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Mar 16, 2016 02:00
8 yrs ago
2 viewers *
French term

On a arrive toujours à se retrouver

Non-PRO French to English Marketing Marketing Feedback on an automatic paint dispensing machine
full sentence:

"On a arrive toujours à ce retrouver, je suis satisfait de la machine."

I assume that ce retrouver is se retrouver (thus the correction) but I still don't get it.

This is in response to the question:
How do you rate your overall experience with the xxx system, on the following scale?

They responded 4 - very good.

French French.
Proposed translations (English)
4 +7 You can always find your way around, I'm satisfied with the machine.
4 We always managed to make it work
1 +2 we always manage alright with it in the end
Change log

Mar 18, 2016 21:20: Yvonne Gallagher changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (3): Yolanda Broad, Tony M, Yvonne Gallagher

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Discussion

Adam Joyce Mar 16, 2016:
'We have always managed to get good results, I'm satisfied with the machine'.
Tony M Mar 16, 2016:
@ Bohy Oh yes, I wasn't making any comment on the presence or absence of the 'y' — just pointing out another meaning that might easily be overlooked.
Anne Bohy Mar 16, 2016:
@Tony Bien sûr, "se retrouver dans quelque chose" peut avoir plusieurs interprétations, mais il n'empêche que l'on dit "s'y retrouver" dans tous les cas. Par contre, plusieurs personnes peuvent se retrouver.
Tony M Mar 16, 2016:
se retrouver Although I doubt it is probably the meaning here, don't forget that 'se retrouver' can also mean 'come out with a profit', etc. — so it could mean, for example, that "despite several batches of spoilt paint, we still manage to make it pay OK".
Tony M Mar 16, 2016:
@ Bohy Yes, although I think it is more of a typing or transcription error: I don't believe it is intended to be a past tense at all, but simply 'on arrive toujours...' — the 'a' is spurious.
Anne Bohy Mar 16, 2016:
Accents manquants et erreurs grammaticales Suggestion : "On est toujours arrivés à s'y retrouver".
Il me semble qu'une telle formulation orale ("on a arrivé") peut s'entendre dans certaines régions, Alsace par ex.

Proposed translations

+7
1 hr
Selected

You can always find your way around, I'm satisfied with the machine.

That sentence is still not correct, and should very probably be "On arrive toujours à se retrouver".
Note from asker:
Great. I was wondering if it was something like this. Or "we can always make it work" Yes I ignored the extra a from the original transcription. Sorry.
Peer comment(s):
agree Chakib Roula
2 hrs
agree Philippa Smith : Or "you can always figure out how it works" - lots of options!
2 hrs
agree Laurette Tassin
3 hrs
neutral Tony M : I wouldn't use 'you' here for 'on', as it is definitely talking about a first-person experience. Neither do i think it is anything as 'geographical' as 'find your way around'.
4 hrs
agree writeaway
7 hrs
agree Verginia Ophof
9 hrs
agree Rachel Fell : and agree with Philippa
9 hrs
neutral Daryo : far from being the only possible meaning - without more context a rather brave assumption
1 day 6 hrs
agree Antoinette Karuna (X)
2 days 9 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
+2
6 hrs
French term (edited): on arrive toujours à se retrouver

we always manage alright with it in the end

To my mind, the use of 'arriver' conveys something of 'manage in the end' ('get there in the end')

The 'with it' seems to me necessary in order to tie back to 'the machine'

And I do think the first person 'we' is more appropriate for 'on' here, especially as it then goes on to say 'je' — it sounds to me like the owbner of the business who has bought the machine, for example, talking about how s/he and their team of employees ('we') get on with the machine.

Do also note my discussion comment about the idea of 'making a profit' — so it could even be 'we always manage to come out on top' / 'it's still profitable for us' etc.
Peer comment(s):
agree Yvonne Gallagher
2 hrs
Thanks, G!
agree Daryo : as ambiguous as the ST - in the right way
1 day 1 hr
Merci, Daryo ! Yes, that's what I felt was essential here.
Something went wrong...
8 hrs

We always managed to make it work

On a arrive toujours = we always managed (to do s.th)
a se retrouver = in this context, 'to get a result'

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs (2016-03-16 10:26:55 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

'We have always managed', rather.

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Note added at 10 hrs (2016-03-16 12:09:07 GMT)
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yes, but 'se retrouver' literally means 'to find oneself' as in 'How do I find myself here?'. It can also mean 'to get by' and various similar things. In the context here I think it means 'get results'. 'Arriver a faire q,ch' means 'manage to do s.th', so: 'we always manage to get results', perhaps 'the desired result'.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Tony M : Pretty much as I already said, for the first part; but I think 'make it work' is over-interpretation w.r.t. the source text / Still over-interpreting, really: the s/t doesn't mention 'results' at all.
8 mins
We have always managed/always manage to get good results'
Something went wrong...
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