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  3. Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc.

touchy-feely

08:01 Aug 20, 2012
This question was closed without grading. Reason: No acceptable answer

English to French translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc. / about emotional intelligence
English term or phrase: touchy-feely
This is about implementing an emotional intelligence initiative in an organization, and the opposition it faces from the leaders due to various reasons, including:
Leader knows nothing about emotional intelligence, and thinks it’s all ***‘touchy-feely’ HR stuff***
Solen Fillatre
France
Local time: 03:26


Summary of answers provided
4 +1c'est un truc de midinettes
FX Fraipont (X)
4 +1psychologie à la noix
Daryo
4démonstratif
Michele Lemaire
3de la sensiblerie
Alain Boulé
4 -1niaiserie administrative
Kévin Bernier
3un truc de mièvres ou de la mièvrerie de RH
Assia SANLIS
3psychologie d'arrirere cuisine
Irène Guinez


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
touchy-feely (in this context)
de la sensiblerie


Explanation:
... des HR

De telles performances exceptionnelles ne sont possibles que dans une ambiance où les composants de l’intelligence émotionnelle s’harmonisent, j’en suis convaincu. Cela n’a rien à faire avec de la sensiblerie.

http://www.portail-rh.ch/praxisreport_view.cfm?nr_praxisrepo...

Alain Boulé
Local time: 03:26
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 12
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7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
touchy-feely (in this context)
niaiserie administrative


Explanation:
I think translating HR in French would make for an awkward sentence. Hence, I went with a more broad term - "administatrive".

I feel "niaiserie" translates well the idea of "touchy-feely" in this context, i.e a gullable and too optimistic approach to the corporate world.


    Reference: http://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/niaiserie
Kévin Bernier
France
Local time: 03:26
Native speaker of: French

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Tony M: That's not what touchy-feely actually means, Kévin: it means all that 'team-building', 'getting-in-touch-with-your-emotions' stuff; and that's why HR is important: it is specifically 'progressive'(!) HR departments who try to force this down our throats.
12 mins
  -> Oh I'm afraid you're right then. "Niaiserie" doesn't fit.
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6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
touchy-feely (in this context)
c'est un truc de midinettes


Explanation:
je connais des entreprises ou on dirait "de chochotes"...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 mins (2012-08-20 08:09:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"Tant que nous sommes dans la manipulation : les Américains utilisent le
mot de « touchy-feely » pour désigner une sentimentalité collante et
dégoulinante, qui, alternativement "
Apprivoiser ses émotions
http://belleph.free.fr/.../apprivoiser ses ém... - Translate this pageShare
by D RAVON -


FX Fraipont (X)
Belgium
Local time: 03:26
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 182

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Anne R: oui, c'est bien sympa ça!
5 hrs
  -> merci!
neutral  Daryo: "midinettes" = "airhead" girls, "airhead girls" are not necessarily into the "touchy-feely" business. "Touchy-feely" is more likely to be dismissed as "New-Age nonsense", or as 'psychobabbles', rather than as the doing of silly airhead girls.
22 hrs
  -> Jeune fille simple et frivole, à la sentimentalité naïve. http://www.cnrtl.fr/lexicographie/midinette
neutral  Sheila Wilson: they don't seem to reflect the idea of the source term. Mind you, I don't know what does!
23 hrs
neutral  Jocelyne Cuenin: pas trop sympa pour les femmes ! Mais j'aime bien le dégoulinant ... de bons sentiments :-)
3 days 5 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
touchy-feely (in this context)
un truc de mièvres ou de la mièvrerie de RH


Explanation:
simple suggestion....

Assia SANLIS
Local time: 03:26
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
démonstratif


Explanation:
Robert Collins French dictionary
touchy-feely ✰ adjective : qui aime le contact physique, démonstratif

Traduction libre:
Les dirigeants pensent que c'est juste une histoire de support émotionnel et d'expression de sentiments

Michele Lemaire
Local time: 21:26
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench, Native in EnglishEnglish
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22 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
psychologie d'arrirere cuisine


Explanation:
-

Irène Guinez
Spain
Local time: 03:26
Works in field
Native speaker of: French
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1 day 1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
"touchy-feely" (HR stuff)
psychologie à la noix


Explanation:
"Leader knows nothing about emotional intelligence, and thinks it’s all ‘touchy-feely’
HR stuff"
=
"... c'est de la psychologie à la noix ..."
or more dismissive:
"... c'est de la pseudo psychologie à la noix ..."
or even more dismissive
"... c'est des niaiseries de pseudo psychologie à la noix ..."

I think this is not so much about literal physical touch - even if there's any involved it's secondary - it's about being in touch with feelings, emotions (thus: emotional intelligence).
This would be a dismissive way of talking about it.
This is not a "one-fit-all" translation - but I think it's a good one in this case.


"Touchy-feely
Meaning

Human interactive that emphasizes physical closeness and emotional openness. The phrase is often used disparagingly in contexts where hard and businesslike behaviour is the norm.
Origin

The allusion is, of course, to the demonstration of one's empathy for another by touching or hugging them.

This term originated in the USA in the 1970s; for example, this piece by Nicholas Von Hoffman from The Charleston Gazette, March 1972:

"He [Walter Mondale] has something of the high school teacher in his manner not that he's stiff but he doesn't do that touchy-feely-stand-close kind of thing that marks an American politician when he's trying to do something special for you."
[http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/390000.html]




Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:26
Native speaker of: Native in SerbianSerbian, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jocelyne Cuenin: oui, du genre pseudo bons sentiments ou psychopop
2 days 4 hrs
  -> Merci!
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