This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
UTI
sealed Orders
Mar 5, 2018 13:22
6 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term

Sweating their balls off

Non-PRO English to French Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters colloquial expression/slang
This is a sentence said by the band leader during a concert.
He is addressing the audience asking :

Is everybody OK?
Is everybody sweating their balls off?

I know there is no exact equivalent but I can't find the "right" sentence in FR ..

Thanks for your help
Proposed translations (French)
3 tout le monde transpire comme des porcs
5 +3 suer comme un gros porc / avoir les olives qui baignent (ou autre expression chic du genre)
4 Cracher ses tripes
Change log

Mar 5, 2018 14:57: writeaway changed "Field (write-in)" from "Music but also general" to "colloquial expression/slang"

Discussion

Jennifer Levey Mar 5, 2018:
@Asker Tony has a good point – it rather depends on the audience in this “small and hot” place. Tony says “perhaps male dominated”. Well, yes. But if the audience were female dominated, or transwoman dominated, the expression would have a (perhaps even stronger) sexual innuendo that would need to be present in the translation.

Conclusion: more context would be helpful, if only to avoid lumping all these lovely folk together as mere sweaty “porcs”.
Tony M Mar 5, 2018:
@ Asker I think it is important here to know whether the vulgar word 'balls' has any specific significance here? If the inference is in some way to do with the make-up of the audience, perhaps male-dominated, that might have some bearing on the translation solution you need.
We say "sweating like a pig" in EN too, so if the speaker has used a different expression, they might have wanted to indicate something specific by their choice of expression... Or not...
FIROOZEH FARHANG (asker) Mar 5, 2018:
FYI : the place where the band performs is small & hot.

Proposed translations

3 mins
Selected

tout le monde transpire comme des porcs

pour rester dans le vulgaire ou :
transpire sa mère
Peer comment(s):
neutral Antoine Guillemain : Je suis d'accord :) Comme un porc, par contre, "tout le monde" s'accorde au singulier
4 mins
oui vous avez raison, j'ai pensé qu'on pouvait faire une entorse à la grammaire dans ce cas de langage parlé
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Merci"
+3
7 mins

suer comme un gros porc / avoir les olives qui baignent (ou autre expression chic du genre)

Is there ever an exact equivalent? ;-)

Lots of expressions in English can end with '...your socks off', '...your tits off' or '...your balls of', it's just an intensifier. Doesn't mean you need anything to do with testicles in the translation.

I think the immediate expression every French person would think of is 'suer comme un (gros) porc'. However you will find a variety of colourful expressions indicating perspiration on the Internet. Here, for example:http://www.topito.com/top-expressions-transpirer-suer-porc-g...

Enjoy!!
Note from asker:
je ne cherchais pas à y mettre le mot "testicule" mais à garder le côté vulgaire .. et je calais ! Là, j'ai ce qu'il me faut ! Merci :)
Peer comment(s):
agree Daryo
1 hr
agree Schtroumpf : :-)
4 hrs
neutral Jennifer Levey : Why do you assume the ST is focused on "perspiration" and not on "couilles"?
9 hrs
Because it's like "dance your socks off" or "work your ass off". The "balls" bit is just an intensifier! Unless something said before refers specifically to testicles/sex/etc. I think it's safe to assume the singer means 'is everyone breaking a sweat?'
agree GILLES MEUNIER
2 days 4 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 hrs

Cracher ses tripes

Chez nous on sue comme une bête ou on crache ses tripes quand on veut signifier un très gros effort
Le porc c'est quand on mange salement et les balls n'ont rien à voir
Something went wrong...
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search