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Mar 18, 2018 21:00
6 yrs ago
18 viewers *
French term

marauder / faire une maraude

French to English Social Sciences Other
Hi all,

Could you please help, I'm looking to translate the French phrase "faire une maraude", or "marauder", as in going on rounds to help the homeless by giving them food and staples especially during cold winter night.

My try, for "demain soir on va faire une maraude" : tomorrow we're going on night outreach"... what do you think? How could this be improved (sounds stifled/awkward to me)?

Thanks a million in advance for your help!
Suzanne
Proposed translations (English)
3 +4 do the rounds
5 a soup run

Discussion

suzanneb111 (asker) Mar 25, 2018:
thank everyone for your help, prowl and soup run are great suggestions but in this context doing the rounds definitely fits best. Merci à tous!
Adam Warren Mar 21, 2018:
Prowl "marauder" is "to prowl"; "un maraudeur" is a "prowler". I like the suggestion "soup run" too.
philgoddard Mar 19, 2018:
Actually I think that makes it easier.
suzanneb111 (asker) Mar 19, 2018:
yes, and that's the tricky part :)
philgoddard Mar 18, 2018:
Thanks. So both she and they use the same word?
suzanneb111 (asker) Mar 18, 2018:
thanks Philgoddard, the context is a girl doing maraudes in Paris. She is very much involved in her outreach action, and tries to defend it. Her well-to-do family don't understand her, they want her to concentrate on making lots of money and forget about trying to help the "down-and-out." She speaks highly of maraudes, whereas her family look down on it.
philgoddard Mar 18, 2018:
I think Tony may have been implying that we need more French context :-)

A lot of the dictionary meanings, such as prowling and cruising, seem to have negative comnnotations.
suzanneb111 (asker) Mar 18, 2018:
thanks Tony, actually it's part of a dialogue: a girl working for a "centre d'action sociale" in Paris, talking about her night "maraudes" to help the homeless with her team. I'm trying to find the best way for her to say it, as in a natural-sounding dialogue...
Tony M Mar 18, 2018:
@ Asker I like your term 'night outreach', but it just seems to be out of register with the rest of what you are trying to say — but of course it all depends on how it would fit in with the register of the rest of your document?

Proposed translations

+4
1 hr
Selected

do the rounds

'Tomorrow night we're going to do the rounds' if the context of homelessness was already clear?

Example sentence:

For more than 20 years, Morrison has been working with Manchester’s homeless, but “it’s worse than I’ve ever seen it”, he says. Most mornings he starts work at 7am and does a round of the city centre. From https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201

Note from asker:
Thanks Hilary, I like your proposal, yes in the dialogues the homelessness context is implied, that would work
that's great, thank you all
Peer comment(s):
agree katsy : YOu can also find "making the rounds".
38 mins
agree philgoddard
1 hr
agree ormiston : our noble Florence Nightingale is described as 'making rounds' of the hospital
10 hrs
agree B D Finch
17 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "thanks a lot for your precious help!!!"
35 mins

a soup run

If it's for the necessities (rather than trying to provide broader support, I guess) Outreach perhaps more for the latter...?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 20 hrs (2018-03-19 17:42:04 GMT)
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I wouldn't say it's derogatory but it does have the faintest whiff of condescension I think - a tiny bit Lady Bountiful. The parents might well say it - "It's terribly good of you to go off doing your soup runs for the poor - but goodness me you are awfully brave, I simply couldn't stand the smell!"
Reference:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/joepublic/2011/apr/01/soup-runs-homeless-westminster

Note from asker:
Thanks a lot for your answer! But the girl who speaks about the maraudes in French wants to convey the "noble" aspect of it and is indeed providing more than just food to the homeless, as in comforting words, other kinds of help, etc. Her wealthy, and a bit snotty, family "belittle" her maraudes... would "soup run" be a bit derogatory do you think? I could use this when her family speak about her maraudes?
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