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sine qua non

English translation: key / crucial factor

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:sine qua non
English translation:key / crucial factor
Entered by: silvester55

21:36 Apr 20, 2011
French to English translations [Non-PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
French term or phrase: sine qua non
Hi everyone,

Any ideas how I could translate 'condition sine qua non' in this context? It's from an article about a young professional footballer who is gradually maturing into a key player for both club and country. A lack of maturity was the only thing that had prevented him from fulfilling his potential sooner.

"Ne manquait que la maturité nécessaire à l’épanouissement, condition *sine qua non* pour une progression attendue depuis ses 14 réalisations de la dernière campagne."

All of my efforts so far have sounded a bit clunky, so any inspiration would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Joe
Joseph Jeffries (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:13
key factor
Explanation:
just another suggestion
Selected response from:

silvester55
Local time: 08:13
Grading comment
Many thanks for all of your suggestions
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +6a must
rkillings
5 +2conditio sine qua non / prerequisite
Sara Meservey
3 +3key factor
silvester55
4 +1sine qua non
Victor_T
4 +1Sine qua non ou condition indispensable pour...
Drmanu49
3 +1fundamental/necessary/required...
Zbyněk Táborský
4an absolutely essential condition
Michele Fauble


  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Sine qua non
sine qua non


Explanation:
see link


    Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sine_qua_non
Victor_T
Mexico
Local time: 23:13
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
Notes to answerer
Asker: Hi Victor, thanks for the suggestion. The text has to be accessible to as wide a target audience as possible, so preserving the Latin isn't an option I'm afraid


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  rkillings: No more Latinate, really, than "prerequisite". Same number of syllables, and fewer letters.:-) Just dispense with the 'condition' part -- that always goes without saying.
3 hrs
  -> Thank you!
neutral  Tony M: Agree, really, except for the question of register.
8 hrs
neutral  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: Agree with Tony, used commonly in France, less so in England.
2 days 16 hrs
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2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Sine qua non
fundamental/necessary/required...


Explanation:
...

Zbyněk Táborský
Czech Republic
Local time: 07:13
Native speaker of: Czech
PRO pts in category: 1
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks Zbynek, definitely an option


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Verginia Ophof
2 mins
  -> Thank you, Verginia!
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1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Sine qua non
Sine qua non ou condition indispensable pour...


Explanation:
IMO

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 18 mins (2011-04-20 21:54:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

or indispensable as absolutely necessary

Drmanu49
France
Local time: 07:13
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 84
Notes to answerer
Asker: Hi Drmanu49, I was actually looking for an English translation, but thanks for the suggestion all the same


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jean-Claude Gouin
9 mins
  -> Thank you.
neutral  Zbyněk Táborský: Like this it seems to me like saying the same thing twice... / Sorry for that, I overlooked "ou" :)
13 mins
  -> It's one or the other Zbynek.
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27 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Sine qua non
conditio sine qua non / prerequisite


Explanation:
You could either leave it in latin "conditio sine qua non" thus respecting the original intention of the author of using a certain kind of expression or use the English equivalent which is Prerequisite. In French conditio sine qua non would be "condition préalable"

Sara Meservey
Italy
Local time: 07:13
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian, Native in EnglishEnglish
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks Sara


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  bowse123 (X)
5 hrs
agree  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: prerequisite
2 days 15 hrs
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
Sine qua non
a must


Explanation:
If you're translating down for a readership ignorant of the language of Cicero.

rkillings
United States
Local time: 22:13
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 9
Notes to answerer
Asker: Yes Tony you're right. If I keep the Latin, there's a danger it might sound rather haughty and pretentious - the complete opposite of what the client wants. Better to keep it simple


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  MoiraB: I'd go even further: an absolute must. And avoiding Latin expressions, particularly in an informal text, is another must...
4 hrs
agree  Tony M: I think the problem is one of register: sqn is used in even quite informal registers in FR (why, even my young pals will say it in a purely conversational context!), whereas in EN, it connotes a more formal register, n'en déplaise à Cicéron !
4 hrs
agree  Sheila Wilson: an absolute must would be my choice, for the reasons given by Moira and Tony. BTW, I don't think this implies the reader is necessarily ignorant, nor is it "translating down" - just colloquial English
5 hrs
agree  B D Finch: The French are a bit closer linguistically to Cicero but, in English, Anglo-Saxon rather than Norman is needed here.
6 hrs
agree  AllegroTrans: simple and direct
1 day 11 hrs
agree  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: Ditto MoiraB
2 days 12 hrs
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Sine qua non
key factor


Explanation:
just another suggestion

silvester55
Local time: 08:13
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Many thanks for all of your suggestions
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks Silvester. This fits pretty well with the kind of register I'm aiming for


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  MoiraB: 'crucial factor' even
1 hr
  -> thanks
agree  David Goward: 'key' and 'crucial' are both fine.
2 hrs
  -> I also agree with u and Moira , thanks
agree  Tony M: Yes, though I think sqn means a bit more than this, really: let's not forget it literally means "without which, not..." — i.e. it's vital / essential / crucial
16 hrs
  -> Thanks Tony, and yes I agree with your comment .
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22 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
an absolutely essential condition


Explanation:
an option

Michele Fauble
United States
Local time: 22:13
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: My only slight quibble is the use of 'condition' like this, which works in FR, but less well in EN, I feel; unless we have 'pre-condition', for example...
1 hr
  -> thanks - yes, I had second thoughts about 'condition' right after posting - nevertheless, my Oxford English dictionary gives 'an indispensable condition' for 'sine qua non'.
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