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Elisa1014 Feb 21st, 2009 04:19 PM

French translation. Please help!
 
Hi,

I'm trying to get the phrase "until my bones collapse", translated into french and having surprisingly hard time making sure it is correct. I need to be absolutely sure that it is grammatically correct so online translation is not the best option for me. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

tedgale Feb 21st, 2009 04:43 PM

Obviously an idiomatic expression ...but what does it mean in English? I have never heard it.

rex Feb 21st, 2009 05:08 PM

Presuming that it's from the Eminem lyrics...

<blue>Until the roof comes off
Until the lights go out
Until my legs give out
Canīt shut my mouth
Until the smoke clears out
And my high burns out
I ama rip these shit
<B><i>Until my bones collapse</i></b></blue>...

...then pray tell, how did you translate the first seven lines of this "stanza" - - especially the seventh line - - and get it "grammatically correct"?

Curious minds want to know...

Best wishes,

Rex

StCirq Feb 21st, 2009 06:53 PM

Jeez, that's a real tall order. What the hell does it mean in English? You can't do a literal translation of something like this, y'know. If you can explain for what you need this and what you feel the original to mean, I'm sure I can help you, but until then.....no go....

tedgale Feb 21st, 2009 07:07 PM

This is really dumb. But hey, I'm game. I'll do a non-idiomatic translation and let others take shots.

Consider it an academic exercise. The OP probably won't care whether we get it right or not.

Jusqu'a ce que mes os s'effondrent

(sorry, without a "clavier francais" I cannot do the accents -- but you guys will know where they go)

DalaiLlama Feb 21st, 2009 08:14 PM

Elisa, please tell us in regular ordinary understandable English what you are trying to express, and we will come through.

"Until my bones collapse" is a made-up turn of phrase, you would have to ask whoever made it up what he or she meant by it in the first place, then translate that into regular English.

We can all guess - does it mean "until I am too exhausted", or "until I've had enough of this", or "until I can't take any more of this", or "until my strength gives out" - or what? All these could be translated as "Jusqu'au bout de ma force".

Is what are you trying to say?

tedgale Feb 22nd, 2009 03:32 PM

Dalai, I'd amend that to "...bout de mes forces". More usual in the plural, I believe. Good rendering, though.

Christina Feb 23rd, 2009 09:41 AM

It doesn't mean anything in English, either.

Padraig Feb 23rd, 2009 09:52 AM

Go here: http://forum.wordreference.com/

DalaiLlama Feb 23rd, 2009 10:43 AM

What for, Padraig? You ask it for a definition of that "Until my bones collapse" and it returns this:
We found no entry in the English Dictionary.
No wonder...

Padraig Feb 23rd, 2009 11:49 AM

DalaiLlama, it's a forum. You can ask questions.


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