petit poucet

English translation: midget (literally "Tom Thumb".)

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:petit poucet
English translation:midget (literally "Tom Thumb".)
Entered by: Ben Gaia

11:03 Jun 27, 2018
French to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Economics
French term or phrase: petit poucet
This is an article about the digital economy. This term appears several times (see examples below) and I am having trouble coming up with an appropriate translation - is there a term we use in English? Any ideas?

La nouvelle économie, géant médiatique mais petit poucet économique ?

Cette vision d’un petit poucet ne reflèterait elle pas en réalité l’incapacité de nos appareils statistiques à bien mesurer ce secteur numérique et la nouvelle économie collaborative qui en résulte.

Mais ce petit poucet numérique, du point de vue de la comptabilité nationale, sème ses cailloux (ou plus précisément ses octets) dans toute l’économie et la société faisant ainsi aujourd’hui de chaque entreprise et ménage son foyer.
Alison Wedley
France
Local time: 15:42
midget
Explanation:
In this context, "Tom Thumb" is too folkloric, a news article might say "economic midget".

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 15 hrs (2018-06-28 02:23:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

.."a headline-grabbing giant, and yet, an economic midget?.."
Selected response from:

Ben Gaia
New Zealand
Local time: 03:42
Grading comment
thanks
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1little guy
Anita Planchon
4 +1midget
Ben Gaia
3 +1David (and Goliath)
Margaret Morrison
4kid
Francois Boye
Summary of reference entries provided
José Patrício

Discussion entries: 6





  

Answers


44 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
David (and Goliath)


Explanation:
Would address the idea of little guy vs big guy, tho you could really only use where the 2 are opposed, otherwise reader will be wondering who this David chap is. Might help with working up something for the cailloux tho (slingshot pebbles etc)


    https://blog.euromonitor.com/2018/01/david-vs-goliath-rise-small-companies.html
Margaret Morrison
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:42
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  B D Finch
6 mins

neutral  Ben Gaia: I like the way you are thinking. But it refers to something which is "either or both at once" rather than two things in opposition.
6 hrs
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
little guy


Explanation:
I agree with the sentiment of Margaret's answer, but to avoid the problem of opposition, I'd suggest the most commonly used English language term is just the "little guy" (some examples below).

Example sentence(s):
  • The digital economy: media giant but economic little guy.
  • This perception of the little guy might in fact reflect the inability of our statitical tools to properly measure the digital sector and the sharing economy that has emerged from it,.

    https://www.economist.com/leaders/2012/03/03/small-is-not-beautiful
    https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/16/business/some-shoppers-rebel-against-giant-web-retailers.html
Anita Planchon
Australia
Local time: 01:42
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ben Gaia: Modern PC Down Under version of my suggestion.
11 hrs
  -> :-)
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
midget


Explanation:
In this context, "Tom Thumb" is too folkloric, a news article might say "economic midget".

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 15 hrs (2018-06-28 02:23:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

.."a headline-grabbing giant, and yet, an economic midget?.."

Ben Gaia
New Zealand
Local time: 03:42
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
thanks

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Daryo
2 hrs
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1 day 2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
kid


Explanation:
Why not kid! After all, 'le petit poucet' is a fairy tale for kids

On top of that, kid also means in English a young man without experience (incapable of what great achievements)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 3 hrs (2018-06-28 14:55:49 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

erratum: GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS instead of 'what great achievements'

Francois Boye
United States
Local time: 10:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 37
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Reference comments


2 hrs
Reference

Reference information:
Little Thumb - metaphor: capacity of overtake, recover from adversities
Literature about Little Thumb:
Little Thumb
Charles Perrault - https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/perrault08.html
Little Thumb, or Little Poucet (French: Le petit Poucet), is one of the eight fairytales published by Charles Perrault - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hop-o'-My-Thumb
Little Thumb - American Literature - https://americanliterature.com/author/charles-perrault/fairy...
"Little Thumb" Andrew Lang. The Blue Fairy Book
"Little Thumb" Charles Welsh in The Tales of Mother Goose
"Little Thumb" Samber (transl.); Mansion (ed.); Clarke (ill.). The fairy tales of Charles Perrault. Harrap, 1922. - https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Little_Thumb

José Patrício
Portugal
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
neutral  B D Finch: The usual name is "Tom Thumb", I'd never heard him called "Little Thumb".//Correction: apparently Tom Thumb is an English fairy story and Little Thumb is the name in the translation of Perrault's fairy story.
1 hr
  -> But what interests here is Perrault’s story, I think. Besides Tom Thumb was an actor: General Tom Thumb", was a dwarf who achieved great fame as a performer under circus pioneer. Can you send me the link of the fairy story? Thank you.
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