quelque chose à vous faire pardonner

English translation: need to make up for something?

10:05 Feb 28, 2010

French to English translations [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

French term or phrase: quelque chose à vous faire pardonner

I'm trying to find a way to translate "quelque chose à vous faire pardonner" in the following passage, from a text on matching food and wine, that sounds appropriate. Literally it means "something to apologise for" but that seems a bit too "serious" to me for this kind of marketing text, if you see what I mean. I currently have "Whether you are celebrating good news, or trying to get back into someone’s good books..." which is the kind of thing I'm looking for, though probably a little clumsy. Can anyone think of something a bit snappier? Thanks in adavnce for any suggestions / comments...

"Si vous avez une bonne nouvelle à fêter, voire quelque chose à vous faire pardonner, sachez que la coquille Saint-Jacques est un mets d’une grande délicatesse pour ce genre de circonstance"

Philip Taylor KudoZ activity Questions: 536 (none open) (4 without valid answers) (11 closed without grading) Answers: 256
Local time: 05:46

English translation:need to make up for something?

Explanation:
perhaps a bit less negative than some of the other suggestions?

"Thanks to La Pentola restaurant for the AMAZING R600 meal voucher! Have a look at their website to see what you'll miss out on if you don't email NOW. Tell me why you deserve a free meal. Do you need to make up for something? Need a romantic atmosphere for that special person? Forgot someone's birthday?"

Selected response from:

Lori Cirefice
France
Local time: 06:46

Grading comment

I think I'll have to go with this one. Not easy to choose from all these options. Many thanks to everyone who answered and/or commented. I haven't been using proz.com as much as I used to, but it's great to see that the kudoz forums are still alive and well.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +7

need to make up for something?

Lori Cirefice

3 +3

want to get yourself off the hook

Catharine Cellier-Smart

3 +3

want to say sorry (for something)

Tony M

4 +2

offering an apology

Julie Barber

3 +2

want to make amends

polyglot45

3 +2

something to make up for

Estelle Demontrond-Box

3 +2

patch up your differences

chris collister

3 +1

looking to impress...

Mary Moritz

want to reconcille a broken past

PAUL DUMASS CHINNAPPAN

needing to get back your cuisining credibility

kashew

Get back into someone's good graces

Verginia Ophof

something to reproach oneself with

Sébastien GUITTENY

Answers

4 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

want to get yourself off the hook

Explanation:
a suggestion

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Note added at 11 mins (2010-02-28 10:16:35 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

another thought :
"if you want to make amends (for something)"
a bit classier than the previous suggestion, but probably not snappy enough !

Catharine Cellier-Smart
Reunion
Local time: 08:46
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 79

26 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

want to say sorry (for something)

Explanation:
I totall agree with Mary's analysis, but if you want to keep the idea of apologizing, then why not do it in this less formal way; along the lines of 'say it with flowers', though here it's 'say it with wine'!

Tony M
France
Local time: 06:46
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 348

27 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

want to make amends

Explanation:
if you've got something to celebrate or are seeking to make amends/curry favour/clear the slate/want to get back into someone's good graces

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 29 mins (2010-02-28 10:35:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

sorry - I see the main idea was already mentioned but not the others in the body of the answer

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 30 mins (2010-02-28 10:36:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

you could also say " have a bad conscious"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 30 mins (2010-02-28 10:36:13 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

or even "guilty conscience"

polyglot45
Native speaker of:

English,

French
PRO pts in category: 227

32 mins confidence:

want to reconcille a broken past

Explanation:

Want to celebrate a good news? want to reconcille a broken past?...(more intimate) / want to reconcille a broken deal ( business)

The ad could be reworded irrespective of the language of the source text, more personalizing it to the target audience.

Ofcourse, this is something that strikes my mind. But as Mary Mortiz has put it, caution and precaution should be exercised in addressing the public in different markets.

Best of Luck

Paul

PAUL DUMASS CHINNAPPAN
India
Local time: 10:16
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English,

Hindi

42 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

offering an apology

Explanation:
I'd keep it really simple along these lines or "want to apologise"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 47 mins (2010-02-28 10:52:28 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry and Apologies
Did you make the biggest mistake of your life? Do you want to apologize from the person cooncerned in this mistake? Apologize in an unrejected way, make things right back like they used to an should be. Send a gift from All Best Ideas to relief yourself.
https://www.allbestideas.com/en/category.aspx?catid=26

Apologies are often delicate to make in person, nonetheless with flowers, it is made effortless. Roses can be the ideal manner for you to say ” I am sorry”
http://www.reviewgallery.net/product-reviews/florists-tell-i...

When you need your apology to count
http://www.imsorry.com/

There are so many creative ways to say sorry, which is why adding your own special touch to your apology can make all the difference in getting things back on track.

Be an apology star and share your own apology ideas....
http://www.perfectapology.com/ways-to-say-sorry.html

Julie Barber
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:46
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12

58 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +7

need to make up for something?

Lori Cirefice
France
Local time: 06:46
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16

Grading comment

Notes to answerer

Asker: I think I'll have to go with this one. Not easy to choose from all these options. Many thanks to everyone who answered and/or commented. I haven't been using proz.com as much as I used to, but it's great to see that the kudoz forums are still alive and well.

11 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

looking to impress...

Explanation:
I agree that a direct translation is "serious" and I'd even go further and say the original text is awkwardly intimate. I'm surprise that that is even in a French "marketing" text because "those things aren't discussed" in public in France. It's just odd.

Your suggestion is a very British saying, though, so be careful on who the target customer is.

If you used "looking to impress..." it has a slightly more positive note. Looking to impress someone for business or personal reasons without going into details on the why (which could be either positive or negative reasons).

Hope that helps.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2010-02-28 11:15:55 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I was trying to analyze the text from a cultural standpoint, both on the French and English (not British, though, because I can only attest to the US culture).

Juliebaraba's list is excellent and I like "make amends" or "offer an apology".

Mary Moritz
Local time: 06:46
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Notes to answerer

Asker: Quite a few 'neutrals' here, but I quite like this one I must say. It certainly sounds a lot more natural in the context than anything more literal. Possibly, though, as argued in a few of the comments here, it strays just a little too far from the French.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Tony M: Yes, I like it, and also wondered about 'out to impress' or 'seeking to impress'?

13 mins

neutral

polyglot45: sorry but I disagree with your analysis. Impress is something else and not stated here. One can take liberties but I feel this is going too far. Sorry

17 mins

-> No need to be sorry...point well taken

neutral

writeaway: agree with polyglot45. don't see how 'impress' is suggested by the French

22 mins

-> it's not! and I was aware of that when I posted.

neutral

Julie Barber: I agree with polyglot - it's too different and I don't agree with the analysis either. "Something to apologise for.." isn't too negative

22 mins

-> I think it depends on how delicately it is said in a marketing doc

neutral

emiledgar: Sorry but I have to agree that this is one liberty too far (to use a mixed metaphor).

23 mins

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

something to make up for

Explanation:
Maybe?

Estelle Demontrond-Box
Australia
Local time: 14:46
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 12

10 hrs confidence:

needing to get back your cuisining credibility

Explanation:
*

kashew
France
Local time: 06:46
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 74

11 hrs confidence:

Get back into someone's good graces

Explanation:
.......

Verginia Ophof
Belize
Local time: 22:46
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 53

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

patch up your differences

Explanation:
At the risk of adding yet another suggestion....
Perhaps what Tony Blair may have said to Gordon Brown (if they were French, that is...)

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Note added at 2 hrs (2010-02-28 12:13:11 GMT)
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2 for the price of one:

"hold out an olive branch"

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Note added at 12 hrs (2010-02-28 22:58:17 GMT)
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One more:

"Kiss and make up"

chris collister
France
Local time: 06:46
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 18

1 day 1 hr confidence:

something to reproach oneself with

Explanation:
Hope this helps.

Reference: http://dictionnaire.reverso.net/francais-anglais/pardonner/f...

Sébastien GUITTENY
France
Local time: 06:46
Works in field
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 8

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English translation: need to make up for something?

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