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  3. Education / Pedagogy

Si tu attends d’être tout à fait prête, tu n’arriveras jamais

English translation: If you wait until you\'re completely ready, you\'ll never begin.

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:Si tu attends d’être tout à fait prête, tu n’arriveras jamais
English translation:If you wait until you\'re completely ready, you\'ll never begin.
Entered by: Agustina Burdman Luciano

15:12 Mar 21, 2011
French to English translations [Non-PRO]
Social Sciences - Education / Pedagogy
French term or phrase: Si tu attends d’être tout à fait prête, tu n’arriveras jamais
This phrase is in a list of phrases in an activity for girls, in wich they are supposed to read and analyze the phrases to then share their thoughts on them. The activity is on self-assertion.
I'm sure there is a perfectly good translation for this that I just haven't found...
Thanks for your help!
Agustina Burdman Luciano
Canada
Local time: 00:46
If you wait until you're completely ready, you'll never begin.
Explanation:
Or "...you'll never start"; but there are lots of other good choices to choose from...
Selected response from:

cc in nyc
Local time: 00:46
Grading comment
Thank you!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +4If you wait until you're completely ready, you'll never begin.
cc in nyc
4If you expect to be completely ready, you'll never succeed (get there/get it done)
Lara Barnett
4“If you wait until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never get anywhere
Verginia Ophof
4If you wait till you're perfectly ready, you'll be waiting forever
Jessica Edwards
4If you wait until everything is ready, you'll never get started.
cchat
3 +1If you wait till you're completely ready, you'll never end up getting anywhere at all
Tony M
3If you are waiting to be ready, you will never achieve/make it
Estelle Demontrond-Box
3It's now or never
MatthewLaSon
3If you wait till you're competely ready, you'll never get anywhere
LINDA WATKINS


  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
If you expect to be completely ready, you'll never succeed (get there/get it done)


Explanation:
This is one example.

Lara Barnett
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:46
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 36
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks so much!

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9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
“If you wait until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never get anywhere


Explanation:
“If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything.

Verginia Ophof
Belize
Local time: 22:46
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 18
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks for your help!

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10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
If you wait till you're perfectly ready, you'll be waiting forever


Explanation:
or If you wait for the perfect moment, you'll never be ready

2 ways of saying the same thing. The contractions are on purpose, to echo the informal style implied by the use of "tu".

Jessica Edwards
France
Local time: 06:46
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 15
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you very much!

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14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
If you wait until you're completely ready, you'll never begin.


Explanation:
Or "...you'll never start"; but there are lots of other good choices to choose from...

cc in nyc
Local time: 00:46
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 46
Grading comment
Thank you!
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks for your help!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Catherine Gilsenan
8 mins
  -> Thank you!
agree  Stephanie Ezrol
38 mins
  -> Thank you!
neutral  Tony M: My only tiny quibble is that while it may imply 'begin', what it actually says is 'end' (= arriver)
1 hr
  -> True, I didn't provide a literal translation. But consider other paradoxical translations: je suis là (I'm here), j'arrive (I'm coming)
agree  B D Finch
1 hr
  -> Thank you!
agree  vwkl (X): I have the same comment as Tony. How about using "you'll never get there"?
5 hrs
  -> It's not what I would use. ;-)
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21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
If you are waiting to be ready, you will never achieve/make it


Explanation:
A possibility - to me "arrive" has the meaning "succeed" , "get there"

Estelle Demontrond-Box
Australia
Local time: 14:46
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 28
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks for your help!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: I'm not sure that the present continuous tense really sounds very natural here in EN?
56 mins
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34 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
If you wait until everything is ready, you'll never get started.


Explanation:
Another suggestion.


cchat
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 199
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you very much!

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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
It's now or never


Explanation:
Hello,

I think that is the idea. You can't wait until you feel "ready", you must act now. It's the same idea as "It's now or never", so perhaps don't translate it so literally here.

I hope this helps.

MatthewLaSon
Local time: 00:46
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 85
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks for your help!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: I quite take your point, but actually, I'm not entirely convinced that it is exactly the same idea...
3 mins
  -> But if you stick this in a context, I would think the literal translation would spring to mind. Have a nice day.
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
If you wait till you're completely ready, you'll never end up getting anywhere at all


Explanation:
We've all heard this sort of thing said to us so many times, and there are many different ways of expressing the same idea, I believe.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 minutes (2011-03-21 15:19:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Because 'arriver' doesn't (only) have a spatial sense here, I feel it is necessary to expand it in EN to 'get anywhere at all' to make it sufficiently clear that it isn't intended in a purely geographical sense!

'to get anywhere' has this specific nuance of meaning in EN.

"He tried his utmost to undermine the work of all his colleagues, but in the end, it didn't get him anywhere"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 minutes (2011-03-21 15:21:17 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Wasn't it John Lennon who famously said "Life is what happens to you while you're planning what to do with your life"?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 heure (2011-03-21 16:32:40 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"Don't hang around being an angel, be a fool and rush in" — eh? ;-)

I've always been one of those hasty fools, and proud of it!

Tony M
France
Local time: 06:46
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 38
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you very much!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sheila Wilson: So many possibilities, but this sounds really natural to my British ears
58 mins
  -> Thanks a lot, Sheila!
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18 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
If you wait till you're competely ready, you'll never get anywhere


Explanation:
this is a reworking of some of the other excellent suggestions, I just think it's neater

LINDA WATKINS
France
Local time: 06:46
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks for your help!

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