French to English: Olympic Souvenirs, Part 3

I've lined up a few more Olympic souvenirs for you.  The items have long names only because "Vancouver 2010" appears in most of them.  I will abbreviate this to "V2010," just to save space.

FRENCH	ENGLISH
calendrier-agenda V2010 engagement	V2010 calendar planners
V2010 cadre de 15 po (pouces) pour billets de patinage artistique	V2010 15-inch figure skating ticket frame
porte-cartes de visite V2010 nature en métal argenté	V2010 silver plated (nature) business card case
Des plus brillants exploits:  Le livre commémoratif officiel des XX1es Jeux olympiques d'hiver et des Xes Jeux paralympiques d'hiver	With Glowing Hears:  the official commemorative Book of the V2010 Winter Games
cadre en verre récyclé autochtone V2010 horizontal - gris noir	V2010 Aboriginal picture frame - charcoal
Boîtes à histoire V2010 Survive au déluge - gris noir	V2010 Surviving the Flood story box - charcoal
V2010 - Le jeu vidéo des Jeux olympiques d'hiver pour PlayStation3	Official video game of the V2010 Olympic winter games for PlayStation3
V2010 - Le jeu vidéo des Jeux olympiques d'hiver pour XBOX360	Official video games of the V2010 Olympic winter games for XBOX360
cravate V2010 faite de soie à 100% et ornée du logo répetitif - bleue	V2010 100% silk tie, Blue repeat logo
étiquette de voyage - patinage de vitesse	V2010 travel tag - speed skating
sac fourre-tout V2010 en nylon - bourgogne	V2010 ice nylon tote bad - burgundy
hockey Quatchi coussin de voyage V2010 pour la nuque - moyen	V2010 hockey Quatchi travel neck pillow - medium
porte-monnaie à plis trois sections Quatchi de V2010	V2010 Quatchi tri-fold wallet

Wondering what "Quatchi" is?  I had the same question.  I looked it up and Google brought me to the Vancouver 2010 web site - for mascots.  It is pronounced "kwat-chu" and is described as a legendary symbol used by Aboriginal communities in the Pacific West region.  Quatchi is a "sasquatch."

No, sasquatch does not refer to someone who hails from the province of Saskatchewan.  Quatchi was adopted as one of the symbols for the Vancouver Olympic games and is introduced as a shy mascot.  He comes from the deep and mysterious forests of Canada, travelling across the country to meet and encourage people to discover Canada's hidden wonders and...to invite them to play hockey! 

In the real world, however, a sasquatch is a yeti-like animal found in the northwestern regions of North America.

This description in French will charm you and your kids. It is copied from  http://www.vancouver2010.com/mascot/en/profile_q.php.

I provide an English translation right after the French descriptions below:
Quote:

"Quatchi est un jeune sasquatch qui vient des forêts mystérieuses du Canada. Quatchi est timide, mais il adore explorer de nouveaux endroits et rencontrer de nouveaux amis."

English:  Quatchi is a young sasquatch who comes from the mysterious forests of Canada.  Even if Quatchi is shy, he loves to explore new places and to meet new friends.

"Même si Quatchi aime tous les sports d’hiver, il aime surtout le hockey. Il rêve de devenir un gardien de but célèbre de par le monde. En raison de sa grande taille, il est parfois maladroit. Mais personne ne peut remettre en question sa passion. Il sait que s’il travaille fort et qu’il fait toujours de son mieux, il réalisera peut-être un jour son rêve." 

English:  Even if Quatchi likes all winter sports, he likes hockey in particular.  He dreams of becoming a world-class goalie.  Because of his large size, he can be awkward at times.  No one, however, can question his passion.  He knows that if he works hard and does his best, he may one day realise his dream.

Quatchi's story says everything about what the Olympic Games have come to represent for young dreamers!

This ends our series on Olympic souvenirs.  Please visit often for more themes.

French to English: Olympic Souvenirs, Part 2

I opened the paper this morning and there were the noisy and happy headlines - still awash in Sunday night's hockey victory.  They're calling Sidney Crosby the new Canadian hero, the kid who worked overtime to take his team to the finish line, snatching the gold away from the Americans.  This 22-year old has got it made.

For ordinary mortals like me, 22 was a year that passed  unnoticed.  No blaring trumpets.  No admiring and cheering audience.  How many people that age have their future sealed in enviable glory and fame, not to mention the million dollar sponsorship offers that will be pouring into Sidney Crosby's e-mail and cellphone?  At this point, I believe he'll need at least five managers to oversee and prioritize his commitments as soon as he returns to Nova Scotia...and of course to make sure that his skates are as sharp as a Swiss army knife.

That was a boisterous party - the Vancouver Olympics.  I didn't watch all of it, but caught snippets here and there.  The figure-skaters held my attention and the ski jumpers took my breath away.  The speed skaters made my knuckles white.

Before I go to the souvenirs, let's take a look at the 15 Olympic winter sports.  Note that a few are the same in French and English like curling, luge and bobsleigh.

FRENCH	ENGLISH
ski alpin	alpine skiing
biathlon	biathlon
bobsleigh	bobsleigh
ski de fond	cross country skiing
curling	curling
patinage artistique	figure skating
ski acrobatique	freestyle skiing
hockey sur glace	ice hockey
luge	luge
combiné nordique	Nordic combined
piste courte	short track
skeleton	skeleton
saut à ski	ski jumping
surf des neiges	snowboarding
patinage de vitesse	speed skating

Now, for more Olympic souvenir shopping.  While browsing the Vancouver 2010 online Olympic store, I not only learned new French words, but also learned one new English word - lanyards.  I had never heard of lanyards so opened my Canadian Oxford dictionary.  A lanyard is a rope put around the neck or slung over the shoulder with anything (whistle, key, USB drive, etc) attached to it.  I had one to hold my ID card when I was a corporate employee, but didn't know then that it was a lanyard.

Here we go:

FRENCH	ENGLISH
chemises	shirts
casquettes	caps (hats)
mascotte en peluche	plush mascot
port-clès et lanières	keychains and lanyards
epinglettes	pins
bruiteurs des Jeux d'hiver	Winter Games noisemakers
pièces de monnaie	coins
écharpe 100% satin de soie	100% silk satin scarf
mini sac à dos	grind pack
pendentif autochtone Vancouver 2010 en argent sterling	Vancouver 2010 sterling silver Aboriginal round pendant
réplique du flambeau olympique de Vancouver 2010	Vancouver 2010 torch replica
clochette à vache Vancouver 2010	Vancouver 2010 cow bell
breloques à boisson Inukshuk Vancouver 2010 plaquée argent	Vancouver 2010 silver plated Inukshuk drink charms

If you were wondering about "Inukshuk", this is what it looks like.  The picture is courtesy of Wikipedia.  It means something which acts for or performs the function of a person.  Inukshuks are man-made stone landmarks  and are used by Aboriginals in the Arctic region of North America.

If you recall, the Inukshuk was adopted by the Vancouver Olympics as part of its official logo.
If you're interested in more Olympic souvenirs, you can visit the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Store at:  http://www.vancouver2010.com/ and then click on the Olympic Store tab.  You can switch languages by simply clicking on "French" or "English" right at the very top!

French to English: Olympic Souvenirs, Part 1

The Winter Olympics is close to ending - I believe closing ceremonies will be this Sunday - and we've had extensive coverage about winners and losers, victories and tragedies and phenomenal artistry and showmanship.  Canada did a good job, despite a few hiccups, and support for the athletes was - to use a teen term - "awesome."

I went to the online edition of Paris Match magazine and I found a survey it carried out among 1,907 readers on their views of the Olympic Games.
I'll reproduce it here:

Quote:

Pour vous, les Jeux Olympiques sont...

• 38% - l'illustration du pire du sport business.
• 33% - un grand évènement sportif à suivre à la télévision.
• 29% - un beau rendez-vous humain et fraternel.

Unquote
(source:  www.ParisMatch.com, February 13, 2010)

Translating that, we have:

In your opinion, the Olympic Games are:
(a) an illustration of the worst in the business of sports - 38%
(b)  a great athletic event to watch on television - 33%
(c)  a beautiful, human, and fraternal union of people - 29%

Notice that the French version has the percentage first while the English has it at the end.  That's just my personal preference.  There is no translation rule that states where the percentages should appear.

Pretend you're in Vancouver's Olympic Village and you received a gift certificate to spend it any way you like.  You go into a store that sells a variety of Olympic paraphernalia.  You carry on a conversation with the sales clerk who happens to be a bilingual Canadian.

Your conversation would probably go something like this  (you're "X" and the sales clerk is "Y":)

X:  Bonjour, je cherche des souvenirs olympiques.	Hello, I’m looking for some Olympic souvenirs.
Y: Nous avons toute une collection. Désirez-vous regarder ce que nous avons?	We’ve got quite a collection. Would you like to see what we have?
X:  Non, ça va. Je vais juste regarder autour du magasin, si cela ne vous dérange pas.	No, that’s okay. I’ll just look around the store if you don’t mind.
Y:  Pas du tout. Faites-moi savoir si vous avez des questions.	Not at all. Let me know if you have any questions.
X:  Est-ce que ce chandail est lavable en machine?	Is this sweater machine-washable?
Y:  Non, il est fait de laine à 80 %. Le nettoyage-à-sec est donc recommandé.	No. It is made with 80% wool so dry-cleaning is recommended.
X:  Oh, j’adore cette affiche!	Oh, I love that poster!
Y:  Tout le monde l’aime bien. J’ai vendu plus de 50 dans la première semaine.	Everyone loves it. I sold more than 50 in the first week.
X:  Combien est-elle?	How much is it?
Y:  L’affiche pour les jeux paralympiques coûte 150 $ et celle des jeux olympiques et paralympiques coûte 289 $.	The Paralympic poster costs $150.00 and that of the Paralympic and Olympic Games costs $289.00.
X:  Je prendrai deux affiches paralympiques et cette collection de cuillère en étain.	I’ll take two Paralympic posters and this pewter spoon collection set.
Y:  Souhaitez-vous les envoyer par la poste? Nous vous offrons un service de courrier.	Would you like these items mailed? We offer mailing services.
X:  Non, merci, je vais les prendre avec moi dans l’avion. Nous partons demain	No, thank you. I’ll take them with me on the plane. We’re leaving tomorrow.
Y:  Très bien, madame. Donnez-moi quelques minutes et je vais les emballer pour vous.	Very well madam. Give me a few minutes and I’ll wrap them for you.
X:  Merci.	Thank you.

For our next post, we'll take a look at some more Olympic souvenirs!