Translation - Engels-Frans - If I were you - Hoobastank

Hi Francky!
I see you've faced this text as well. Apart from some minor -and very interesting- differences in interpretation, which I like, and will take into account; I'm most interested in your reading of the last stanza, which I've translated literally (after considering first the same meaning that you have chosen to give).
But I keep my doubts about this point. Had I read “If I were holding like you...” or something similar, I would have taken, of course, your same approach –or almost; eluding any mention of the foot, as opposite as they are to the hands
I would like very much to read your comment at this respect, and try to reach, if needed, a better understanding of the text.
Right now –as yesterday-, the more I read this sentence (“Holding the world right in my hands...”) , the more it seems to me like a metaphorical prelude to the invocation: a convenient attitude for the thanksgiving of the singer; nothing to do with the alluded person.
What do yo think?

Hi Lev!

Yeah, as I don't like too much "If I were you" translated into French as it sounds too common, in the real and ordinary life everyone can hear that "si j'étais toi...." then follow "easy" advices (good or bad whatsoever)... First thing. Then after I found a way to translate this otherwise than using this "si j'étais toi...", I had a look at the present participle and told me I wouldn't translate it literally either, as in French it sounds rather heavy, so I tried to find a way that would let the line be lighter, yet explicite. I explained this in the remarks field in French.

Idiomatic expression "holding the world in one's hands", as strange as it may sound, is indeed translatable by "avoir le monde à ses pieds", here "à ses pieds" does not put the stress on the feet, it's just that the world (all the people or nearly) worship her/him, the metaphoric meaning is that the world (people) bow down and/or crawl before her/him (adoration), at the level of her/his feet. If one does abstraction of the world's inhibitants, it is then alluding material goods, properties, lands, thus talking about someone who's f...very rich.

You said : "the more it seems to me like a metaphorical prelude to the invocation: a convenient attitude for the thanksgiving of the singer..."

Do you mean the singer is actually talking to himself (inner voice, inner conflict?) Well, this could be, but with this kind of text several interpretations are possible.

I think the singer is not obligatorily talking about himself, but possibly about someone else, or even a purely fictive person, someone matching the depiction he did from some human mental flaws (like having everything and never being satisfied with it)Saying "yes, you should be thankful, instead of bitching or complaining about everything."

Does it answer your questions, or did I misunderstand something you were willing to put the stress on?

Hi Francky. I find your translating simply perfect.
And concerning Lev's question about "hand" or "feet" only a native, or someone having lived for a long time in France can understand, at least I think, that in French it is : "avoir le monde à ses pieds.
I'm going to accept this very good tranlation right now.

This is very kind of you Lene!

But Lev may be right, no one knows yet the real meaning from these words, so don't take it bad, but I'll reset my translation to evaluation until we find out what could be the real meaning from especially the last part of this short text.

This part

If I were you
Holding the world right in my hands
The first thing I'd do
Is thank the stars for all that I have



I'll edit the part from my first message where I was talking about "gerundive "(correct way it reads is "gerund" moreover) while it is a present participle.

Hi Francky!

Maybe you are right, but I continue to think that the strict words in the song do not suggest (at least, not clearly) the sense you give to them; and that the singer is referring to himself in this verse.
About the sentence "avoir le monde à mes/ses pieds", there are literal equivalents in Catalan and Spanish signifying exactly the same that in French. As I told above, I considered to use this idiom in my own translation into Catalan before changing my mind with respect to the meaning of these verses.
What I wanted to explain, but did not express well, was that there are in French, as well as in Catalan, (or so I believe), other idioms with which to avoid the “dichotomy” of “hands vs. foot”. And this, somehow, doesn’t sound me totally right (but that’s, of course, a matter of opinion and a secondary point).
About your comment on the relative vulgarity of the expression “Si j'étais toi”, I agree, being, as it is, also a commonplace in my own language. And in English as well... But that’s just what the text says; no more no less.

My main concern here would be to adequate my own translation as far as possible with yours (and this can be easily done, being Catalan and French so similar in many aspects). In fact I have edited it already, substituting for instance “lluent” for “brillant” (a synonym, but bringing better to the mind the reference to light.)
And, well, that’s the reason why I was eager to clarify my doubt about the last stanza.
I hope very much not to have disturbed you with my usual fastidiousness !

Hi Lev!

" dichotomy of hands and feet... " hehe!

Feet do badly what hands can do, feet are situated at the very bottom of the body, feet when just off the shoes after a good walk often smell bad, and so on, while hands seem to take advantage of a nobler social representation in man's mind, which is upraisingly unfair towards this absolutely necessary part from the human body : The feet

Anglosaxons prefer thus using "hands" in this kind of expression, whereas latin languages apparently don't.

Well, here as it's just idomatic "avoir le monde à ses pieds" refers less to only the feet than to the person in her/his entirety.

To reconciliate these two extremities and to help blowing up in mind this dichotomy there's another expression in French that means "doing whatever is possible to do" : "Jouer des pieds et des mains", or "faire des pieds et des mains" (you'll notice "pieds" is placed before "hands" in this expression.

About "si j'étais toi, ..." vs "si comme toi..., "the latter also says exactly the same thing, no more, no less, just abstraction is done from the pronoun and the verb, but there is no tendancious interpretation in replacing one with the other, IMHO.

There's one thing with translations of songs lyrics, and you may have noticed this already, in most of the cases the translation differs from the original, so I'll leave the Catalan version as you prefer it and I won't let it matching mine.

You did not disturb me at all, dear Lev, it has always been a pleasure having dis-cussions with you under translations here at

Hi, Cher Francky!
I forgot to tell you, weeks ago, that I edited my Catalan version according to your better point of view on this dubious passage in the last stanza (and managing somehow to elude « les pieds » ; which was possible in Catalan. Not at all that I’ve the least prejudice against them; it’s only a matter of symmetry with the original; a visual, as well as aural, reluctance

I still don't agree with replacing feet with hands in the French version, as if we do, it may sound better, and be more ressembling the original version, but idiomatically "avoir le monde à ses pieds" is still the very fair translation from "holding the world in [one's] hands". Then if the text is about a lady, "avoir le monde à ses pieds" is more fitting the female gender's image, whereas "tenir le monde dans ses mains" would be more related to someone like a dictator (if you remind well Charlie Chaplin playing with the mappemonde in the movie)

Well, that's my point of view, and I may be wrong, but as it is my translation I'm pleading in its favor the harder I can.

Well, nous aurons fait des pieds et des mains pour arriver à cette traduction!

He,he, he... Ouais! C'est bien vrai !
Nous sommes têtus...
But you have found a nice point with this scene from The Great Dictator... Hummmm... Yeah...