Jan 29, 2018 17:29
6 yrs ago
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English term

Once God\'s country, always God\'s country

English to French Other Idioms / Maxims / Sayings Once god\'s country
Bonjour,

Comment rendriez-vous en français cette phrase ? Voici le contexte : un homme se trouve face à un paysage de montagnes grandiose (en l'occurrence, les Montagnes Rocheuses dans le Montana) et il dit en regardant ce paysage :"Once God's country, always God's country". La référence à Dieu peut avoir son importance car la région est décrite comme un paradis terrestre, mais on peut peut-être aussi trouver une expression qui n'y fasse pas forcément allusion en français. Merci pour vos idées.

Discussion

B D Finch Jan 30, 2018:
Should the religious reference be removed? The religious form of expression does seem very American and the sort of thing French (and British) people tend to avoid. References to God certainly made in British English, but they are often somewhat irreverent.
However, if this is said by a character in a book/story, then surely religiosity or the use of religious phraseology is an important aspect of the character?
Tony M Jan 30, 2018:
@ Asker I don't know whether you are familiar with it or not, but this derives from a common-enough construction in EN: "Once a..., always a..." — meaning it is something so vosceral, so entrenced in the person that it can never be removed; like "Once an Arsenal supporter, always an Arsenal supporter"
IMHO, it sits slightly less well when talking about a landscape — it might appear slightly less Heaven-blessed if they dug an open-cast bauxite mine in the middle of it!
I think there is also a not-to-be-overlooked significance to the use of 'God' here — I may be wrong, but I think there is also some kind of famous quote about "this is God's country" or something like that; cf. the humorous rendering in the UK with GWR = God's Wonderful Railway!

Proposed translations

+2
16 hrs
Selected

un pays béni à jamais

suggestion
Peer comment(s):

agree ph-b (X) : avec la concision et la simplicité. Ou « un pays que Dieu a béni à jamais » si l'on tient à garder une référence explicite à Dieu.
43 mins
agree surbeg : ça sonne bien
1 hr
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
20 mins

un pays béni une fois l'est pour toujours

Simple suggestion
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2 hrs

une fois le pays de Dieu, toujours le pays de Dieu

une traduction directe, ca marche?
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+1
2 hrs

une contrée bénie de Dieu/des dieux reste bénie à jamais


Suggestion.
Peer comment(s):

agree katsy
2 hrs
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+1
2 hrs

divin un jour, divin toujours

-
Peer comment(s):

agree Germaine : religieux sans l'être et facile à caser.
9 hrs
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10 hrs
English term (edited): once god\\\'s country, always god\\\'s country

la terre de Dieu/des dieux restera à jamais la terre de Dieu/des dieux

Peut-être pouvons-nous également utiliser céleste ?!

Il est possible d'utiliser "contrée" aussi.
Peer comment(s):

neutral Tony M : Possibly... but in no case plural "dieux"! The original reference is to the Christian God, and it would be a serious distortion of the meaning to turn it into a pagan plurality of gods!
1 hr
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Reference comments

16 hrs
Reference:

Here are som other cultural references you may not have spotted...

God's Country - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God's_Country

God's Country and God's Own Country are terms that have been used to describe various countries and regions around the world, usually areas that are sparsely populated, with wide expanses of nature. God's Country and God's Own Country may also refer to: ...

God's Country — Wikipédia

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/God's_Country

God's Country est un documentaire américain réalisé par Louis Malle en 1986. Sommaire. [masquer]. 1 Synopsis; 2 Fiche technique; 3 Distribution; 4 Lien externe. Synopsis[modifier | modifier le code]. 1979, Louis Malle arrive un samedi, jour de fête, à Glencoe dans le Minnesota. Il passe les jours suivants dans la petite ...

God's Country (2011 film) - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God's_Country_(2011_film)

Not to be confused with God's Own Country, an idiom describing a location rich in natural and scenic attractions. God's Country is a 2012 comedy-drama family film directed by Chris Armstrong which takes place in Los Angeles and the Mohave Desert starring Jenn Gotzon, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Gib Gerard, Michael Toland, ...
Note from asker:
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