Dec 1, 2007 07:33
16 yrs ago
French term
Paul Frank (X)
déploiements d'éruditions subtiles
French to English
Art/Literary
Philosophy
How would you translate "déploiements d'éruditions subtiles et vaines" here? I don't see how "subtle" would work here.
Qu'il y ait dans ces tendances en histoire de la philosophie bien des paresses intellectuelles, des conforts de pensée, des déploiements d'éruditions subtiles et vaines, des fuites aussi dans la poussière des bibliothèques permettant de fuir l'urgence de bien des problèmes, le lecteur peut aisément le supposer.
Qu'il y ait dans ces tendances en histoire de la philosophie bien des paresses intellectuelles, des conforts de pensée, des déploiements d'éruditions subtiles et vaines, des fuites aussi dans la poussière des bibliothèques permettant de fuir l'urgence de bien des problèmes, le lecteur peut aisément le supposer.
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+3
1 hr
Selected
displays of fine and futile knowledge
Or you can use "erudition" I guess but it's not quite the same
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Jenny Duthie
20 mins
|
| agree |
Melissa McMahon
: I like this, but I would keep "erudition" as knowledge tends to suggest a positive value (ie truth), whereas erudition is just 'learning' that may be useless, as suggested here
2 hrs
|
|
ooohh... that's food for a huge philosophical debate on the value of knowledge :-)
|
|
| agree |
Cath St Clair (X)
: I like this Anne! Just a thought - how about "fine yet futile"? The use of "and" between the adjectives suggests to me that the 2 are not describing the same piece of writing (i.e. some fine, some futile). I think it is trying to link both together, no?
2 hrs
|
|
agreed!
|
|
| neutral |
Carol Gullidge
: I like futile, but can't see where "fine" comes from, nor its meaning! It also seems too positive for the context...
12 hrs
|
|
fine = subtiles... Agreed earlier to use fine "yet" utile. Trying like French, to use pos. words in sarcastic way.
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks for all the good suggestions!"
51 mins
Vittorio Ferretti
Author of renowned dictionary
Native in: German 
, Italian 
Works in: English to German, Italian to German, Spanish to German, and 1 more.
1 hr
The proliferation of selective and futile scholarship
Or 'dissemination of selective and useless scholarship. Maybe you could use 'learning' instead of scholarship....
2 hrs
the use of erudite but empty subtleties
I suggest that you turn it around and that "vaines" is an essential part of the meaning. It is best to keep the use of the word "subtlety" but ensure that it is understood in the negative rather than in the positive sense.
2 hrs
Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
Works in field
United Kingdom
poetically precise prose with... panache
Native in: English
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
use/deployment of tenuous and meaningless pedantry/theory
I think that's the sense of it.
or falling back on tenuous ....
relying on ...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2007-12-01 10:05:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
or
resorting to flimsy and meaningless tenets
----
But, I meant to say earlier (but forgot!) that I also think you could use subtle - except that it might possibly be seen to be too positive in the context. Anyway, here are a few possible, but slightly derogatory, alternatives.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2007-12-01 11:42:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
If you have some leeway with creativity, you could even say, e.g.,
resorting to/citing the finer points of some meaningless hypothesis/erudition
----
(plenty of leeway with any the above combinations!)
(eruditions (pl) doesn't work)
or falling back on tenuous ....
relying on ...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2007-12-01 10:05:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
or
resorting to flimsy and meaningless tenets
----
But, I meant to say earlier (but forgot!) that I also think you could use subtle - except that it might possibly be seen to be too positive in the context. Anyway, here are a few possible, but slightly derogatory, alternatives.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2007-12-01 11:42:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
If you have some leeway with creativity, you could even say, e.g.,
resorting to/citing the finer points of some meaningless hypothesis/erudition
----
(plenty of leeway with any the above combinations!)
(eruditions (pl) doesn't work)
10 hrs
flaunt of pedantic and superfluous learning
I think "flaunt"better conveys the pejorative overtone of déploiement in this context.
Discussion