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Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

démonte

English translation:

removing / removal

Added to glossary by Tony M
Mar 19, 2015 22:39
9 yrs ago
1 viewer *
French term

démonte

French to English Social Sciences Psychology neuro nursing note
Actually, it's a whole sentence that is giving me trouble. From the nursing notes about a patient who is confused, fearful, anxious and having visual hallucinations "voit du monde qui demonte le lavabo". Unfortunately I don't have any more of the patient's file, but he is probably post valve replacement surgery.
Proposed translations (English)
4 +2 removing
4 +2 dismantling or taking apart
3 imagines people taking the house apart
Change log

Mar 21, 2015 13:11: Yolanda Broad changed "Term asked" from "demonte" to "démonte"

Mar 23, 2015 17:35: Tony M Created KOG entry

Mar 23, 2015 17:35: Tony M changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/14723">Tony M's</a> old entry - "démonte"" to ""removing""

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (2): philgoddard, Victoria Britten

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Discussion

Nikki Scott-Despaigne Mar 20, 2015:
@Joan Unless it says he was referring to that wash basin, then there's no way of knowing. However, it is not a problem as you can only translate the information which is given. ;-)
Joan Berglund (asker) Mar 20, 2015:
Also, he must be referring to the hand-washing sink in the recovery room, which is technically a wash basin. I was just having a hard time picturing what he was on about and worried I was missing something.
Joan Berglund (asker) Mar 20, 2015:
I think I will probably keep it simple with removing the wash basin. I don't have the patient's whole record, but he is probably post valve replacement surgery (because of the client) in and it is probably a reaction to the anesthesia judging by the fact that a later note says the ADG, who I can only hope is the on-call anesthesiologist, talked to the patient's family to reassure them (no details, just more shorthand).
John Holland Mar 20, 2015:
Importance of details I fully agree with Nikki that the actual terms used by a patient have clinical significance.
Nikki Scott-Despaigne Mar 20, 2015:
Details are of the utmost importance In the field of psychology, details may be extremely significant. It is a piece of clinical information in the form of a reported clinical observation. If the clinician has considered it necessary to specify the fact that the hallucination concerns a wash-basin, then the translator would be wrong to omit or transform that information. (It may not be significant of course, but that is not something the translator can decide). I'm currently training to become a psychologist and such details are generally significant.
B D Finch Mar 20, 2015:
Far be it from me to split hairs, but a "lavabo" is a washbasin, not a "sink" (évier). The former has a sloping base and the latter has a flat base and is a suitable size for doing the washing-up in. However, I agree with 1045 and think this is an expression not to be taken literally.
Jean-Claude Gouin Mar 20, 2015:
THE MEANING ... Does it really matter what 'démonte' means? The meaning is that the patient is not 'all there', 'there's light in the attic, but nobody's there', 'his oars aren't touching the water' ... I could go on and on but you get the point ... I hope. I'm sure that 'dismantling the sink' is just one of many observations ...

Proposed translations

+2
5 mins
French term (edited): demonte
Selected

removing

Surely it just means this poor patient thinks they can see people removing the wash-basin?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 heures (2015-03-20 12:22:31 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I'd be interested to know (out of mere curiosity!) whether this particular hallucination took place in (say) the doctor's surgery — in which case, the wash-basin might be one of the few thing son which the patient might focus in an otherwise comparatively bare room; or if the patient is reporting something that they 'saw happening' at home, which to me would put a different compllexion on it.
I had a friend who suffered from hallucinations towards the end of his life; he once cried out to stop me sitting in an armchair "because couldn't I see there was already a lady sitting in it?" — really quite phased me at the time!
Peer comment(s):
agree philgoddard
8 hrs
Thanks, Phil!
agree Nikki Scott-Despaigne : "remove" but also could mean "dismantled". Impossible to know which. // Yes as simple as possible, although it is not a technical detail, simply another rednering of the verb.
13 hrs
Thanks, Nikki! Could be, I agree, but I doubt the patient would go into such technical detail — or if they did, I believe the clinician would have noted it; in short, I think keep it simple and avoid over-interpretation!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "thank you"
11 hrs
French term (edited): demonte

imagines people taking the house apart

I don't think this phrase should be taken too literally. What needs to come across is an illusion of strangers coming into the person's space and taking things apart.

www.copronason.com/meth.htm
She said people were taking the cars apart and putting them in the trees.

Peer comment(s):
neutral Nikki Scott-Despaigne : In context, the specific details of a hallucination may have clinical meaning. The fact that a wash-basin is being removed/dismantled may be significant in the patient's history. It should be retained.
1 hr
You are probably right.
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+2
19 mins
French term (edited): demonte

dismantling or taking apart

Please see: http://www.wordreference.com/fren/Demonter

While I imagine that Tony may well be right that the patient may fear that the sink is being removed, I think that the idea of something being dismantled or taken apart could also have a metaphorical meaning for this patient (as in, that he is being dismantled or taken apart, surgically or otherwise). For this reason, I would be inclined to stick close to the actual word used by the patient on this one.

Suggested translation"
The patient "sees some people [who are] dismantling the sink [or taking the sink apart]."

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 hrs (2015-03-20 12:54:40 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I've thought that "taking apart" or taking down" were the more common meanings of "demonter" and that using it to mean "remove" was a more specialized or technical use ("demonter un pneu"/"removing a tire")...

In any case, "taking a sink [or "washbasin," for British English] apart" is definitely a term in use. Here's a video of someone taking a (bathroom) sink apart:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByQoK_tJzDo
And here are some additional references:
https://www.google.fr/search?&q="taking a sink apart"
Peer comment(s):
neutral Tony M : 'démonter' also simply means literally 'remove' (the antonym of 'monter' or 'poser') — and a sink isn't really something that can be 'dismantled' or 'taken apart'. / Since technical detail is not needed here, best to keep it simple.
3 mins
Thanks, Tony M. For "dismantling" a sink, I can imagine the taps being unscrewed, the drain removed, screws being unscrewed from the wall, etc. "Taking down" vs "putting up." This seems different than "enlever," "retirer," "sortir," and so on.
agree SilvijaG
2 hrs
Thanks, SilvijaG
neutral philgoddard : I agree with Tony's comment above - this is splitting hairs a bit.
8 hrs
Thanks for the input, philgoddard
agree Nikki Scott-Despaigne : Remove/dismantle. Either or both work. It is impossible to know from the context. PS. This is a washbasin, not a sink which would be "évier".//Thanks for the US correction. Sink or swim, then?!
13 hrs
Thanks, Nikki. For washbasin vs. sink, I think it's a matter of British vs. American English. Americans (like me) call it a sink. See: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/washbasin
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