Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
pour observer le signe médical d'une éventuelle castration
English translation:
to observe the physical sign of a possible castration
Added to glossary by
Barbara Cochran, MFA
Feb 12, 2011 15:30
13 yrs ago
French term
United States
Laudable Lady Linguist
Native in: English 
Works in: Spanish to English, French to English, English to Spanish, and 3 more.
pour observer le signe médical d'une éventuelle castration
French to English
Social Sciences
Psychology
Literary Exposé On Balzac
Contexte:
"On a pu parler du "voyeurisme" chex le personnage; mais la passion de voir se mêle chez lui au désir obscur de n'être pas vu, de se cacher du monde. Désir de se suicider la nuit pour ne pas exposer son corps aux regards, désir d'épier Fœdora sans être vu pour **observer le signe médical d'une éventuelle castration,** claustration de la fin, haine du regard de l'autre, capable de lire sur lui les signes de la mort qui avance.
The gaze and the fear associated with being looked at.
Merci,
Barbara
"On a pu parler du "voyeurisme" chex le personnage; mais la passion de voir se mêle chez lui au désir obscur de n'être pas vu, de se cacher du monde. Désir de se suicider la nuit pour ne pas exposer son corps aux regards, désir d'épier Fœdora sans être vu pour **observer le signe médical d'une éventuelle castration,** claustration de la fin, haine du regard de l'autre, capable de lire sur lui les signes de la mort qui avance.
The gaze and the fear associated with being looked at.
Merci,
Barbara
Change log
Feb 12, 2011 17:55: writeaway changed "Field" from "Art/Literary" to "Social Sciences"
Feb 17, 2011 04:04: Barbara Cochran, MFA Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+2
1 hr
Selected
to observe the physical sign of a possible castration
Or "of any castration". Suspecting that Fœdora might be a castrated man, rather than a woman is presumably related in some way to the person's own fear of the gaze of others. His wish to spy on Fœdora would then relate to the fear that others may similarly be secretly spying on him, as projection of his own behaviour or obsessions onto others.
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Note added at 1 hr (2011-02-12 16:52:45 GMT)
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Not "medical" in English.
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Note added at 2 hrs (2011-02-12 17:43:02 GMT)
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Re Asker's note:
It certainly doesn't have anything to do with a concern for Fœdora's medical well-being and the castration that the character is interested in / curious about / obsessed about would be of the surgical rather than pharmaceutical variety.
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Note added at 1 hr (2011-02-12 16:52:45 GMT)
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Not "medical" in English.
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Note added at 2 hrs (2011-02-12 17:43:02 GMT)
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Re Asker's note:
It certainly doesn't have anything to do with a concern for Fœdora's medical well-being and the castration that the character is interested in / curious about / obsessed about would be of the surgical rather than pharmaceutical variety.
Note from asker:
| Thanks. It was actually "médical" that I was stumbling over becasue I couldn't see how the literal translation of that word would be appropriate in this case. |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
ormiston
: perhaps 'any physical signs of castration' would avoid the awkwardness of 'a'
1 hr
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Thanks ormiston. Castration would inevitably have produced physical signs, so perhaps "physical signs of any/possible castration".
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| agree |
Melissa McMahon
: It sounds like the Freudian scenario of believing/fearing that female genitalia in general is the result of castration
12 hrs
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Thanks Melissa
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks a lot."
43 mins
Katarina Peters
Canada
Canada
Native in English
Works in field
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.
to observe the medical symptom of a possible castration
straightforward, imho...
1 hr
Mohamed Hosni
Morocco
Morocco
Morocco
Native in: Arabic
Works in: Arabic to French, English to Arabic, French to Arabic, and 3 more.
Inorder to observe the hmedical sign of a possible castration .
This's my suggestion to you.
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Note added at 1 hr (2011-02-12 16:32:19 GMT)
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Inorder to observe the medical sign of a possible castration .
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Note added at 1 hr (2011-02-12 16:32:19 GMT)
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Inorder to observe the medical sign of a possible castration .
Discussion
The terms by themselves are simple enough.