Talk:long absent, soon forgotten

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Latest comment: 12 years ago by Edcolins in topic French translation
Jump to navigation Jump to search

French translation[edit]

Hi Actarus Prince d'Euphor, thanks for your edit. I am not sure to understand this one, however. The definition for "loin des yeux, loin du cœur" on the French wiktionary, namely "L’absence détruit ou refroidit l’affection ; l’éloignement distend le lien affectif." [1] seems to fit with the meaning of long absent, soon forgotten. I don't really see any difference in meaning. --Edcolins 21:36, 15 January 2012 (UTC)Reply

Well, it's up to you... But it goes without saying that the most obvious, the most literal translation of out of sight, out of mind is "loin des yeux, loin du cœur". the proverb long absent, soon forgotten introduces an idea (almost a parameter) of duration that is absent in out of sight, out of mind as well as its French translation loin des yeux, loin du cœur. --Actarus (Prince d'Euphor) 13:46, 19 January 2012 (UTC)Reply
There seem to be several valid translations for the same proverb. I don't see the distinction that you seem to see and, even if there was one, "loin des yeux, loin du cœur" certainly confers the idea that love fades away with the duration of the absence. See the example from the French wiktionary:
  • Plus généralement, ces absences de longue durée conduisent parfois à des retours difficiles, le refus patronal de reprendre le salarié s’analysant alors en un licenciement : « Loin des yeux, loin du cœur » : prudence. Jean-Emmanuel Ray, Droit de travail - Droit Vivant 17e édition 2008/2009, 2008 [2]
See also "long+absent,+soon+forgotten" (see "978."), "long+absent,+soon+forgotten"+"loin+des+yeux" (compare "17." and "19"). I have reinserted this translation. Cheers, --Edcolins 20:02, 19 January 2012 (UTC)Reply