Judith Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Can anybody give me a sensible idiomatic French expression for our "why keep a dog and bark yourself?" All enquiries of French friends so far drawn a blank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Katie Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Hi Judith, I dont understand that one myself. Could it mean why do DIY and take the bins out if you have got a husband? That sort of thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gastines Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Had fun explaining to our neighbours the expression,'He has short arms and long pockets' Quite a few of them about!!Regards B&B St.Malo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted April 10, 2006 Author Share Posted April 10, 2006 I have always assumed it to mean that if you have someone better "qualified" or "experienced" than you in doing something, you let them do it. ie as a librarian / information professional I'm quite good a finding things - I often get asked to find things by family members, as I can do it more quickly and expertly than they can. It can be applied to things other than that of course! But hubby does use it, espcially when I am better at household things than he is! But I agree about the rubbish bins too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 [quote user="Judith"]Can anybody give me a sensible idiomatic French expression for our "why keep a dog and bark yourself?" All enquiries of French friends so far drawn a blank.[/quote]Why have a dog and bark yourself?Pourquoi faire soi-même ce qu'on paie quelqu'un à faire?Handy sayings translations here, here and here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 I din't know that expression, so I'll stop barking. We had a friend who always used to say'Chacun son métier..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 [quote user="Christine Animal"] We had a friend who always used to say"Chacun son métier..."[/quote]"A chacun son métier, les vaches seront bien gardées"Every man to his own trade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godwinsj Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 I like this expression; gleaned from a report in Ouest France where a Mayennais police spokesman said that before the advent of speed cameras trying to stop the Mayennais from speeding was like 'fishing in the desert'.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted April 11, 2006 Author Share Posted April 11, 2006 ClairBelatedly thanking you for your help - and the extra pages you gave, which I will look at (again) sometime.Somehow, howver good the translation, the French is usually just not quite the same meaning, or quite as snappy as the English original. But then English has honed itself into a very direct form over the years!Will keep me (and hubby) happy for hours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 I had to explain to my French boss the english "saying" - I'm so hungry I could eat a scabby dogAfter some baffled looks he came up with an equivalent - je peux manger un chien sans le viderWhich I think is just as gross as the original!!!Thanks for the websites Clair - they look great, and very usefulLou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted April 16, 2006 Share Posted April 16, 2006 [quote user="Clair"][quote user="Judith"]Can anybody give me a sensible idiomatic French expression for our "why keep a dog and bark yourself?" All enquiries of French friends so far drawn a blank.[/quote]Why have a dog and bark yourself?Pourquoi faire soi-même ce qu'on paie quelqu'un à faire?Handy sayings translations here, here and here![/quote] Except that 'Why keep a dog' would be the equivalent of 'Pourquoi payer quelqu'un' and 'bark yourself' would be the 'when you end up doing it yourself' which in the case of 'why keep a dog to do the barking yourself' = why spend so much money on having someone to help or accomplish a particular task then ending up doing the task yourself because the person/service bought has been useless ...against the french expression of : why do something when someone else could do it for you for a little pecuniary recompense.'On est jamais mieux servi que par soi-même' (One is only better served than by oneself!) which I think is a more accurate translation... and at the end of the day it is just pedantic semantic....[;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted April 16, 2006 Share Posted April 16, 2006 As I read it, "On n'est jamais mieux servi que par soi-même" (If you want something done, it's best to do it yourself) expresses the opposite of "Why keep and dog and do the barking yourself?"I was not implying a dog was a person or that there was a financial aspect involved.My suggestion was not an equivalent proverb, just a way of explaininga very English proverb to a non-English speaking person... I could not think of an equivalent proverb in French. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owens88 Posted April 16, 2006 Share Posted April 16, 2006 I don't know the answer to your perfectly valid question. The 'why keep a dog..? ' saying is perfectly well understood over here in the uk. In fact it cropped up in a business conversation between strangers last week (i.e. its not colloquial). The context was 'I don't care who actually does service x- I sub-contract the responsibility to YYY, talk to them'BUTI want to claim brownie points for managing to explain the concept of a 'chocolate fireguard' to French somebody (in the context of our Syndic) and she understood ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 >>>I want to claim brownie points for managing to explain the concept of a 'chocolate fireguard' to French somebody (in the context of our Syndic) and she understood !<<< Sorry to ask you but (as I am French) what is a 'chocolate fireguard'. In my mind it looks like that thing you put in front of the fireplace so the carpets are protected from the spitting ambers... but if made of chocolate it would melt with the heat produced by the fire... Oh! I get it! [I] ... maybe that is the idea of a chocolate fireguard : something useless at the task for which it is fabricated ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 Yes, you've got it. I think it is a wonderful expression to describe something completely useless for the task in hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted May 8, 2006 Author Share Posted May 8, 2006 Dear AllFound it - after a session with the dictionary (it was a long breakfast that morning!) and much hunting of possible places!!It is translated as"faire un travail qu'on pourrait deleguer a quelqu'un d'autre"(excuse lack of accents on deleguer - impossibly difficult on this computer).I think this is a pretty accurate translation for those who did not understand it even in English - but it certainly doesn't have the same bite to it - and isn't acutally quite the meaning, but near enough I suppose!All we have to do now is remember it!Many thanks all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerdesal Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Regarding the chocolate fireguard, There is a much cruder version in common 'building type site' use whichinvolves the word Bull which I am sure no-one would dream of quoting ona family forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suandpete Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Question for missyesbut - what would the French equivalent of "about as much use as a chocolate fireguard" be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 [quote user="Suandpete"]Question for missyesbut - what would the French equivalent of "about as much use as a chocolate fireguard" be?[/quote]Well... I had to think about that!... The expression my grandfather used all the time when as youngsters we would help him on his farm and were utterly useless at getting the goats from the field to the milking shed. He would shout (in his patois of the Melle region) : 'Vous êtes aussi utiles que la cinquième roue de la brouette' to which we ran away crying and went to help our Gran cleaning her rabbit hutches or collect the eggs from the poulailler! as we were guaranteed cakes and lemonade for '4heures'! (tea-time type of snack for kids taken around 4pm) to soften Grandfather's insult...Roughly translate it as 'You are as useful as the fifth wheel on the wheelbarrow'I don't think it is an actual french expression for uselessness but have you ever seen a wheelbarrow with 5 wheels?... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derf Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 "Roughly translate it as 'You are as useful as the fifth wheel on the wheelbarrow'I don't think it is an actual french expression for uselessness but have you ever seen a wheelbarrow with 5 wheels?... " No, but I have not seen many wheelbarrows with four wheels either.[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1simon1 Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Bit like an ashtray on a motorbike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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