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French to English - Standard rate: 0.08 EUR per word English - Standard rate: 0.20 GBP per word
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Sample translations submitted: 2
French to English: Fantasies of a Shoemaker
Source text - French LES FANTASMES DU CORDONNIER
Je possède, dans les étroites limites de mon appartement parisien, un cimetière de chaussures. Une collection de chaussures que je ne peux me résoudre à jeter. Fétiche ? Certes. Je n’atteins cependant pas le niveau d’un Jerry Brudos, qui, adolescent, assommait ou étouffait des femmes afin de leur voler leurs chaussures. Après tout, « il n’y a pas d’être plus malheureux sous le soleil qu’un fétichiste qui languit après une bottine et qui doit se contenter d’une femme entière » – c’est de Karl Kraus.
Fin des années soixante-dix, Guy Bourdin réalise une campagne de mode stupéfiante : ambiance provinciale de nuit à la Chabrol, Les Fantômes du chapelier ou les fantasmes du cordonnier ? Les escarpins en question : talon français affûté à l’extrême, une inclinaison imperceptible qui suit la courbe du pied surélevé… de ceux qui vont à toutes les femmes. Le mannequin ? Des mollets Stockmann. Guy Bourdin, le Jerry Brudos de la photographie ? Dans ses campagnes pour les chaussures (des talons de caractère, escarpins et sandales à bride, principalement), le photographe de génie découpe les corps. On dit qu’il faisait prendre la pause des heures durant à ses modèles, et qu’il déclenchait la prise de vues uniquement quand le modèle était sur le point de craquer. On pourrait également établir un parallèle avec Helmut Newton et ses X-rays qui coupent la jambe juste au-dessous du genou.
Nonobstant ces liens étroits entre rétifisme et amputation qui pourraient instiller le doute sur ma santé mentale (et puis, on sait bien qu’avec Thanatos, on est toujours sur le chemin d’Eros), je voudrais vous expliquer comment j’ai commencé mon cimetière.
Translation - English Fantasies of a Shoemaker
Within the confined space of my Parisian flat, I have a shoe graveyard. A collection of shoes that I cannot bring myself to throw out. Am I a fetishist? I certainly am. I have not, however, reached the same level as teenage Jerry Brudos, who knocked women out cold or choked them unconsciousness so that he could steal their shoes. (When he moved on to murder, he amputated and preserved the foot of his first victim, Linda Slawson, and fitted it into the various shoes in his collection.) After all, “there is no living creature under the sun more unhappy than the fetishist who craves an ankle-boot but has to make do with a whole woman instead.”
In the late 70s, Guy Bourdin ran a truly amazing advertising campaign for Charles Jourdan: against a background of provincial nightlife, just like a Chabrol filmset, The Hatter’s Ghost meets Fantasies of a Shoemaker. Featuring: evening shoes with high, finely chiselled French heels that taper almost imperceptibly, following the curve of the upraised foot ... perfect for every woman. Modelled by: ... tailors’ dummies. Does that mean Guy Bourdin is the Jerry Brudos of photography? In his shoe advertisements (the heels are distinctive – usually evening shoes and strappy sandals), this photographic genius cuts up bodies. It is rumoured that he made his models pose for hours on end, and only started his photoshoot when the model had reached breaking-point. Another parallel can be drawn here with Helmut Newton and his X-ray images that cut off the leg just below the knee.
Moving away from this close linking of retifism and amputation that might make you wonder about my mental health (but then, we all know that when Thanatos is involved, Eros is never far away), I would like to tell you how I came to start my graveyard.
SEPTEMBER 2010
For Magazine Antidote
Original French text at http://magazineantidote.com/les-fantasmes-du-cordonnier/
French to English: Little Train of La Turballe commentary
Source text - French Commentaire la Turballe
1) Mesdames et Messieurs bonjour, et bienvenue à bord du Petit Train de la Turballe. Nous vous demandons de bien rester assis et de ne pas vous pencher à l’extérieur des wagons. Ce circuit qui durera une heure, vous fera découvrir l’histoire de la ville, son port et ses paysages qui affichent leur beauté sauvage et préservée. Notre voyage se poursuivra à travers les marais salants, dont la tradition séculaire a assis la réputation de la région, jusqu’au petit village de Pen Bron.
2) A droite, Le Port de la Turballe, son centre marée et son Musée, que nous évoquerons dans la dernière partie de notre voyage.
3) Dans la continuité, le petit port. D’une superficie de 1200 m², il offre 200 mètres de pontons ; son aménagement actuel date de 1989.
4) La pêche a toujours joué un rôle important dans l’économie de la ville, depuis sa naissance au 18e siècle, jusqu’à nos jours. C’est grâce à la sardine que le port, va fonder toute son activité. En effet, si les premières usines de conserves furent construites à Nantes, c’est à La Turballe, que fut implantée en 1824, la toute première conserverie de sardines sur le lieu de pêche. Et c’est François Deffés, industriel nantais, qui en eut l’idée 20s
Translation - English Commentary for La Turballe
1) Ladies and gentlemen, hello and welcome aboard the La Turballe Miniature Train. We ask you to please remain seated and not lean out of the carriages. This tour will last for one hour and you will discover the history of the town, its port and the surrounding countryside, which is a protected area of unspoilt natural beauty. Our journey will continue across the salt marshes, upon whose ancient traditions the region’s reputation is founded, to the little village of Pen Bron.
2) On your right is La Turballe’s port, fish market and Museum; we’ll tell you more about this towards the end of our trip.
3) Moving on, the small harbour. Covering an area of 1200 m², it has 200 metres of pontoons. Its current layout was created in 1989.
4) Fishing has always played an important part in the town’s economy, from its earliest origins back in the 18th century right up to the present day. The port’s entire industry was originally based on sardines. The first canned food factories were built at Nantes, but in fact La Turballe was the site of the very first sardine canning factory to be established at a fishing port, in 1824. And it was an industrialist from Nantes, named François Deffés, who came up with that idea in the 20s.
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Experience
Years of experience: 27. Registered at ProZ.com: Feb 2015.
I'm a native British English speaker and have worked freelance since 1996, initially offering English copywriting and journalism services, particularly business journalism, alongside translation and proofreading. Since moving from the UK to France in 2009, the focus of my activity has shifted onto translation, which now represents 95 per cent of my professional activity.
I specialise in tourism translation, because travel is one of my passions, but I also work extensively in the business and marketing sectors as well as general translation. My aim (unless briefed otherwise) is to create a translation that is fluid and accurate, and faithfully reflects the tone and style of the source text; as a journalist - and a published short story writer, some of which have won prizes - it's second nature to me to choose the appropriate vocabulary and register for the target readership. Regular visits to the UK help me keep up to date with the latest "buzzwords" for clients who want their translations to appeal to a young, trendy market.
I'm a member of the Société Française des Traducteurs and also the National Union of Journalists.
I work with agencies and end clients, and am always happy to provide a quote for a one-off service or to agree a basis for an on-going collaboration.
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