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Un titre bidon

English translation: (just make up) any old title

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:Un titre bidon
English translation:(just make up) any old title
Entered by: Clare Hogg

20:07 Jun 28, 2011
French to English translations [PRO]
Cinema, Film, TV, Drama / Film Festivals
French term or phrase: Un titre bidon
I´m translating a text about a controversial Polish film that was screened at a famous film festival. The text is written by the festival´s director. He is describing how they managed to get the film to the festival location to screen it.

I´m having difficulty coming up with a good translation of "Un titre bidon". "title" doesn´t seem relevant here and the usual translations of bidon (fake, dummy, false, phoney, etc.) don´t seem to do the job either.

The best I´ve come up with so far is "write any old silly thing".

Any ideas gratefully received! Thanks in advance!

(Note: pls see my other posting on this paragraph)

«Pour le faire venir en fraude, XXXX, son distributeur avait transvasé les bobines dans de vieilles boîtes toutes rouillées. Je lui avais fait jurer de n’en parler à personne. « Qu’est-ce que je peux marquer sur l’étiquette pour la douane ? m’avait demandé XXXX. – Un titre bidon… Mettez J’irais cracher sur vos tombes, au moins je m’en rappellerai… »
Clare Hogg
Spain
Local time: 11:29
Make something up
Explanation:
I think that a phony title actually is the right idea here, though I would probably use "a trumped-up title," which I like better... Then the speaker suggests something different – something too ridiculous, too extreme, too likely to call attention to the canisters ("J’irais cracher sur vos tombes").

But since you seem not to like the phony/trumped-up idea, I suggest instead "Make something up" – better here IMO than "write any silly old thing" [note anyway that I changed the order of the adjectives].


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Note added at 22 mins (2011-06-28 20:29:51 GMT)
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 (oops, sorry; I forgot to turn bold off)

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Note added at 32 mins (2011-06-28 20:40:32 GMT)
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I just read Leslie Marcus' post on the "au moins..." question... Newly informed that the Vian film may have been contemporaneous , I think "un titre bidon" should perhaps be translated as "any old title."

...And it looks like my "Answer" should have been a Discussion entry. :o
Selected response from:

cc in nyc
Local time: 05:29
Grading comment
I have given the points to cc in nyc since they added this translation to their Answer at a later stage and it is the one I used. Thanks also to Tony for giving me the entire phrase, 'Just make up any old title'
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4a Bogus Title
Verginia Ophof
4 +3Make something up
cc in nyc
3Put anything you (bloody) like
Martyn Greenan


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Put anything you (bloody) like


Explanation:
...would be my attempt. You pretty much had it already, as far as I can see.

Martyn Greenan
United States
Local time: 04:29
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
a Bogus Title


Explanation:
bidon adj. phony; fake; rigged; sham

je me vois obligé de créer un article bidon en vous posant une question,


    Reference: http://www.languagerealm.com/french/frenchslang_b.php
Verginia Ophof
Belize
Local time: 03:29
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Marie Martin
9 mins
  -> Thank you mmrtn2011
agree  Tony M
32 mins
  -> Thank you Tony !!!
agree  Anton Konashenok
1 hr
  -> Thank you Anton !!
agree  Cetacea
11 hrs
  -> Thank you Cetacea !
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Make something up


Explanation:
I think that a phony title actually is the right idea here, though I would probably use "a trumped-up title," which I like better... Then the speaker suggests something different – something too ridiculous, too extreme, too likely to call attention to the canisters ("J’irais cracher sur vos tombes").

But since you seem not to like the phony/trumped-up idea, I suggest instead "Make something up" – better here IMO than "write any silly old thing" [note anyway that I changed the order of the adjectives].


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 22 mins (2011-06-28 20:29:51 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

 (oops, sorry; I forgot to turn bold off)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 32 mins (2011-06-28 20:40:32 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I just read Leslie Marcus' post on the "au moins..." question... Newly informed that the Vian film may have been contemporaneous , I think "un titre bidon" should perhaps be translated as "any old title."

...And it looks like my "Answer" should have been a Discussion entry. :o

cc in nyc
Local time: 05:29
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16
Grading comment
I have given the points to cc in nyc since they added this translation to their Answer at a later stage and it is the one I used. Thanks also to Tony for giving me the entire phrase, 'Just make up any old title'

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M: Yes, 'just make up any old title' is all it needs, I think (oh... and do please note they are film cans!)
30 mins
  -> Thank you (and indeed, I got l-a-z-y with film cans).
agree  Jennifer Forbes
9 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  Jim Tucker (X)
14 hrs
  -> Thank you.
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