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French to English: Literary translation sample General field: Art/Literary Detailed field: Poetry & Literature
Source text - French Original text – Excerpt from 'Sentiments, Passions et Signes' - Alain
La politesse est un grand mystère. C'est peut-être l'art des signes, sans pensée aucune. Savoir saluer, cela n'implique point que l'on sache ce que signifie le salut. L'impolitesse, c'est de donner un sens au salut. La souffrance du timide vient surtout de ce qu'il se demande, au sujet de ses moindres gestes : « Qu'en va-t-on penser ? » Le secret du savoir-vivre est de ne rien penser dans la politesse, et de n'attendre point que les autres en pensent quelque chose. Il s'agit premièrement d'accorder ses mouvements aux mouvements des autres, de façon à les guérir d'inquiétude, et à se guérir soi-même d'inquiétude. Bien saluer est comme bien danser ; bien parler est comme bien danser. On ne comprend rien du tout à la messe tant qu'on espère y comprendre quelque chose; et c'est une grande leçon de politesse que ce latin, que nul ne comprend. La messe est le moment de la concorde, par une harmonie des paroles et des mouvements. Se mettre à genoux, c'est comme saluer ; ces actions délient ; elles concernent seulement les muscles, les poumons, le cœur. Elles ressemblent à la danse, qui exclut absolument l'entreprise difficile et extraordinaire. Il s'agit de faire société, mais physiologiquement, comme les sansonnets volent ; l'ensemble de ces êtres est comme une grande draperie ; nul ne force et nul n'est forcé ; nul ne heurte, et nul n'est heurté.
Toute conversation polie est donc une messe en latin. Chacun se dispose pour la réponse ; il ne s'y trouve point d'incertitude, ni aucune délibération avec soi. Tel est le premier moment du signe il est comme un chant ou comme une danse ; la société s'y assure d'elle-même et y reconnaît sa formation de paix. L'homme habile profite de cet accord pour y poser une idée, ou deux, ou trois ; rien n'empêche ; mais c'est à lui de voir si la musique peut porter cette dissonance, et si le passage des signes au sens est assez préparé. On a très bien nommé tact cette exploration de la surface des signes ; car c'est bien par le toucher de nos propres émotions que nous savons si l'idée passera.
Translation - English Translation – Sophie Reid, 2010
Social protocol is a great mystery. In some ways, it is an art governed by signs, with no place for reflection. Knowing how to greet someone does not mean that we know what the greeting means. In fact, to give a meaning to the greeting would be the height of bad manners. The shy man's suffering stems largely from his tendency to ask himself, “What will people think?” each time he makes even the slightest gesture. The key to getting by is to read nothing into the norms of polite behaviour, and to expect a similar indifference in others. It is primarily a question of assimilating one's movements to the movements observed in others, as much to ease their anxiety as to ease one's own. There is nothing more to handling social niceties properly than there is to dancing well; the same goes for the ability to speak well. If we strive to understand something of the Mass, we will not understand a word of it, and this Latin, incomprehensible to all, is a valuable lesson in manners. The Mass is the moment of unity born of a harmony between words and motions. Kneeling in reverence is like greeting someone in the accepted way; such motions serve to absolve us, whilst only demanding action from the muscles, the lungs and the heart. They are like dancing, which completely abandons any difficult or extraordinary undertaking. It is a question of becoming part of a society, but in a physiological sense, like a group of starlings flying: together, these creatures form a great tapestry, in which no one path of flight constrains or is constrained; none creates disturbance and none is disturbed.
Thus, all polite conversation is a church service in Latin. Each party prepares himself for the next response, never finding himself uncertain or obliged to deliberate. Such is the initial appearance of the sign, as in a song or dance, and it is in its existence that social interaction finds its self-assurance and acknowledges the establishment of peace. The skilled man makes the most of this arrangement to introduce an idea, or two, or three – anything goes – but it is up to him to see whether the music can carry this dissonance, and if the pathway which transposes signal into meaning has been sufficiently prepared. We have done well to call this superficial exploration of signals tact, because it is only according to the reaction of our own emotions, as they touch upon an idea, that we may determine whether or not it will be accepted.
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Bachelor's degree - Oxford University
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Years of experience: 15. Registered at ProZ.com: Oct 2010.
From blogs and brochures to contracts and correspondence, I will work together with you to bring your texts to life for an international audience.
With five rich years of experience in freelance and in-house translation, specialising in entertainment, business, journalism and tourism, I offer a punctual, dependable service tailored to fit your needs.
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French > English: 2500 words
Czech > English: 2000 words
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