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Cassegrain
actes d’intercession en faveur de tiers
Apr 30, 2023 23:37
1 yr ago
63 viewers *
French term

Chaque fois qu'un vent de face se lève, on est là !

French to English Marketing Business/Commerce (general) Ad
Chaque fois qu'un vent de face se lève, on est là !
Could you please help me with an equivalent into English? I guess that it refers to problems that might bring about, and a literal translation might not be accurate. This is a company slogan. Help appreciated!!!
Proposed translations (English)
3 +7 When you face a challenge, we're always there to help!
3 +4 We're there for you when the going gets rough
4 +1 When facing a headwind, we’re there for you!
3 +2 Always here in the tough times!
3 When things get tough, we come to the rescue
4 -1 Whenever a headwind blows, we're there!
3 Here to navigate you through stormy waters/choppy seas to a safe harbour
3 Facing your challenges with you
3 Always with yoi in a headwind!

Discussion

Daryo May 1, 2023:
True but it's a royal pain in the neck compared to when winds are blowing in the right direction.

"SISO" I have to remember that one!

Headwinds can be good, even very good. When landing or taking off, pilots never complain of "too much headwind".

The need "to be aware of associated visuals" is very good point. If there are some very literal winds there, it does limit severely the acceptable options for the translation.
Bourth May 1, 2023:
Cycling Headwinds, boats can handle. They're more of a challenge for cyclists.
Conor McAuley May 1, 2023:
And it's not "deem", objective truth does exist.

And don't get me started on jargon: "Our playbook for the sales ecosystem in the fish fingers space" blah blah pretentious just out of expensive business school blah!

So this is what we have here: the client might be selling baked beans to Aldi (read Walmart or something over there), but tries to dress it up in sailing metaphors, really like, tragic.
Conor McAuley May 1, 2023:
Phil, it's a lack of respect for language to communicate badly. And often some of the most high-ranking people in organisations, highly educated too, often, communicate the worst, in terms of internal logic, structure, even basic grammar and spelling (CEOs, university heads, legal assistants, etc.).

The translation process reveals the true nature of a text, and sometimes clients are appalled to find out how appalling their texts are though this process, and shoot the conduit, the translator.
So beware of SISO!
It is so very satisfying though.
philgoddard May 1, 2023:
I'm guessing there are some visuals to go with this, and not necessarily of sailing. That might significantly affect the translation.
It makes me sad to see people claiming that if you deem the source text to be garbage, you should produce a garbage translation. That's like someone painting your house badly because they think it was done badly last time.
Conor McAuley May 1, 2023:
Asker is being admirably thorough Question also posted here: https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/un-vent-de-face-se-l...

Highlights:

Asker: "This is a slogan of a marketing company."

Other contributor: "Whenever you’ve a challenge to face, we’re by your side."
Nice and plain and general, "vanilla" as they say.

Go literal or go vanilla I think.
Conor McAuley May 1, 2023:
I slightly disagree with some of what Tony and Daryo have said – this expression comes up as a metaphor on CNN occasionally (much less in UK EN I think), e.g.

"The problem is today Iran has an illegal nuclear program and is facing a headwind of sanctions."

Garbage In Garbage Out, absolutely, I got a nice chuckle out of that one, but doesn't SISO have a better ring to it, it's more catchy?
AllegroTrans May 1, 2023:
Asker As others have said, without knowing the context (e.g. the type of company and the goods or services it is offering) it isn't really possible to come up with a suitable translation - fact is, this is not really translation anyway, but copywriting.
Tony M May 1, 2023:
@ Asker This is such a curiously oblique notion for a slogan, it would really help us to help you if you told us what sort of business this company is in: whats sort of goods (or services) do they sell? Only in a very narrow range of cases can I imagine that a literal translation would work — in part, because the 'wind going against you' metaphor is used a lot more often in everyday FR than it ever is in EN.
Daryo May 1, 2023:
This makes sense only for people who know some basics about sailing, so you'd think it's their target audience.
If that's the case, you can simply use the most literal translation - the intended audience will get it for sure.
If they're pushing this on the general public, I would still use a literal translation - their problem if they want to risk their audience being puzzled (GIGO method a.k.a. "Garbage In Garbage Out" applies)
philgoddard May 1, 2023:
Could we have the context, please. And what kind of company is it?

Proposed translations

+7
6 hrs
Selected

When you face a challenge, we're always there to help!

As others have said, it depends on the context - there might be a more appropriate/catchy/elegant solution depending on what the company does, but this is a general marketing type approach.
Peer comment(s):
agree Tony M : I'd modify to 'you're facing' (nicely mirrors the 'we're'), but otherwise agree on all points.
1 hr
Yes, good point. Thanks Tony!
agree Yvonne Gallagher : Drop the "always" and with Tony// I think "always" is implied so unnecessary and less snappy
1 hr
Yeah, I wondered about that, but I wanted to get "Chaque fois" in there somewhere to imply reliability from the company's products/services (whatever they are!)
agree Emmanuella
2 hrs
Thanks!
neutral philgoddard : I don't think you should ignore the context and discard the metaphor.
4 hrs
Well with a bit more context I might not have! Is it a company connected with the sea? Then yes. Otherwise this kind of thing can get cheesy quickly!
agree Anastasia Kalantzi
6 hrs
Thanks Anastasia!
agree Ilian DAVIAUD
23 hrs
Thanks Ilian!
agree abe(L)solano
1 day 29 mins
Thanks!
agree Stephanie Benoist
1 day 9 hrs
Thanks Stephanie!
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
+1
7 hrs

When facing a headwind, we’re there for you!

Alternative: When you're facing a headwind, we're there for you!
Facing headwinds is used as a common metaphor in business and finance, see e.g. the link below.
Reference:

https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/economics/headwind/

Peer comment(s):
neutral Tony M : Too literal, really, and the nautical allusion will be missed by most people./ No, the point is, such metaphors are much more common in "everyday" FR than in everyday EN. "Avoir le vent en poupe" is heard quite frequently, for ex, in the TV news etc.
49 mins
You could be right, Tony, about most people missing the nautical allusion. But since the source text uses the same metaphor, wouldn't it be right to assume it's the kind of audience that's familiar with it?
agree Francois Boye : The concept of headwind as opposed to a tailwind is commonly used by economists and financial analysts
1 day 6 hrs
Something went wrong...
+4
8 hrs

We're there for you when the going gets rough

It depends so much on what is being promoted! I agree that a sailing metaphor may not work.

Plus, a slogan should be snappy.
Here is my tentative offering.
Peer comment(s):
agree Yvonne Gallagher
8 mins
agree Carol Gullidge : … whenever the going… (to reflect the emphatic “chaque fois”
30 mins
agree Anastasia Kalantzi
5 hrs
agree Michele Fauble : Or “When the going gets tough, we’re there for you.”
8 hrs
Thank you all for the thoughtful tweaking!
Something went wrong...
9 hrs

When things get tough, we come to the rescue

A suggestion
Something went wrong...
-1
10 hrs
French term (edited): Chaque fois qu\'un vent de face se lève, on est là !

Whenever a headwind blows, we're there!

whenever difficulties and obstacles are, we face them and work hard to overcome them
Peer comment(s):
disagree Tony M : Not really idiomatic in EN — and also risks having an unintended reverse meaning!
45 mins
Something went wrong...
+2
11 hrs

Always here in the tough times!

I've already said that more context would help, but in any event I think a slogan should be short and catchy. The other answers so far, whilst giving a reasonable translation, just seem too long-winded to my mind. It's only my opinion!

At the end of the day, this is copywriting so the client will probably only treat the translator's attempt as a suggestion. And of course, there is the issue as to whether another company is already using the same slogan.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 hrs (2023-05-01 11:35:36 GMT)
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How do you write a slogan?

Keep it short and simple.
Be consistent.
Focus on what makes you different.
Make it timeless.
Ensure it can stand alone.
Consider your target market.
Get input from friends, family, colleagues or clients.


10 Steps to Writing An Effective Business Slogan

HubSpot
featured snippets

People also ask
What is an example of a slogan?


Here are some excellent examples: Meow Mix: "Tastes so good, cats ask for it by name." KFC: "Finger lickin' good." Lay's: "Betcha can't eat just one."19 Apr 2023

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 hrs (2023-05-01 11:36:37 GMT)
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What makes a catchy slogan?
Key features of a winning slogan

The most enduring brand slogans are often short, catchy and easy to remember. Much like a song chorus that gets stuck in your head, it needs to have a rhythm or sound that rolls off the tongue and is instantly recognisable.26 Jan 2017

What makes an effective brand slogan? - Econsultancy
Peer comment(s):
neutral Andrew Bramhall : Yep, though would personally upgrade to a superlative, thus " Always here (there for you) in the toughest of times";
2 hrs
thanks
neutral ormiston : Could be misconstrued as ' if there's trouble (it's because) we're around'!
7 hrs
No more than your own suggestion and unlikely imo
agree abe(L)solano : shorter and also conveys the meaning
19 hrs
thanks
agree Danielle Coleman
21 hrs
thanks
Something went wrong...
14 hrs

Here to navigate you through stormy waters/choppy seas to a safe harbour

A nautical, non-literal metaphor, and winds at sea are so much more crucial at sea as seafarers are easily blown off course ( well, at least they were in the olden days without moern navigation systems!).

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Note added at 14 hrs (2023-05-01 14:28:33 GMT)
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"moDern" , typo, sorry.
Peer comment(s):
neutral AllegroTrans : Very clunky, even if the context is boats/sailing
18 hrs
For me, the best translation is the one that most closely mirrors the nautical imagery of the ST;
Something went wrong...
1 day 10 hrs

Facing your challenges with you

Going for really short and snappy here, as I'm not massively fond of the composite nature of the original slogan...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 11 hrs (2023-05-02 10:57:53 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Or, perhaps... Facing life's challenges with you
Something went wrong...
1 day 12 hrs

Always with yoi in a headwind!

My alternative suggestion, based on retaining the nautical allusion, if this is really necessary.

Asker hasn't told us what this company does, for all we know it could be an insurance company, a bank, a supermarket or just about anything.

"Translating" a slogan without any context....well, what can I say?
Something went wrong...
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