Foreign Tongue

Vanina Marsot’s wonderful first novel, Foriegn Tongue, is about a French American woman translating an erotic novel in France.  As someone who grew up with both languages, Marsot has always been interested in the limitations and freedoms that are unique to either one.  She explained in a France 24 interview this week that the novel was a “fun playground for me to ruminate on those differences.”

A compulsive read for translation theorists, and French language lovers at any level, here's one of my favorite passages:

“How do you translate ‘séduire’?  In English, ‘to be seduced’ has a connotation of corruption, an inkling of something against one’s will or good intentions; ‘être séduit’ is closer to being beguiled.  ‘Elle a un grand besoin de séduire’ doesn’t mean she needs to seduce people but rather that she needs to be liked – and yet, while there is a notion of seduction that isn’t sexual, it isn’t nonsexual either.  ‘Légèreté means lightness, but in some contexts, it seems to describe an almost Zen-like state of serenity.  How do you say ‘lame,’ or ‘rude,’ or ‘confused’ in French?  Why is ‘violence’ in English so physical, whereas the French use it for emotions as well?  Why do French people believe in love at first sight, and we think it’s adolescent?”

Comments

[Mark Zajac]

Mlle. Fourmont,

I really do try to limit my appearances here. I am loath to become the choking brambles in the garden which is your comment area. In this case, however, I just can't resist. Your latest post is about words. I love words.

"Elle a un grand besoin de séduire" might be rendered as "she was supremely complaisant" in English, with "captivate" or "charm" or "engage" as possible translations of "séduire" in this context.

"Légèreté" might be "buoyancy" or "ebullience" in English, or even "rapture" for a more spiritual connotation.

The association of violence with physical acts is a modern trend, in English. Jane Austen wrote of characters being "violently" in love, for example.

On a related note, there are word pairs in English like "hearty" and "cordial" which arose from the Norman conquest of England. The invaders, who all spoke French, installed themselves as the aristocracy. The conquered peasantry continued to speak Anglo-Saxon. Of course, "cordial" derives from the French "coeur" so, a "hearty welcome" and "cordial welcome" are both from the heart. Notice, however, that "cordial" is more formal while "hearty" is more colloquial, reflecting the disparate social strata from which the two words originated.

Sincerely,

[:-)] Mark

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Fantastic book! Thanks for your suggestion Liz - I just finished reading this book (on the beach in St. Barths of all places) and it was wonderful. Wow. I really felt her pain and could relate to the main character in so many ways. I loved her sense of curiosity and she made heartache look so elegant. I know the book was often described as a cross btwn "Eat Pray Love" and "Bridgette Jones Diary" but that is really selling it short. SO much more clever than both of those books.

I was not expecting the ending, though maybe I should have looking back at the clues. And I did not believe the author was who she thought it was in the end. Some things didn't add up to me. But anyway, thanks so much for the recommendation! Best of luck with your studies!!

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[Account Deleted]

Mlle. Fourmont,

Over the Christmas holidays, my mother, the linguist, reminded me of more English word pairs that date from the Norman conquest of the Anglo-Saxons.

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The words "glad" and "pleased" are another pair of words from Anglo-Saxon (English) and Norman (French), respectively. So, the word "glad" seems more colloquial, like a slap on the back, while "pleased" seems more aristocratic, like a faint smile and a slight bow.

Sincerely,

[:-)] Mark

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