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les pères de l'hiver
se crispent
Sep 8, 2009 18:18
14 yrs ago
1 viewer *
French term

brise

Non-PRO French to English Art/Literary General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
" term taken from a sentence describing the landscape where the story takes place, it reads:(...)seul le grondement des montagnes brise le silence magnifique"
Proposed translations (English)
4 +7 broke
4 overpowers
4 shatters
Change log

Sep 8, 2009 18:20: Stéphanie Soudais changed "Field (specific)" from "Poetry & Literature" to "General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters"

Proposed translations

+7
5 mins
Selected

broke

from briser.

Only the rumbling of the mountains broke the magnificent silence.

Not sure why they would be rumbling.
Peer comment(s):
agree Tony M : Though surely this is the present: breaks? / Well, what else would mountains do — surely you wouldn't expect them to squeak?! :-))) / Sure, but the tense really does rather depend on the rest of the narrative, doesn't it?
3 mins
Yes it is the present but, as I am sure you would agree, in this kind of descriptive writing, the past sounds more natural in English. // I would expect mountains to maintain a majestic silence, broken by the occasional avalanche or volcanic eruption.
agree Sheila Wilson : certainly the right verb, probably best in the past tense. Surely it should be "in the mountains", even though that's not what the original says?
1 hr
Yes, I supppose "in the mountains" is more likely - as in a distant storm etc.
agree RUTH ELIZABETH BARTLETT
1 hr
agree B D Finch : Volcanos perhaps?
3 hrs
agree tatyana000 : If it's from a film script like the asker's other question, then the verb should be in the present.
4 hrs
agree Sarah Bessioud : agree, but would favour verb in the present
10 hrs
agree George C.
1 day 12 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you so much ! Ega"
13 mins

overpowers

Takes over
Something went wrong...
41 mins

shatters

Apart from the expression "to break the silence" (which is also correct), "shattering the silence" is more poetic, this is why I provide you with corresponding web references.
Reference:

http://books.google.hr/books?id=KkKBhQVyid8C&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=the+mountains+shatter+the+silence&source=bl&ots=z58N6J8t6f&sig=L7wbw7zCpuXi

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aralani/3020817444/

Peer comment(s):
neutral Sheila Wilson : only suitable if the rumbling is extremely loud and sudden
27 mins
neutral Mark Nathan : agree with Sheila
32 mins
neutral Tony M : Yes, that's the trouble really: 'rumble' doesn't necessarily fit with 'shatter' (unlike 'piercing scream', for example!)
1 hr
neutral B D Finch : Not more poetic, OTT.
2 hrs
Something went wrong...
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