maton

English translation: prison guards

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Italian term or phrase:maton
English translation:prison guards
Entered by: Giorgio Tenedios (X)

23:02 Nov 14, 2019
Italian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Detenuto che pianifica di fuggire dal carcere (il termine nel testo italiano viene dato in francese)(
Italian term or phrase: maton
Sapevo di essere controllato: da quelle parti "les matons" non sbattono le sbarre, non fanno la conta, sembra quasi che non ti controllino eppure ti tengono d’occhio, eccome!
Giorgio Tenedios (X)
Italy
Local time: 18:01
prison guards
Explanation:
See https://fr.thefreedictionary.com/matons
Depending on the type of book you are translating, you may want to keep it in French and give the English translation within brackets.
Selected response from:

Marco Solinas
Local time: 10:01
Grading comment
Thanks
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +3prison guards
Marco Solinas
3 +1screw [warder]
Wolf Draeger


Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
prison guards


Explanation:
See https://fr.thefreedictionary.com/matons
Depending on the type of book you are translating, you may want to keep it in French and give the English translation within brackets.

Marco Solinas
Local time: 10:01
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in ItalianItalian
PRO pts in category: 24
Grading comment
Thanks

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Lisa Jane
6 hrs

agree  Kathryn Jones
6 hrs

agree  Michele Fauble
18 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
screw [warder]


Explanation:
If you want or need a slang equivalent in English.

There's a reason why the writer kept maton in French; whether you do likewise or translate it will depend on how often it crops up, how important it is to the story and/or characters, where the action takes place, and so on.

If you do keep it, you'll have to work the meaning into the translation so that the reader is not left confused.

For "screw" as slang for "warder", see 1. (c) in the following link (Green's wonderful dictionary of slang): https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/yz4k6rq

Out of interest, is the story set in France or a prison camp in, say, Vietnam?

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Note added at 12 hrs (2019-11-15 11:25:38 GMT)
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My example sentences are too free and would have to be tightened, they're just to give an idea of how one might go about it.

Example sentence(s):
  • I was being watched all right. The screws left the gates open and didn't do roll calls, as if they weren't paying attention, but they followed my every move.
  • I knew I was being watched. We weren't under lock and key or roll called, but for all their feigned laxity, the screws sure kept a beady eye on me!

    Reference: http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/maton
    Reference: http://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/maton
Wolf Draeger
South Africa
Local time: 19:01
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Inter-Tra: In PLURAL. I think that keeping the link with the French etymology should be important. Clearly also 'guard' < middle Fr. garde .. but personally in this context I preceive screw as more echoic
20 hrs
  -> Thanks, Francesca!
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