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pas si fantastiques

English translation: Suggestion for the whole phrase

10:45 Feb 9, 2021
French to English translations [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
French term or phrase: pas si fantastiques
From an article about plastic recycling:

Depuis votre poubelle jaune jusqu'aux technologies des usines de recyclage, voici tout ce que vous devez savoir sur le cycle de vie des déchets en plastique, pas si fantastiques.

The agreement is with déchets, but it feels as though it ought to refer to the concept as a whole i.e. this isn't just science fiction, it's something quite mundane. But I may be completely off the mark... hence the question!
Wendy Cummings
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:18
English translation:Suggestion for the whole phrase
Explanation:
From your yellow wastebin to recycling plant tech, here's everything you need to know about the not-so-fantastic plastic waste lifecycle.

I think it's about déchets (pas) fantastiques

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 14 mins (2021-02-10 11:00:02 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

It's the waste that isn't fantastic but that rhymes with plastic
Selected response from:

AllegroTrans
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:18
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +6Suggestion for the whole phrase
AllegroTrans
3 +3not very/that pleasant
Saeed Najmi
4 +2not all that good, it's not all it's cracked up to be
marlene dolitsky
3 +2not that mysterious
Libby Cohen
4 +1Life in plastic, it's not so fantastic [from I'm a Barbie Girl]
Wolf Draeger
4not so great
MassimoA
Summary of reference entries provided
Song
Victoria Britten

Discussion entries: 6





  

Answers


9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
not very/that pleasant


Explanation:
It is unpleasant to learn about the lifecycle of waste. It is a disgusting reality.

Saeed Najmi
Morocco
Local time: 02:18
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Yvonne Gallagher
2 hrs
  -> Thanks Yvonne
agree  Shiam Alshami
4 hrs
  -> Thanks Shiam.
neutral  philgoddard: Why ignore the wordplay? It's easy to translate.
6 hrs
  -> Hi Philgoddard. Thanks for your comment. I was actually concerned with the end-meaning more than with the technicalities of translation I ended up overlooking other aspects.
agree  Nitya R.
7 days
  -> Thanks Nitya
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31 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
not all that good, it's not all it's cracked up to be


Explanation:
not all that good: normal level of language
"it's not all it's cracked up to be" is rather colloquial but still quite correct. Definitely a much stronger repudiation that the former.

marlene dolitsky
France
Local time: 03:18
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Yvonne Gallagher: "really not so great" if plastic/fantastic rhyme not wanted
2 hrs
agree  Nitya R.: Yes, "really not so great" or "really not all that great" could work too
7 days
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
not that mysterious


Explanation:
My departure point is the meaning of "fantastique(s)" that relates to fantasy or the fantastical (as in something strange, weird, "out there" or, as the asker mentioned, sci-fi). To me, it seems this is simply a campaign to explain and therefore demystify the recycling process - thereby rendering it less mysterious to the public.

Libby Cohen
Canada
Local time: 21:18
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Saeed Najmi: Right. people take waste, including plastic, for granted. Many are not aware of what it takes to recycle it, hence the comment at the end of the text.
2 hrs
  -> Thanks.
agree  marlene dolitsky: maybe this suggestion is not totally sci-fi, but "it's not rocket science."
2 hrs
  -> Thanks!
agree  Jessica Noyes
5 hrs
  -> Thanks!
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31 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +6
Suggestion for the whole phrase


Explanation:
From your yellow wastebin to recycling plant tech, here's everything you need to know about the not-so-fantastic plastic waste lifecycle.

I think it's about déchets (pas) fantastiques

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 14 mins (2021-02-10 11:00:02 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

It's the waste that isn't fantastic but that rhymes with plastic

AllegroTrans
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:18
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 115
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Carol Gullidge: agree, although not posting the phrase in the Answer box does pose problems when it comes to Glossary entries!
36 mins
  -> thanks, but this isn't one for the glossary, not being a translation "term"
agree  Mpoma: yup
40 mins
  ->  thanks!
agree  Shelley Upton: Yes, a nice way to get the play on words in there.
1 hr
  ->  thanks!
agree  Yvonne Gallagher
2 hrs
  ->  thanks!
agree  Victoria Britten
2 hrs
  ->  thanks!
agree  philgoddard
5 hrs
  -> thanks!
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1 day 1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
not so great


Explanation:
There is talk of how plastic waste is managed, which is not an exceptional process.

MassimoA
Italy
Local time: 03:18
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
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8 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Life in plastic, it's not so fantastic [from I'm a Barbie Girl]


Explanation:
Victoria's reference is excellent, but the first thing that came to my mind was the I'm a Barbie Girl song by Acqua. If pas si fantastiques is indeed a rhyming play on the French 90s track, then maybe you can retain the wordplay by alluding to a song many English speakers will have heard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyhrYis509A
♪I'm a Barbie girl in a Barbie world
Life in plastic, it's fantastic♪

Example sentence(s):
  • Life in plastic, it's not so fantastic, so here's all you need to know about the life cycle of plastic waste from the recycling bin to the recycling plant.
  • Life in plastic, it's not so fantastic—so here's the lowdown on the life cycle of plastic waste from bin to plant.

    Reference: http://www.metrolyrics.com/barbie-girl-lyrics-aqua.html
    Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie_Girl
Wolf Draeger
South Africa
Local time: 03:18
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 34

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  BdiL
8 hrs
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Reference comments


2 hrs peer agreement (net): +4
Reference: Song

Reference information:
This refers to a 1991 song by Elmer Food Beat: Le plastic c'est fantastique. That fact doesn't actually (I think) need to make any difference where the translation itself is concerned, but you never know when it might come up in a quiz !


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNm-3j98dSg
Victoria Britten
France
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 31

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  Daryo: I think that it certainly does make a difference - if nothing else makes it clear that it's the plastic that's not so great, not its lifecycle.
4 hrs
agree  philgoddard: The English term "plastic fantastic" has often been used for credit cards, possibly earlier than this.
6 hrs
agree  Wolf Draeger: Although the song is about condoms (AIDS epidemic, I guess), but great research.
7 days
agree  BdiL: Great research
8 days
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