally was divine intervention/the hand of Providence/etc. The meaning of "tient de" is closer to resembling X, not actually being X. So: "The ending of this story, which (blahblahblah), almost seems like divine intervention."
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Mpoma
: I see this as resolutely "secular". The domain of the merveilleux is in contrast to that of the divin, rather than one being a subset of the other. / absolutely it is! pagan, not Judaeo-Christian!
17 hrs
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A word whose dictionary definition includes the words "magie," "féerique" and "surnaturel" is resolutely secular? https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/merveilleux
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-1
4 hrs
was like something out of a fairytale
Second Ormiston's remark.
Barbara, I hope this book you're doing will have a suitable dédicace concerning the contribs from the Proz community (however much we may enjoy the challenges you're throwing our way).
I think it's a bit more emphatic than "stroke of luck". But who knows?
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Note added at 3 days 14 hrs (2021-09-21 08:28:02 GMT)
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NB there are positive and negative aspects to this ("firent alterner l’angoisse et l’espoir"), so "good fortune" etc. doesn't seem right.
In contrast, in a fairytale, you do always have the queen ordering the murder of Snow White, the terror in the forest, the poisoned apple, as well as Prince Charming.
Barbara, I hope this book you're doing will have a suitable dédicace concerning the contribs from the Proz community (however much we may enjoy the challenges you're throwing our way).
I think it's a bit more emphatic than "stroke of luck". But who knows?
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Note added at 3 days 14 hrs (2021-09-21 08:28:02 GMT)
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NB there are positive and negative aspects to this ("firent alterner l’angoisse et l’espoir"), so "good fortune" etc. doesn't seem right.
In contrast, in a fairytale, you do always have the queen ordering the murder of Snow White, the terror in the forest, the poisoned apple, as well as Prince Charming.
Peer comment(s):
| disagree |
Eliza Hall
: The alternation of anguish and despair PRECEDED the "dénouement." It was the dénouement that tient du merveilleux providentiel--and there's nothing negative in that, neither linguistically nor in the context of the story at hand.
3 days 17 hrs
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You're right! Misreading on my part. But I still think my solution is feasible, so disagree with "disagree".
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