This question was closed without grading. Reason: No acceptable answer
Aug 20, 2012 08:01
11 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term
France
It's all about the context
Native in: French (Variant: Standard-France) 
Works in: English to French, French to English, French
touchy-feely
English to French
Social Sciences
Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc.
about emotional intelligence
This is about implementing an emotional intelligence initiative in an organization, and the opposition it faces from the leaders due to various reasons, including:
Leader knows nothing about emotional intelligence, and thinks it’s all ***‘touchy-feely’ HR stuff***
Leader knows nothing about emotional intelligence, and thinks it’s all ***‘touchy-feely’ HR stuff***
Proposed translations
(French)
Change log
Aug 20, 2012 11:44: Emanuela Galdelli changed "Term asked" from "touchy-feely (in this context)" to "touchy-feely"
Proposed translations
3 mins
Alain Boulé
Native in French
Technical translation by an engineer
Native in: French
Works in: English to French, German to French
Related KudoZ points
:
12
English term (edited):
touchy-feely (in this context)
de la sensiblerie
... des HR
De telles performances exceptionnelles ne sont possibles que dans une ambiance où les composants de l’intelligence émotionnelle s’harmonisent, j’en suis convaincu. Cela n’a rien à faire avec de la sensiblerie.
http://www.portail-rh.ch/praxisreport_view.cfm?nr_praxisrepo...
De telles performances exceptionnelles ne sont possibles que dans une ambiance où les composants de l’intelligence émotionnelle s’harmonisent, j’en suis convaincu. Cela n’a rien à faire avec de la sensiblerie.
http://www.portail-rh.ch/praxisreport_view.cfm?nr_praxisrepo...
-1
7 mins
Kévin Bernier
France
France
Native in French
France
Translator & Game Loc Specialist | EN-FR
Native in: French (Variant: Standard-France)
Works in: English to French
English term (edited):
touchy-feely (in this context)
niaiserie administrative
I think translating HR in French would make for an awkward sentence. Hence, I went with a more broad term - "administatrive".
I feel "niaiserie" translates well the idea of "touchy-feely" in this context, i.e a gullable and too optimistic approach to the corporate world.
I feel "niaiserie" translates well the idea of "touchy-feely" in this context, i.e a gullable and too optimistic approach to the corporate world.
Reference:
Peer comment(s):
| disagree |
Tony M
: That's not what touchy-feely actually means, Kévin: it means all that 'team-building', 'getting-in-touch-with-your-emotions' stuff; and that's why HR is important: it is specifically 'progressive'(!) HR departments who try to force this down our throats.
12 mins
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Oh I'm afraid you're right then. "Niaiserie" doesn't fit.
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+1
6 mins
English term (edited):
touchy-feely (in this context)
c'est un truc de midinettes
je connais des entreprises ou on dirait "de chochotes"...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 mins (2012-08-20 08:09:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
"Tant que nous sommes dans la manipulation : les Américains utilisent le
mot de « touchy-feely » pour désigner une sentimentalité collante et
dégoulinante, qui, alternativement "
Apprivoiser ses émotions
http://belleph.free.fr/.../apprivoiser ses ém... - Translate this pageShare
by D RAVON -
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 mins (2012-08-20 08:09:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
"Tant que nous sommes dans la manipulation : les Américains utilisent le
mot de « touchy-feely » pour désigner une sentimentalité collante et
dégoulinante, qui, alternativement "
Apprivoiser ses émotions
http://belleph.free.fr/.../apprivoiser ses ém... - Translate this pageShare
by D RAVON -
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Anne R
: oui, c'est bien sympa ça!
5 hrs
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merci!
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| neutral |
Daryo
: "midinettes" = "airhead" girls, "airhead girls" are not necessarily into the "touchy-feely" business. "Touchy-feely" is more likely to be dismissed as "New-Age nonsense", or as 'psychobabbles', rather than as the doing of silly airhead girls.
22 hrs
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Jeune fille simple et frivole, à la sentimentalité naïve. http://www.cnrtl.fr/lexicographie/midinette
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| neutral |
Sheila Wilson
: they don't seem to reflect the idea of the source term. Mind you, I don't know what does!
23 hrs
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| neutral |
Jocelyne Cuenin
: pas trop sympa pour les femmes ! Mais j'aime bien le dégoulinant ... de bons sentiments :-)
3 days 5 hrs
|
1 hr
English term (edited):
touchy-feely (in this context)
un truc de mièvres ou de la mièvrerie de RH
simple suggestion....
5 hrs
Michele Lemaire
Native in English
&
French
Precision, Honesty, Reliability (quoted)
Native in: French 
, English
Works in: English to French, French to English
démonstratif
Robert Collins French dictionary
touchy-feely ✰ adjective : qui aime le contact physique, démonstratif
Traduction libre:
Les dirigeants pensent que c'est juste une histoire de support émotionnel et d'expression de sentiments
touchy-feely ✰ adjective : qui aime le contact physique, démonstratif
Traduction libre:
Les dirigeants pensent que c'est juste une histoire de support émotionnel et d'expression de sentiments
22 hrs
Irène Guinez
Spain
Spain
Native in French
Works in field
Spain
French translator
Native in: French
Works in: Spanish to French, English to French, Catalan to French, and 1 more.
psychologie d'arrirere cuisine
-
+1
1 day 1 hr
English term (edited):
"touchy-feely" (HR stuff)
psychologie à la noix
"Leader knows nothing about emotional intelligence, and thinks it’s all ‘touchy-feely’
HR stuff"
=
"... c'est de la psychologie à la noix ..."
or more dismissive:
"... c'est de la pseudo psychologie à la noix ..."
or even more dismissive
"... c'est des niaiseries de pseudo psychologie à la noix ..."
I think this is not so much about literal physical touch - even if there's any involved it's secondary - it's about being in touch with feelings, emotions (thus: emotional intelligence).
This would be a dismissive way of talking about it.
This is not a "one-fit-all" translation - but I think it's a good one in this case.
"Touchy-feely
Meaning
Human interactive that emphasizes physical closeness and emotional openness. The phrase is often used disparagingly in contexts where hard and businesslike behaviour is the norm.
Origin
The allusion is, of course, to the demonstration of one's empathy for another by touching or hugging them.
This term originated in the USA in the 1970s; for example, this piece by Nicholas Von Hoffman from The Charleston Gazette, March 1972:
"He [Walter Mondale] has something of the high school teacher in his manner not that he's stiff but he doesn't do that touchy-feely-stand-close kind of thing that marks an American politician when he's trying to do something special for you."
[http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/390000.html]
HR stuff"
=
"... c'est de la psychologie à la noix ..."
or more dismissive:
"... c'est de la pseudo psychologie à la noix ..."
or even more dismissive
"... c'est des niaiseries de pseudo psychologie à la noix ..."
I think this is not so much about literal physical touch - even if there's any involved it's secondary - it's about being in touch with feelings, emotions (thus: emotional intelligence).
This would be a dismissive way of talking about it.
This is not a "one-fit-all" translation - but I think it's a good one in this case.
"Touchy-feely
Meaning
Human interactive that emphasizes physical closeness and emotional openness. The phrase is often used disparagingly in contexts where hard and businesslike behaviour is the norm.
Origin
The allusion is, of course, to the demonstration of one's empathy for another by touching or hugging them.
This term originated in the USA in the 1970s; for example, this piece by Nicholas Von Hoffman from The Charleston Gazette, March 1972:
"He [Walter Mondale] has something of the high school teacher in his manner not that he's stiff but he doesn't do that touchy-feely-stand-close kind of thing that marks an American politician when he's trying to do something special for you."
[http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/390000.html]
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Jocelyne Cuenin
: oui, du genre pseudo bons sentiments ou psychopop
2 days 4 hrs
|
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Merci!
|
Discussion
Tony is quite right in realising that the corporate context makes an enormous difference to the use of this sort of technique. It can, in a corporate context be extremely manipulative and exposes participants' vulnerabilities to their managers and colleagues, which has a real potential for subsequent abuse.
I don't know whether there is a French expression that combines both the above.
Did a lot of this training around 15 years ago; actually, as I was outside the corporate context, it did me quite a lot of good; though I can see how it gets a bit yucky in a business context.