Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
ce qui fut dit fut fait
English translation:
And so it was; And thus it was...
Added to glossary by
Carol Gullidge
Mar 31, 2008 20:43
16 yrs ago
3 viewers *
French term
United Kingdom
For the Love of Language
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English
ce qui fut dit fut fait
French to English
Art/Literary
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
This is the beginning of a chapter in a children's book. The main character is returning home after an unpleasant experience. I think this must be a set phrase but I can't find it anywhere.
"Ce qui fut dit fut fait... Carla descendit du fourgon, exténuée par la nuit qu'elle venait de passer."
"Ce qui fut dit fut fait... Carla descendit du fourgon, exténuée par la nuit qu'elle venait de passer."
Proposed translations
(English)
Change log
Apr 2, 2008 21:30: Carol Gullidge Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+10
19 mins
Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
United Kingdom
poetically precise prose with... panache
Native in: English 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
47
Selected
And so it was...
As it's the beginning of a chapter, presumably following on from something in the previous one... this seems to fit the context - providing a feeling of literary continuity.
A couple of examples of new "chapters" beginning in the same way:
Bolton Data for Inclusion
And so it was in September 1986 that I entered my first Special School. An old bus came to pick me up on my first day. My day started at 7.45a.m. We had to ...
www.inclusion-boltondata.org.uk/FrontPage/data16.htm - 15k - Cached - Similar pages
Star of the Sea.
And so it was. God made the vault and it divided the waters above the vault from ... And so it was. God called the dry land "earth" and the mass of waters ...
www.catholicchurchmull.co.uk/StainedGlass.html - 19k
A couple of examples of new "chapters" beginning in the same way:
Bolton Data for Inclusion
And so it was in September 1986 that I entered my first Special School. An old bus came to pick me up on my first day. My day started at 7.45a.m. We had to ...
www.inclusion-boltondata.org.uk/FrontPage/data16.htm - 15k - Cached - Similar pages
Star of the Sea.
And so it was. God made the vault and it divided the waters above the vault from ... And so it was. God called the dry land "earth" and the mass of waters ...
www.catholicchurchmull.co.uk/StainedGlass.html - 19k
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Victoria Porter-Burns
: Definitely sounds most natural and suitable in this case I'd say
14 mins
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many thanks Victoria :)
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| agree |
Jim Tucker (X)
: Yes, in this context I think this has the magical element you want in a children's story. Would not insist on the flat "no sooner said than done" here, which anyway emphasizes speed rather than the "lo!" element.
16 mins
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thanks Jim! Nicely explained :)
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| agree |
Bourth (X)
: "And so it came to pass" (not that I'm sure fairy stories are written in that sort of language these days - when I read [reed] stories I read [red] as child, in a book my mother had as a girl in 1933, it seems almost Victorian ...
43 mins
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thanks Bourth! Of course we don't know how modern this needs to be, but "...came to pass" sounds a bit like something out of "What Moses did"!
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| agree |
Joan Berglund
: or so it went? sounds kinda Vonnegutian (or Joelish)
3 hrs
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thanks Joan! That sounds good too.
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| agree |
Sarah Llewellyn
: Very nice.
3 hrs
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thanks Sarah!
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| agree |
Melissa McMahon
: "... came to pass" ocurred to me too, but you may be right about the biblical-ness...
10 hrs
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thanks Melissa - it all depends on the register of the text at the time
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| agree |
swanda
10 hrs
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thanks swanda!
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| agree |
Sandra Petch
: This is really nice!
11 hrs
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many thanks Sandra :)
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| agree |
cjohnstone
: oui better than my suggestion, although...?
11 hrs
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many thanks Catherine :)
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| agree |
Colin Rowe
: Stayying in the biblical vein: this solution "finds favour in my eyes"!
11 hrs
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many thanks Colin :)
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "I like the simplicity of this option. Thanks everyone for all your suggestions."
+3
2 mins
Nina Iordache
Romania
Romania
Specializes in field
Romania
Native in: Romanian (Variant: Romania)
Works in: English to Romanian, French to English, French to Romanian, and 1 more.
no sooner said than done
IMO
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
bcsantos
: yes I agree.
12 mins
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Thanks!
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| agree |
Olga Layer
20 mins
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Thanks!
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| agree |
Gustavo Silva
: said and done :-)
39 mins
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Thanks
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| neutral |
Bourth (X)
: Possible, but we'd have to see the entire chronology of events to know when X was said and when X was done.
54 mins
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True, Bourth, it is just that it seemed to me more colorful this way...
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| neutral |
swanda
: la traduction de "no sooner said than done" serait "aussitôt dit, aussitôt fait"
10 hrs
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Yes, you are right, but please see my comment.
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7 mins
Andreas THEODOROU
Spain
Spain
Native in English
Works in field
Spain
Translator/writer (medical/pharma specn)
Native in: English
Works in: Greek to English, French to English, Spanish to English, and 2 more.
It was promised, and it was done.
another possibility
Out of curiosity, what age group is this book targeted at?
Out of curiosity, what age group is this book targeted at?
53 mins
Clayton Causey
Native in English
Works in field
A pleasure to work with
Native in: English
Works in: Portuguese to English, French to English, Chinese to English, and 6 more.
[I] did what I said I would do...
Another option.
1 hr
cjohnstone
France
France
Native in French
&
English
France
Experience and feel
Native in: French 
, English (Variant: British)
Works in: English to French, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
3
as said was done
to avoid as Bourth apltly noted any chronology pb.. here we leave out on the deadline and the "as soon as" which might not be right
2 hrs
The deed had been done as foretold
Thinking that it might refer to the something unpleasant that the heroine had experienced and which had been previously announced or predicted???
3 hrs
When all was said and done
Another way of putting it, although I like Carol's suggestion a lot.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Melissa McMahon
: To me, this means something v. different to 'and so it came to pass', ie 'when it was all over' (sayings and doings), but perhaps it would work in context...
6 hrs
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+1
3 hrs
Katarina Peters
Canada
Canada
Native in English
Canada
Accuracy and A1 presentation
Native in: Hungarian , English (Variant: US)
Works in: English to Portuguese, Portuguese to English, Hungarian to English, and 13 more.
+1
3 hrs
As it was said, so was it done
Hello,
This is how I'd say it. Sounds really literary-like...
I hope this helps.
This is how I'd say it. Sounds really literary-like...
I hope this helps.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Melissa McMahon
: I like this too - if it fits with what comes immediately before
6 hrs
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Thanks, Melissa!
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18 hrs
Sylvia Valls
Native in English
Works in field
PhD Mod Langs and Lits Fr. Eng-Sp nativ
Native in: English , Spanish
Works in: French to English, French to Spanish, Spanish to English, and 1 more.
what was said was what was done
Why not stick with exactly what was said... and it alliterates, rather... keeping in mind the flow of the text... but for the best choice the translator would have to experiment with the whole passage... Some of the translation suggestions I have seen do not hit the mark or are not faithful to the original...
18 hrs
She (the Duchess) was as good as her word
Or her word was her bond.
Again, we're a little thin on context.
Suggesting this, I'm assuming the plan to send someone was pre-arranged:
I stood waiting where the kindly coachman had set me down, wondering if the Duchess had remembered that I was coming home today. Had she really not sent someone to meet me, as she had promised? Looking at the glowering stormclouds sweeping in from the dales, I was about to seat myself on one of my larger hatboxes and weep when I heard Pollyann calling out, and in a moment she was there beside me, busying herself with my bags. Of course I should never have doubted, and known that the Duchess was as good as her word!
and that it was not a matter of:
"Oh, sapristi, the coach will be here any minute!" Exclaimed the Duchess. "I expect Mistress Dumble will have been to Harrod's as usual and will never be able to make it up the hill with all her fine new clothes before the storm breaks! Pollyann! Pollyann! Where IS the girl? Never around when she's wanted! Oh, there you are you foolish child. Now, listen carefully ..." In her precipitation, the Duchess slipped back into the manner of speech of her youth, before she fell to the charms of the young Duke years before, while she minded sheep in the dales ... "I want you to go down t' bus depot, right away now, 'ear, and meet Mistress Dumble off t' 10.40 from Upper Thiddlewick and 'elp 'er up 'ere to t' Manor with t' baggage. Now, 'op to!"
No sooner said than done, and Pollyann turned up muddied and breathless at the bus station to take Mistress Dumble's hat boxes ...
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Note added at 1 day1 hr (2008-04-01 22:28:50 GMT)
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I hope you don't say that to all the boys, Rachel!
Again, we're a little thin on context.
Suggesting this, I'm assuming the plan to send someone was pre-arranged:
I stood waiting where the kindly coachman had set me down, wondering if the Duchess had remembered that I was coming home today. Had she really not sent someone to meet me, as she had promised? Looking at the glowering stormclouds sweeping in from the dales, I was about to seat myself on one of my larger hatboxes and weep when I heard Pollyann calling out, and in a moment she was there beside me, busying herself with my bags. Of course I should never have doubted, and known that the Duchess was as good as her word!
and that it was not a matter of:
"Oh, sapristi, the coach will be here any minute!" Exclaimed the Duchess. "I expect Mistress Dumble will have been to Harrod's as usual and will never be able to make it up the hill with all her fine new clothes before the storm breaks! Pollyann! Pollyann! Where IS the girl? Never around when she's wanted! Oh, there you are you foolish child. Now, listen carefully ..." In her precipitation, the Duchess slipped back into the manner of speech of her youth, before she fell to the charms of the young Duke years before, while she minded sheep in the dales ... "I want you to go down t' bus depot, right away now, 'ear, and meet Mistress Dumble off t' 10.40 from Upper Thiddlewick and 'elp 'er up 'ere to t' Manor with t' baggage. Now, 'op to!"
No sooner said than done, and Pollyann turned up muddied and breathless at the bus station to take Mistress Dumble's hat boxes ...
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Note added at 1 day1 hr (2008-04-01 22:28:50 GMT)
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I hope you don't say that to all the boys, Rachel!
Note from asker:
| I like your pastiches! :) |
Discussion