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begue

English translation: (forced) labor camp

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:bagne
English translation:(forced) labor camp
Entered by: Barbara Cochran, MFA

23:21 Aug 3, 2010
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / World War II Liberation Poem
French term or phrase: begue
In the first stanza in a poem that was written by an anoymous author around the time of the liberation of Buchenwald.

"Buchenwald! C'est le noir de la forêt profounde
Où jamais les oiseaux n'osent échanger les cris
C'est le camp ou pourissent isolés du monde
Les números Häftlings que les SS ont pris,
C'est le **begue** où la mort pourvoie à tout moment
Soit sa tranchée commune ou son four crématoire
De corps brisés de coups où morts d'épuisement
C'est l'enfers enfrenté dont parler l'historie."

Merci,

femme
Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 01:39
LABOR CAMP
Explanation:
if it was copied, it could also be BAGNE which means LABOR CAMP

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Note added at 4 days (2010-08-08 14:00:48 GMT) Post-grading
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merci
Selected response from:

Evelyne Trolley de Prévaux
Mexico
Local time: 22:39
Grading comment
Merci à tous.
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
2 +4LABOR CAMP
Evelyne Trolley de Prévaux
3 +1faltering
Jennifer Levey
4uncertainty
kashew
3indecision
Chris Hall
2gloomy place
mimi 254


Discussion entries: 8





  

Answers


32 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
faltering


Explanation:
It's no doubt using 'bègue' figuaratively, to refer to any faltering, or stumble, or temporary weakness - which will rapidly become the target of death.

Jennifer Levey
Chile
Local time: 01:39
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  writeaway: makes sense historically at least. it's a known fact
23 mins
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46 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
bègue
indecision


Explanation:
This is how I would translate the line in question:

C'est le begue où la mort pourvoie à tout moment
=
In the event of indecision, death shall strike at any time

Chris Hall
Local time: 06:39
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 20
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
gloomy place


Explanation:
see discussion - i know it is too general but so far that's the only word i can think of

mimi 254
Local time: 06:39
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 4
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
uncertainty


Explanation:
*

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Note added at 9 heures (2010-08-04 08:21:55 GMT)
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maybe qualified by extreme

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Note added at 9 heures (2010-08-04 08:22:50 GMT)
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or just "Doom"! Yes, I think that's it.

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Note added at 9 heures (2010-08-04 08:25:01 GMT)
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a doomtime, beyond hope.

kashew
France
Local time: 07:39
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +4
LABOR CAMP


Explanation:
if it was copied, it could also be BAGNE which means LABOR CAMP

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 days (2010-08-08 14:00:48 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

merci

Evelyne Trolley de Prévaux
Mexico
Local time: 22:39
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 3
Grading comment
Merci à tous.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Michalsuz: This makes more sense than Begue - and there are other mistakes...
1 hr
  -> merci
agree  writeaway: typo/scanno strikes again? it does make more sense to have a word used as one would expect.
4 hrs
  -> merci
agree  kashew: Maybe "camp" is enough - but why those capitals, E?
8 hrs
  -> merci
agree  Sandra Mouton
13 hrs
  -> merci
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