Thread: French to English translate help!

I found this French comment made about a dancer I know. Google gives me a 50% translation but I'm not understanding all of it.


Je ne sais pas si on peut le considerer comme un style, mais je pense que c'est un numéro obligé pour toute danseuse!

" C'est au pied du mur qu'on voit le maçon!"

alors j'ouvre le bal avec Georgette d'Australie , ce n'est peut-être pas le meilleur que j'ai vu, mais il est pas mal !

"Je ne sais pas si on peut le considerer comme un style, mais je pense que c'est un numéro obligé pour toute danseuse!"

= "I'm not sure if we can consider this a style, but I think it's something a dancer has to do at least once in her career. " (sounds pretty tongue-in-cheek to me :)




"alors j'ouvre le bal avec Georgette d'Australie , ce n'est peut-être pas le meilleur que j'ai vu, mais il est pas mal !"

= Then I'll start things off with with Georgette from Australia. Not the best I've ever seen but not bad :)."
(he/she enjoyed it)

Originally Posted by HubicRuzz

I found this French comment made about a dancer I know. Google gives me a 50% translation but I'm not understanding all of it.


Je ne sais pas si on peut le considerer comme un style, mais je pense que c'est un numéro obligé pour toute danseuse!

I don't know if we can consider it as a style, but I think that it's a number that all dancers should do (or do do, or must do)."

" C'est au pied du mur qu'on voit le maçon!"

It's at the base of the building that you see the builder."

alors j'ouvre le bal avec Georgette d'Australie , ce n'est peut-être pas le meilleur que j'ai vu, mais il est pas mal !

So I'm opening the show with Georgette from Australia, who isn't the best dancer I've seen but he's not bad (=he's okay).

Hope that helps! When it's out of context, it's hard to get it exactly so you may have to reach a little to make it apply to your topic.
Cheers,
Hala (a French teacher whose career keeps interfering with her dancing! ..l;,)

Merci Beaucoup

I just realise that "C'est au pied du mur qu'on voit le maçon" is some kind of weird French proverb. Basically in this context it is that a dancer is known by her drum solo.

Originally Posted by HubicRuzz

Merci Beaucoup

I just realise that "C'est au pied du mur qu'on voit le maçon" is some kind of weird French proverb. Basically in this context it is that a dancer is known by her drum solo.

Actually, more along the lines of a level of quality: it's by seeing the final product that you see the craftsmanship. ie: "it's by trying on the bedlah that you see the seamstress"

Lame example, I know, but you get the drift. *g*

HTH,

Kem

Yeah. At the foot of the wall you can see the mason: you can tell if the guy who built it is any good by how it holds up.

So then in this context it is at the drum solo that you get to see the quality of a dancer.

Interesting.