TRADUguide - Your Guide to Translators and Translation Agencies

60 months ago

Barbara Cochran (a guest user) asked this question:

This question has already been answered and rated. Therefore, no new answers can be given.

59 months ago

   wrote:

There's no such thing as a wasteproof fortune

60 months ago

Marie-Claire   wrote:

No amount of fortune will whistand waste

My comment:

Just a different suggestion

Comments by other colleagues on this answer:

60 months ago

   wrote:

Hi Marie-Claire! Which of these two do you prefer? "No amount of fortune can withstand wastefulness", or "No amount of fortune can withstand profligate spending?"

The asker rated this answer best

60 months ago

David Edwards Translation and Training   wrote:

No fortune (/No amount of wealth) is watertight.

My comment:

I had first thought about things such as 'Even the greatest fostunes can dribble away', but that would be quite a free translation and the above has the virtue of concision.

Comments by other colleagues on this answer:

60 months ago

David Edwards Translation and Training   wrote:

(Sorry - fostunes = fortunes. I wasn't being that 'free'!)

60 months ago

David Edwards Translation and Training   wrote:

No furtune can help to get out from the sabotage.

60 months ago

MatthewHallisy   wrote:

No fortune can keep from being wasted

My comment:

I think what it's saying is that the more money you have, you're going to waste it on "things". This was the sense in the text from Madame Bovary. She speaks about all the luxury furniture she sees when the only furniture someone had in their house was just one armchair, at least from her memory of her mom's house, and that was reserved for the elderly.

My references:

https://flaubert.univ-rouen.fr/jet/public/trans.php?corpus=bovary&id=845

60 months ago

English -French - English medical, scientific ++   wrote:

no fortune holds against the deprivation

My comment:

Linguee Exemple ::We also do so at the risk of massive social deprivation and exclusion, with all of its attendant consequences for peace, social stability

My references:

Linguee

60 months ago

CMD   wrote:

No fortune can hold out against waste!

My comment:

tenir contre: (syn.) de résister = hold out against
coulage: (sens figuré/figurative meaning) perte due au gaspillage = waste
cf Dict. PETIT ROBERT et al.

60 months ago

Ffion Marianne Moyle   wrote:

Once the plug has been pulled no-one can help you

My comment:

I like the '.....wealth...ship goes down' translation too but in English we tend to say 'plug has been pulled' when for example the banks foresee a bankruptcy or similar

My references:

My own knowledge

60 months ago

martynback   wrote:

No amount of wealth can save you when the ship goes down.

Comments by other colleagues on this answer:

60 months ago

David Edwards Translation and Training   wrote:

Sounds like the victims of the Titanic!

60 months ago

martynback   wrote:

Intentionally.

60 months ago

tigkit   wrote:

no wealth is worth the cost of being sunk.