Cucumis - Dịch vụ phiên dịch miễn phí trực tuyến
. .



Dịch - French-English - mots d'esprit

Current statusDịch
This text is available in the following languages: FrenchEnglish

This translation request is "Meaning only".
Title
mots d'esprit
Text
Submitted by BERNICHE
Source language: French

Soudain, il se pencha et me demanda poliment de lui prêter un objet sur lequel, au moment de le nommer, il buta sans parvenir à le prononcer.

je compris aussitôt la phrase dont l'obscurité se dissipa.

Me souvenant de ma rencontre, je me mis à réfléchir

L'étendue de ma pensée dépendait-elle donc de mon vocabulaire et, s'il en était ainsi, étaient-ce donc les mots qui contenaient l'esprit ?

Title
Words of wit
Dịch
English

Translated by sagittarius
Target language: English

Suddenly, he leaned and politely asked me to lend him an object which, at the moment of naming it, he fumbled for the right word.
I understood at once the phrase the obscurity of which had dissipated.
Remembering my encounter, I began to reflect.
Did the extent of my thought depend on my vocabulary and if so, were these words the ones that contained a wit?
Validated by lilian canale - 4 Tháng 3 2009 22:17





Bài gửi sau cùng

Tác giả
Bài gửi

3 Tháng 3 2009 16:44

lilian canale
Tổng số bài gửi: 14972
Hi sagittarious,

I'd translate that:
"il buta sans parvenir à le prononcer" as:
"he got mixed up pronouncing it"
Also there are too many commas in the last sentence and an extra "thus". I think it should read:

"Did the extent of my thought depend on my vocabulary and if so, were these words the ones that contained a wit?"

4 Tháng 3 2009 01:19

sagittarius
Tổng số bài gửi: 118
Hi again, lilian!

How about this version instead of "he got mixed up pronouncing it": "...an object which, at the moment of naming it, he fumbled for words with." It's more clear, isn't it?

The last sentence
"Did the extent of my thought depend on my vocabulary and if so, were these words the ones that contained a wit?" is OK now.
Thank you!

4 Tháng 3 2009 02:28

lilian canale
Tổng số bài gửi: 14972
Great then...to the poll

4 Tháng 3 2009 18:06

irini
Tổng số bài gửi: 849
My French is not good enough for me to evaluate this one, but are we sure "l'esprit" refers to "wit"? I somehow get the feeling that the author is wondering whether, since his thoughts depended on the words he knew, the words themselves sort of contained his mind, his intellect, his thoughts so to speak.

4 Tháng 3 2009 18:35

BERNICHE
Tổng số bài gửi: 1
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP