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  3. General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

petit sourire

English translation: with a hint of a smile

05:06 Feb 19, 2009
French to English translations [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / script
French term or phrase: petit sourire
comes up often after a snitch of dialogue - example
Jean (avec un petit sourire)
Comment vas-tu?
sfreland
France
Local time: 11:51
English translation:with a hint of a smile
Explanation:
Just another option
Selected response from:

French Foodie
Local time: 11:51
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +5with a hint of a smile
French Foodie
5 +2smiling slightly
Valerie SYKES
4 +1light smile or smirk?
lundy
3 +2with a faint smile
ormiston
3 +2little smile
Emma Paulay
Summary of reference entries provided
Smirk
Lingua 5B

Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
light smile or smirk?


Explanation:
the context is all!

lundy
France
Local time: 11:51
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 36

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  polyglot45: it may well be a smirk but what on earth is a light smile? Smiling lightly, yes
28 mins
  -> sorry sorry! yes, slight smile but not light smile ..
agree  Diane de Cicco: yes, if the context implies that it is smug and self-satisfied
1 hr
neutral  ormiston: smirk implies a lot - fine if fits the tone of voice
1 hr
  -> yes, as I said, the context is all!
neutral  B D Finch: Perhaps a typo for a "slight" smile?
1 hr
neutral  Helen Shiner: With B D Finch, though a smirk suggests a certain sarcasm.
2 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
smiling slightly


Explanation:
You'd have to rephrase the original French as this is better English in the context than 'with a slight smile'.
Plenty of refernces on Google.



    Reference: http://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/1560R-2054491
Valerie SYKES
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:51
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Helen Shiner: Agree with your argument
1 hr
agree  Ingeborg Gowans (X): w/ Helen
3 hrs
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
with a faint smile


Explanation:
better than a (s)light smile in my opinion. Hard to imagine someone 'smirking' as they say how are you! It will look odd in your text if the person KEEPS saying things with a faint smile, granted. There are other verbs like 'grin' etc. but it will depend on his tone

ormiston
Local time: 11:51
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 93

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sandra Petch: Maybe even a shy smile if that fits the mood.
2 mins
agree  Helen Shiner
15 mins
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +5
with a hint of a smile


Explanation:
Just another option

French Foodie
Local time: 11:51
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 24
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sandra Petch: I like this a lot too :-)
0 min
  -> Hi Sandra, thanks!
agree  Helen Shiner
12 mins
  -> thanks Helen
agree  mimi 254
57 mins
  -> thanks mimi
agree  Ingeborg Gowans (X)
2 hrs
  -> thanks Ingeborg
agree  berg
5 hrs
  -> thanks berg
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
little smile


Explanation:
I think this could very well be a smirk as lundy suggests. But it might not be. Where the context suggests sarcasm then I would translate it as "smirk" and where it definitely doesn't or you're not sure, then "with a little smile" is just as ambiguous in En as "un petit sourire" in French.

Emma Paulay
France
Local time: 11:51
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 126

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ingeborg Gowans (X): dpends on the tone: any of these vriations above would fit, too imho
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Ingeborg.
agree  Christophe G.: it is concise, so it can be repeated the same way as in the source text.
3 hrs
  -> Thanks, Chris.
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Reference comments


5 hrs
Reference: Smirk

Reference information:
Voice, des photos d'un " smirk" :

http://images.google.ba/images?q=smirk&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozi...

Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Native speaker of: Native in SerbianSerbian, Native in CroatianCroatian
PRO pts in category: 4
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