English translation of "y prennent successivement un point d’appui" - "Each side uses it in turn as a strategic base"

How does Conges work?

Actions

Who has most Conges points?

Click here ...

Conges terminology question

<<Previous question

All questions

Next question>>

45 months ago

Barbara Cochran (a guest user) asked this question:

Language pair:	French > English
Subject:	General
Level of diffculty:	Easy / medium
Word or term in question:	y prennent successivement un point d’appui
Context:	La lutte entre FFI et Allemands continue autour des pesantes murailles jusqu’à la Libération ; les adversaires y prennent successivement un point d’appui. Le 29 août 1944, à la grande inquiétude des conservateurs, un bataillon allemand stationne dans le parc. Pendant plusieurs jours on peut tout craindre de la rancœur et de l’amertume de ces soldats en retraite ; aussi les voit-on s’éloigner avec un inexprimable soulagement. Sitôt partis, ce sont les FFI qui s’installent à leur place, bien décidés à y demeurer jusqu’au dernier règlement de comptes…

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

Complete list of answers and comments

45 months ago

wrote:

Each side uses it in turn as a strategic base

My comment:

Strategic base pour traduire point d'appui, rather than the mean fact of stationing there.

Comments by other colleagues on this answer:

45 months ago

martynback wrote:

sure, why not - or even "rallying point" but "used" rather than "uses" I think

The asker rated this answer best

45 months ago

martynback wrote:

Each side stationed there in turn.

Comments by other colleagues on this answer:

45 months ago

RTtranslations wrote:

I wonder why the original text has prennent (present tense) when first thought would be the verb should be in past tense, ie,adversary A took the place then adversary B took it.You used the past tense, but if one accepts that the present tense is used deliberately that would support the idea of alternating takeovers- a continuing set of actions.

45 months ago

martynback wrote:

It's just the narrative present aka present historic - very common in French writing, much more common than the narrative present in English. Rarely translated by the present tense in English as can make texts sound very stilted.

45 months ago

RTtranslations wrote:

It might mean the adversaries alternately capture the base (of operations)

My comment:

successivement = alternately, first one and then the other; prennest = capture; point de support is what they are alternately capturing -it could be base of operations or camp or stronghold etc

Comments by other colleagues on this answer:

45 months ago

CMD wrote:

ad present tense here: the present tense as narrative present tense = dramatic present tense, i.e. the "praesens historicum" is often used in narratives of the past not only to report events in the past but also to point out the dramatic force of the narrative

45 months ago

CMD wrote:

there, the adversaries successively started up their operations

My comment:

[as "base of operations"]

45 months ago

Ffion Marianne Moyle wrote:

the adversaries successively adopt a support point

The 30 latest Conges questions

ADT, ad
French > English

April 13, 07:08

Note clavier
French > English