TRADUguide - Your Guide to Translators and Translation Agencies

69 months ago

Amanda Haste PhD, DipTrans(IoLET), MCIL, CL   asked this question:

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

69 months ago

   wrote:

went through their lifetime without looking back ?????

My comment:

without more context, it's hard to understand what the author really meqns.

Comments by other colleagues on this answer:

69 months ago

Amanda Haste PhD, DipTrans(IoLET), MCIL, CL   wrote:

More context: the speakers are actually Holocaust survivors, and this is a comment by the researcher on how these ladies appear to her.

The asker rated this answer best

69 months ago

   wrote:

go through their age without dwelling (up)on it

My comment:

You apparently did not understand the meaning of "s'y arrêter": it does not mean to "stop there", but to "concentrate on it", i.e. to "make a big deal out of it" - and thus go on with their lives without worrying about the passing years - probably a good recipe to remain young in your head.

So in French there is a double meaning that you might not be able to reproduce, at least with just one word, in English.

My references:

s'y arrêter : s'arrêter sur :

https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/arr%C3%AAter

"III.− Emploi pronom." (emploi pronominal = s'arrêter):

"B.− [Le suj. désigne une pers. ou, p. ext., l'esprit, la pensée]"

"3. [Dans un domaine plus abstr., en parlant d'une démarche de l'esprit]

a) S'arrêter sur: ***S'appesantir sur*** quelque chose, l'étudier de près."

Ex.: "Plutôt que de nous arrêter en détail sur tous ces satellites, nous essaierons de distinguer..."

---- TRANSLATIONS:

https://www.wordreference.com/fren/s'arr%C3%AAter%20sur :

"s'arrêter sur⇒ v pron (s'attarder) dwell on, dwell upon vtr phrasal insep
linger over vtr phrasal insep
Il ne faut pas s'arrêter trop longtemps sur les questions secondaires.
You mustn't dwell for too long on (or: upon) unimportant questions."

--- ENGLISH DEFINITIONS:

https://www.thefreedictionary.com/dwell+on :

"dwell on or dwell upon
vb
(intr, preposition) to think, speak, or write at length: it's no good dwelling on your misfortunes."

---
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/linger+over :

"linger over - delay"

---
https://www.wordreference.com/enfr/linger%20over :

"linger over [sth] vi + prep (take your time with) s'attarder sur v pron + prép"

--- BOTH "DWELL" and "LINGER" seem to have the required double meaning of "taking your time" with your thoughts and at one place:

https://www.wordreference.com/enfr/linger :

"linger [ˈlɪŋgər] vi
[person] s'attarder"

and

https://www.wordreference.com/enfr/dwell :

"dwell [ˈdwɛl](pt, pp
dwelt
) vi demeurer

dwell on vt fus [+ memory, idea] s'éterniser sur"

=== TRAVERSER (leur âge):

"traverser vtr figuré (vivre une situation) experience⇒ vtr
(situation) ***go through***, live through vi + prep
transition⇒ vtr

Nous traversons une crise économique grave.
We are experiencing a serious economic crisis."

at https://www.wordreference.com/fren/traverser

---
N.B. "live through" sounds more like "survivre à", e.g. "How to live through an emotional crisis".

= = = = = = = =

Comments by other colleagues on this answer:

69 months ago

Amanda Haste PhD, DipTrans(IoLET), MCIL, CL   wrote:

Amanda, Oups, I didn't see further down in the Wordreference page (https://www.wordreference.com/fren/traverser): "traverser les âges [= eras!] (**= rester d'actualité**): cross the ages, ***travel through the ages***. So "traverser LEUR âge" is derived from that standard expression! => "travel through THEIR AGE" might be even better. With the double meaning that they remain young. And just above that paragraph, there is: "traverser le temps (= passer les époques): stand the test of time, withstand time, withstand the passing of time" => "they withstand the passing of THEIR YEARS without dwelling upon them"? ("age" wouldn't work here, I guess). This looks like an even better translation... You asked two questions in one! ;-)

69 months ago

Amanda Haste PhD, DipTrans(IoLET), MCIL, CL   wrote:

Wow! You've really gone above and beyond with your answer! More context: the speakers are actually Holocaust survivors, and this is a comment by the researcher on how these ladies appear to her.

69 months ago

MatthewHallisy   wrote:

Living younger than their age suggests

69 months ago

MatthewHallisy   wrote:

live their earlier years without giving up/stopping for anything

My references:

Larousse Advanced French/English Doictionary

Comments by other colleagues on this answer:

69 months ago

Amanda Haste PhD, DipTrans(IoLET), MCIL, CL   wrote:

I also thought that it might mean that they lived their earlier years as if there was no tomorrow, in the sense of living each moment to the fullest.

69 months ago

Amanda Haste PhD, DipTrans(IoLET), MCIL, CL   wrote:

I like the "living each moment to the fullest". More context: the speakers are actually Holocaust survivors, and this is a comment by the researcher on how these ladies appear to her.

69 months ago

Amanda Haste PhD, DipTrans(IoLET), MCIL, CL   wrote:

Or maybe "live their lives as if there will be no tomorrow", in the positive sense, while during during the Holocaust, they may have thought, and understandably so, that there really would be no tomorrow.

69 months ago

Ffion Marianne Moyle   wrote:

Behaving far younger than their age

My comment:

I think this is what it means

69 months ago

Ffion Marianne Moyle   wrote:

Beyond their age in non stopping way

69 months ago

CMD   wrote:

to go through their age relentlessly

My comment:

cf Dict. PR "traverser" : aller d'un bout à l'autre de (un espace de temps)