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English translation: (dried) cow dung cakes or patties
09:17 Sep 2, 2020
French to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
French term or phrase:bois de vache
Context:
"Pour ce soir de fête, cependant, ils avaient cuit un pain de seigle en plus dans leur poêle au « bois de vache »."
A destitute Georgian family is cooking bread in a stove, fueling it with cow dung, as they all do in these areas. In French, we use the phrase "bois de vache"... I even thought of making a play of words, something like "cowwood", but honestly I need your advice :)
Erm..., what tirade??? I'm sorry my obvious failure to grasp the English language has led to such misunderstanding. Cow pie is just ridiculous in the context of stoves, but "dung" is the same thing on either side of the Atlantic. Where's the problem? @ Barbara: an unconscionable omission. I proffer my grovelling apologies to afficinados everywhere.
Erm... not sure about the logic of that tirade (??), who it was directed at, or why!
However, the nationality of the target audience had already been established by others on this site, and, as it happens, there is in fact quite a cultural gap regarding choice of vocabulary in this particular case. Of course nobody is claiming the US variations are incorrect, but since this will almost certainly also be read by UK EN readers, it makes sense that it is also palatable to them as well - if that is reasonable and possible without having to contort the TT for the target US readership. Cow Pie was a prime example of this, as I mentioned quite early in the proceedings. But if you feel so strongly about this, why don't you give an Agree to Cow Pie, etc., along with your reasons... Incidentally, I'd be a bit surprised if no US readers were familiar with Desperate Dan and his famous cow pies, but now I guess I'm showing my age! And perhaps the "Dandy" wasn't published in the US, although we did have it in Nigeria.
I think the nationality of the readership is irrelevant. Talk of cow pie and Desperate Dan is an amusing diversion (we all need a bit of fun) but it's quite clear how these people cooked their bread: it was on a dung stove, or if you really want to spell it out, a stove heated by dung, or if you absolutely insist on dotting all the i's etc. "a stove heated by cow dung". Any mention of cakes, patties, or even of its being dried (of course it is) is just not necessary, IMO.
Despite this being for a US audience, I don't think the British English connotations should be ignored in a literary translation - assuming that there will also, presumably, be a British readership at some time, and especially when the meanings are potentially so totally different! If something neutral (and mutually inoffensive, non-hilarious or non-repulsive in both languages!) can be found, that is what I would plump for.
Well I'm blowed - 100 things about Desperate Dan I never knew. Now it's time to research Denis the Menace, the Bash Street Gang and Lord Snooty.... (or is that the Beano?)
Being largely undigested cellulose, the dung from many herbivores is used as fuel in many parts of the world: elephant, camel, yak, you name it... Alas, the calorific value is not particularly high, but it saves cutting down trees and is readily collectable. In this case, why mention "cow" at all? It's just a dung stove!
"manure" (or even "muck") in UK English. They can be dried and formed into briquettes, which - as you mention - apparently make a brilliant fuel for heating, etc. (A good use, perhaps, for all that methane produced by dairy farming!) I think you cold easily get away with something simple like "dung fuel" or "manure fuel". Dung is usually from cows, whereas when we talk about manure, we're more usually referring to horse manure...
This is about cow dung: "It can even be used as fuel. It burns hotter than wood, with no smell or soot, and remains an important fuel in areas around the world where trees are scarce or absent." https://www.countrylife.co.uk/nature/11-things-you-never-new...
You're right. But the thing is I don't know this person yet :) Do you think it's incorrect to use KudoZ to ask my questions? I mean I'm not a KudoZ old-timer, so maybe I'm misusing it.
native English speaker, why not discuss your doubts/questions already with that person, which will put you both on the same page, so to speak, and make the proofreading go much smoother?
