This question was closed without grading. Reason: Answer found elsewhere
Dec 3, 2007 03:05
16 yrs ago
French term
Australia
ce sera la St Glinglin
French to English
Other
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
colloquialism
I'm retranslating some film dialogue where two characters are planning a crime and one says to the other:
"Vaut mieux pas prendre de risques. Autrement ce sera la St Glinglin."
The existing translations of this line give "or you'll end up in the clink" (ie jail) for "Autrement ce sera la St Glinglin."
I can't find any reference on the net to "St Glinglin" being slang for jail - has anyone else heard about this?
I was wondering whether it was drawing on the idea of St Glinglin being judgement day - so "ce sera la st glinglin" = "it'll be curtains/doomsday for us".
"Vaut mieux pas prendre de risques. Autrement ce sera la St Glinglin."
The existing translations of this line give "or you'll end up in the clink" (ie jail) for "Autrement ce sera la St Glinglin."
I can't find any reference on the net to "St Glinglin" being slang for jail - has anyone else heard about this?
I was wondering whether it was drawing on the idea of St Glinglin being judgement day - so "ce sera la st glinglin" = "it'll be curtains/doomsday for us".
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +4 | we won't get out again for a long time |
Tony M
|
| 5 +2 | See... |
Juan Jacob
|
| 4 +3 | when hell freezes over |
French Foodie
|
| 3 +1 | it won't happen |
Michael H G (X)
|
| 5 -1 | in your dream |
Martine Yesler
|
Proposed translations
+2
19 mins
Juan Jacob
Mexico
Mexico
Native in French
Mexico
Literatura, historia, subtitulaje
Native in: Spanish (Variants: Mexican, Latin American) 
, French (Variants: Belgian, Standard-France)
Works in: French to Spanish, Spanish to French, French, and 5 more.
See...
Saint Glinglin means... NEVER.
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Glinglin
Saint Glinglin doesn't exist, of course.
Put Never or when "the seas dry", "with chicken have teeth", "when the pigs fly", whatever.
Good luck.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 22 minutos (2007-12-03 03:27:53 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
In fact, I think it should be: "À la Saint Glinglin."
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 28 minutos (2007-12-03 03:34:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
And in English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Glinglin
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Glinglin
Saint Glinglin doesn't exist, of course.
Put Never or when "the seas dry", "with chicken have teeth", "when the pigs fly", whatever.
Good luck.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 22 minutos (2007-12-03 03:27:53 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
In fact, I think it should be: "À la Saint Glinglin."
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 28 minutos (2007-12-03 03:34:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
And in English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Glinglin
+1
43 mins
it won't happen
Dictionnaire d'argot : saint Glinglin (ABC de la langue française)dans longtemps = date très lointaine ; très longtemps, éternité ; remettre à jamais ; jamais, très tardivement.
saint Glinglin Saint-Glin-Glin (jusqu'à la -) ; Saint-Glinglin (jusqu'à la -) ; Saint-Glinglin (remettre à la -) ; saint-glinglin (à la -)
dans longtemps = date très lointaine ; très longtemps, éternité ; remettre à jamais ; jamais, très tardivement
saint Glinglin Saint-Glin-Glin (jusqu'à la -) ; Saint-Glinglin (jusqu'à la -) ; Saint-Glinglin (remettre à la -) ; saint-glinglin (à la -)
dans longtemps = date très lointaine ; très longtemps, éternité ; remettre à jamais ; jamais, très tardivement
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Carol Gullidge
: I think this is also a possibility: that the project is bound to fail unless all precautions are taken
6 hrs
|
|
Merci Carol
|
-1
1 hr
Martine Yesler
Native in French
Fast and professional and accurate
Native in: French 
Works in: English to French, French to English
+3
4 hrs
when hell freezes over
Juan's answer "When pigs fly" is what immediately sprung to mind for me, but given the crime context, I thought this expression would be quite fitting.
My husband uses this expression and it always makes me laugh - just the sound "glinglin" makes me think of turkeys gobbling :-)
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2007-12-03 09:07:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
I also really like siragui's suggestion in a comment to Tony: It'll be a cold day in hell before we get out.
We'll be stuck in the slammer until hell freezes over.
My husband uses this expression and it always makes me laugh - just the sound "glinglin" makes me think of turkeys gobbling :-)
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2007-12-03 09:07:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
I also really like siragui's suggestion in a comment to Tony: It'll be a cold day in hell before we get out.
We'll be stuck in the slammer until hell freezes over.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
BrigitteHilgner
: Good suggestion! Should fit well.
4 mins
|
|
thanks Brigitte
|
|
| agree |
Drmanu49
: That's my choice!
1 hr
|
|
thanks Drmanu49
|
|
| agree |
Carol Gullidge
: Nice one! I think it best to leave the ambiguity for the reader/audience to interpret for themselves in the target language, just as it has been left in the source text. I.e., no need to specify WHAT will happen when (or before) hell freezes over!
2 hrs
|
|
Thanks Carol, the idea: better not take the risk, or it'll be 'til hell freezes over for us.
|
+4
4 hrs
French term (edited):
ce sera la St Glinglin... (before we get out of gaol again)
we won't get out again for a long time
I think "or we'll end up in clink" is perfectly OK, I feel sure that is the intended implication of the remark, and any comparable idiom to the original really doesn't work for me here in EN.
As others have pointed out, 'la St Glinglin' means 'for ages, in fact, never' — 'in a month of Sundays' often does it for me. But here, I think what you need to translate is in fact the unspoken continuation of the speaker's phrase.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 hrs (2007-12-03 12:29:47 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
In response to Carol's comment about over-translation: I entirely take your point, and agree with it as a general principle, of course... but in this instance, one has to take into account that, because of the different idioms, the sentence left hanging in FR makes perfect sense as is, whereas translating it in any way directly and still leaving it hanging would be nonsense in EN.
As the two Francises have said, the implication is 'perpète', so the nearest equivalent 'leavable-hangable' in EN would probably be something llike "Or it'll be life for us..."
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 days8 hrs (2007-12-05 11:27:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Well, clearly not having sufficient of the context does make it difficult for us to help you, but thanks for provoking this interesting discussion!
As others have pointed out, 'la St Glinglin' means 'for ages, in fact, never' — 'in a month of Sundays' often does it for me. But here, I think what you need to translate is in fact the unspoken continuation of the speaker's phrase.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 hrs (2007-12-03 12:29:47 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
In response to Carol's comment about over-translation: I entirely take your point, and agree with it as a general principle, of course... but in this instance, one has to take into account that, because of the different idioms, the sentence left hanging in FR makes perfect sense as is, whereas translating it in any way directly and still leaving it hanging would be nonsense in EN.
As the two Francises have said, the implication is 'perpète', so the nearest equivalent 'leavable-hangable' in EN would probably be something llike "Or it'll be life for us..."
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 days8 hrs (2007-12-05 11:27:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Well, clearly not having sufficient of the context does make it difficult for us to help you, but thanks for provoking this interesting discussion!
Note from asker:
| Thank you for your thoughts on this. In the end I asked the commissioning Francophone at the agency about this and she preferred the traditional sense, ie 'it aint gonna happen'. On reflection I think further context supports this and I should have included it: the 'not taking risks' was about 'ensuring' something would happen (even if this involved doing illegal things), rather than being cautious through non-action. If that makes sense. |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
PFB (X)
: the most logical answer so far - not adding 'we won't get out' would make it impossible to understand what is meant by the speaker.
6 mins
|
|
Merci, Philippe !
|
|
| agree |
Francis MARC
: c'est comme "prendre perpète" au niveau de la condamnation
14 mins
|
|
Merci, Francis ! Ah oui, c'est vrai !
|
|
| agree |
siragui
: Good analysis, but there may be something more colorful than "not ... for a long time" ("they'll lock us up and throw away the key", or "It'll be a cold day in hell before ...").
20 mins
|
|
Thnaks, siragui! Yes, of course, I was really only trying to explain the underlying idea for Asker's sake.
|
|
| neutral |
Carol Gullidge
: don't disagree w yr analysis, but feel that overinterpretation detracts from the original text. This is dialogue, where sentences are often left hanging - as in natural speech, where people don't always explain things clearly. Pls see my comment to Mara
3 hrs
|
|
Thanks, Carol... please would you refer to my added note above.
|
|
| agree |
Francis Marche
: as Francis Marc puts it: "la Saint Glinglin" has only one simple, sraithforward meaning: "prendre perpète" meaning in plain English: "a life sentence". As Claude Nougaro put it:"nous sortirons de là quand nos poules n'auront plus de dents!"
4 hrs
|
|
Merci, Francis ! En effet, oui... et oui encore ;-)))
|
Something went wrong...