Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
Nos créations ne traversent pas les modes, elles les subliment !
English translation:
Our creations never go out of style, they set the pace!
Added to glossary by
Debora Blake
Feb 9, 2020 16:08
4 yrs ago
44 viewers *
French term
United Kingdom
environment/tourism/charity sectors
Native in: English 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English
Nos créations ne traversent pas les modes, elles les subliment !
French to English
Art/Literary
Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting
Jewellery
Hello,
Would anyone be able to help me with this phrase please?
It is for a jewellery company, for the English version of their website.
Is it saying that their jewellery is timeless and doesn't go out of fashion, and that it enhances fashions/styles?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Merci d'avance
Would anyone be able to help me with this phrase please?
It is for a jewellery company, for the English version of their website.
Is it saying that their jewellery is timeless and doesn't go out of fashion, and that it enhances fashions/styles?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Merci d'avance
Proposed translations
(English)
Change log
Feb 10, 2020 01:35: Yolanda Broad changed "Visibility" from "Visible" to "Squashed"
Feb 10, 2020 22:07: Andrea Capuselli changed "Visibility" from "Squashed" to "Visible"
Feb 11, 2020 12:00: Debora Blake Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
1 hr
Debora Blake
France
France
Native in French
&
English
France
Audiovisual Translation Specialist
Native in: English , French (Variant: Standard-France)
Works in: French to English, English to French, Italian to English, and 3 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
8
Selected
Our creations never go out of style, they set the pace!
I think this does the trick nicely. It's close enough to the original without falling into the trap of being too literal.
Setting the pace is a creative way to deal with "sublimer" as it means positioning yourself so that others must try to catch up or do better than you.
See an example at the link I provided.
Setting the pace is a creative way to deal with "sublimer" as it means positioning yourself so that others must try to catch up or do better than you.
See an example at the link I provided.
Reference:
https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/02/style/review-fashion-versace-s-male-pinups-set-the-pace.html
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "This sounds great, thank you very much! It fits the style of the text perfectly. I really appreciate your help. "
23 mins
Nicolas Gambardella
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in French
United Kingdom
Going the extra mile for premium results
Native in: French (Variants: Standard-France, Luxembourgish, Canadian, Swiss, Belgian) 
Works in: English to French, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Not only do our creation outlast fashions, they transcend them!
Just a proposal
Note from asker:
| Thank you for your suggestion, I appreciate your help! |
+1
26 mins
philgoddard
United States
United States
Native in English
Specializes in field
United States
Six languages into flawless English
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English, Spanish to English, and 4 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
61
our creations don't transcend fashion: they take it to new heights
The dictionary gives "enhance", but I think that sounds a bit lacklustre.
https://dictionary.reverso.net/french-english/sublimer
The first translation here is completely wrong, but the rest are OK:
http://www.linguee.fr/francais-anglais/traduction/traverser ...
https://dictionary.reverso.net/french-english/sublimer
The first translation here is completely wrong, but the rest are OK:
http://www.linguee.fr/francais-anglais/traduction/traverser ...
Note from asker:
| Thank you all for your thoughts, you raise some interesting points - thank you for your ideas. |
Peer comment(s):
| disagree |
Jay Gonzalez
: "To transcend" is the same as as to "rise above" or "go beyond", so "take it to new heights" is saying the same thing as "transcend" here https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transcend
20 mins
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Traanscend simply means outlast in this context. Take it to new heights is something much more positive.
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| agree |
Carol Gullidge
: Actually, I have seen this very same use of "traverser les modes" (as in "transcend trends") and find it perfectly convincing. You cd even use "don't just/simply/only transcend fashion,... Either way, this sounds the most "marketing/punchy" answer so far!
1 hr
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Thank you. I agree that the addition of "just" is a good idea.
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| agree |
Philippe Barré
1 day 16 hrs
|
+1
24 mins
Jay Gonzalez
United States
United States
Native in English
United States
Making the most of your message
Native in: English (Variants: US, Canadian, US South, British, UK)
Works in: Russian to English, French to English, Spanish to English, and 2 more.
Our creations transcend the fashion of today. They are timeless treasures!
Hi Catharine,
I can tell the company whose website you're working on makes storytelling part of their advertising, so a transcreational approach would work better than a direct translation here.
They don't so much enhance fashion as they transcending it. As you say, their pieces aren't part of any passing fashion, they are timeless classics/beauties/pieces/creations (you pick the word or expression that you feel best tells the story).
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Note added at 27 mins (2020-02-09 16:36:07 GMT)
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Oops...I got so passionate about the answer that I rewrote it a few times, so it should be "They don't so much enhance fashion as transcend it"
I can tell the company whose website you're working on makes storytelling part of their advertising, so a transcreational approach would work better than a direct translation here.
They don't so much enhance fashion as they transcending it. As you say, their pieces aren't part of any passing fashion, they are timeless classics/beauties/pieces/creations (you pick the word or expression that you feel best tells the story).
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Note added at 27 mins (2020-02-09 16:36:07 GMT)
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Oops...I got so passionate about the answer that I rewrote it a few times, so it should be "They don't so much enhance fashion as transcend it"
Note from asker:
| Hi all, thanks for your thoughts here. Thanks for your ideas Jay! Yes a transcreational approach is necessary to match their writing style but sound natural in the target language. Thanks again for your help, Catharine |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
philgoddard
: It says they don't transcend fashion, and I think you have to respect that.
4 mins
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I think you're interpreting a marketing text too literally, which makes for bad marketing copy. "Traverser la mode" has the meaning of "following the fashion". "Sublimer" can mean to beautify or enhance, but it can also mean to transcend figuratively.
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| agree |
Carol Gullidge
: "timeless treasures" = ??? (perhaps a bit too much passion!)// Yes, the trick is to make it sound catchy whilst sticking to the ST; it is just the last sentence that I disagree with. BUT, I agree with "They don't so much enhance fashion as transcend it
41 mins
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I suggested other possibilities in the body of my entry. The main thing is to make it sound good in English while adhering to the spirit of the French. It depends on the client: verbatim translation or make it sound appealing to the target audience
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1 hr
Our creations rise above fashion to bring out the best in it
Another possibility!
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Note added at 1 hr (2020-02-09 17:19:48 GMT)
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I also thought of this as a possible translation :
"Not dictated by fashion, our creations bring out the beauty in it".
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Note added at 1 hr (2020-02-09 17:19:48 GMT)
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I also thought of this as a possible translation :
"Not dictated by fashion, our creations bring out the beauty in it".
Note from asker:
| I like both of these! Thank you :) |
1 hr
We go beyond Timeless
With a bit of poetic licence, and a bit snappier.might this get the idea across?
Note from asker:
| This is a nice idea, thank you! |
Discussion