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la mer brise vite par temps d'ouest

English translation: in westerly conditions

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:par temps d'ouest
English translation:in westerly conditions
Entered by: Kate Alex

10:35 Jun 6, 2003
French to English translations [PRO]
French term or phrase: la mer brise vite par temps d'ouest
une cote elevee, debordee par un vaste plateau de roches ou la mer brise vite par temps d'ouest

description of setting for yacht race
Kate Alex
Local time: 09:10
breakers form quickly in a westerly
Explanation:
Aye aye, me hearties!

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Note added at 2003-06-06 15:40:15 (GMT)
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For the sceptics:

<<westerly – from the west, as a wind; westerlies – a wind from the west >> [Webster\'s]

<<breaker – b) a wave that breaks into a foam against a shore OR REEF>>
[Websters]

<<Les vagues brisent (= elles déferlent en rencontrant un obstacle)>>
<<Les grosses vagues se brisent contre les rochers>>
<<brisant (n.) – Ecueil formant obstacle à la houle, et sur lequel elle se brise en déferlant et en formant de l\'écume>>
[extracts under the entry \"briser\" en Larousse Lexis]

The point as I see it is not that the (open) sea is choppy, but that waves driven by a westerly (wind) break against the \"plateau\" (cf. écueil, reef) (\"où la mer brise\"), forming breakers, rather than simply lapping against it or rolling smoothly over it.


Selected response from:

Bourth (X)
Local time: 10:10
Grading comment
I seem to have started quite a debate here and it was really hard to choose between the answers, so thank to you all. Bourth's answer fitted in neatly with the tone of the rest of the translation, so thank you Bourth.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +5breakers form quickly in a westerly
Bourth (X)
5 +3breakers soon form in a westerly blow
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
5 +2the sea brakes fast with winds from the west
Henrique Magalhaes
5 -1the sea is choppy with westerly winds or there are breaking swells with westerly winds
Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
4where there is a brisk sea breeze brought on by westerly winds or where westerly winds cause the
Gena Lumbroso


  

Answers


6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
the sea brakes fast with winds from the west


Explanation:
It looks that simple...

Henrique Magalhaes
Local time: 09:10
Native speaker of: Portuguese
PRO pts in pair: 30

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Martine Gabriel: but I think the sea breaks rather than brakes
10 mins
agree  Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X): sorry, brakes are on cars and SEAS can break not the sea
4 hrs
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16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +5
breakers form quickly in a westerly


Explanation:
Aye aye, me hearties!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-06-06 15:40:15 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

For the sceptics:

<<westerly – from the west, as a wind; westerlies – a wind from the west >> [Webster\'s]

<<breaker – b) a wave that breaks into a foam against a shore OR REEF>>
[Websters]

<<Les vagues brisent (= elles déferlent en rencontrant un obstacle)>>
<<Les grosses vagues se brisent contre les rochers>>
<<brisant (n.) – Ecueil formant obstacle à la houle, et sur lequel elle se brise en déferlant et en formant de l\'écume>>
[extracts under the entry \"briser\" en Larousse Lexis]

The point as I see it is not that the (open) sea is choppy, but that waves driven by a westerly (wind) break against the \"plateau\" (cf. écueil, reef) (\"où la mer brise\"), forming breakers, rather than simply lapping against it or rolling smoothly over it.




Bourth (X)
Local time: 10:10
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 18679
Grading comment
I seem to have started quite a debate here and it was really hard to choose between the answers, so thank to you all. Bourth's answer fitted in neatly with the tone of the rest of the translation, so thank you Bourth.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M: Aye, aye, Cap'n! Its enough to wash me dust away!
40 mins
agree  cjohnstone
40 mins
neutral  Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X): a westerly? That sounds like a storm to me
3 hrs
  -> <> [Webster's]
agree  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: might I suggest "in a westerly blow".
6 hrs
agree  roneill
9 hrs
agree  Monica Alves
14 hrs
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -1
the sea is choppy with westerly winds or there are breaking swells with westerly winds


Explanation:
the sea does not "break" in English..

The seas can break ie swells



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-06-06 14:53:56 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

or Seas are choppy with weswterly winds or choppy seas with westerly winds...

Ocean swell waves enter the Strait from the west, pushed in by strong westerly winds. ... tidal
currents can interact with wind and waves to give very choppy seas. ...
www.volvooceanadventure.org/article.php/ rz_1_rom_02_rl_00200_00200.html - 22k - Cached - Similar pages

Hellenic Sun Editions
... the Peloponnese is affected by westerly winds during the ... the summer season, the prevailing
winds are from ... This wind is responsible for choppy seas, which may ...
www.helsun.gr/yachtingdetail.asp?pid=1702 - 25k - Cached - Similar pages

Halfway home as Club Med eyeballs Cook Strait and the South ...
... stretch of water with wind against current, and short choppy seas are the ... innovation
Explorer in hot pursuit, models are predicting more westerly winds for the ...
www.weather-wise.com/sail/therace/feb2.htm - 15k - Cached - Similar pages

Main Page
... flat seas. Sunday brought light westerly winds (3 to 8 knots) and choppy
seas and allowed for the sailing of five races. -Ted Houck. ...
www.megabyteclass.org/main.html - 11k - Cached - Similar pages

WAVES results 2002



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Note added at 2003-06-06 14:54:45 (GMT)
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I don\'t think breakers are the point.....breakers are on a beach...breaking swells maybe

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Note added at 2003-06-06 16:51:44 (GMT)
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une cote elevee, debordee par un vaste plateau de roches ou la mer brise vite par temps d\'ouest

FINAL: \"the high coastline hugged by as array of high rocks where the seas are choppy in westerly winds\"

obviously, a westerley will hit this coastline\'s rocks and the retroeffect with cause choppy seas....

the point is sailing is to know what the surface of the sea is like where you are sailing; the FETCH

Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in pair: 8576

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Bourth (X): See above
41 mins
  -> the results of the breakers is the choppy seas IMO,
neutral  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: Whilst the original describes waves breaking as they hit the coast in a westerly blow, seas can be choppy, there can be a swell w/o any breaking waves out to sea or on the coast.
3 hrs
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
where there is a brisk sea breeze brought on by westerly winds or where westerly winds cause the


Explanation:
waves to rapidly break and foam...

The term "westerly wind" (vent d'ouest) is used in weather forecasting to mean a brisk warm tropical wind that often, because it is warm, causes a change in temperature and pressure, making the ocean react sporadically and sometimes with violence...

from: http://www.meteo.org/phenomen/signes.htm

Il y aura du beau temps si:
la tendance de pression est stable ou légèrement à la hausse;
la brise légère souffle doucement de l'ouest ou du nord-ouest.

see: http://www.oce.orst.edu/po/research/smyth/

Turbulence levels were unrealistically low in the early stages of the simulation because of the time required for turbulence to spin up.This time is shortest near the surface because of strong wind forcing.

good luck!


Gena Lumbroso
France
Local time: 10:10
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 29
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +3
breakers soon form in a westerly blow


Explanation:
"la mer brise vite par temps d'ouest"

"Breaker" is a techncial term adn describes the state of the sea form about Force 7 on the Beaufort Scale (see 1)

"Westerly" too is a common meterological term (UK and US), see a classic source for either at 2 and 3 below.

Then on a matter of style, I think that the sentence balances better with "blow" at the end.

In short, I agree with Bourth, but I just wanted to settle any issues on the above terms as they are perfect spot on!


1 - http://www.met-office.gov.uk/education/curriculum/leaflets/b...

- Force 7
- Near gale
- Sea heaps up and white foam from breaking waves begins to be blown in streaks along the direction of the wind.
- State of sea = very rough
- Probable height of waves = 4.0 (5.5) metres


2 - http://www.xrefer.com/entry.jsp?xrefid=611296&secid=.-&hh=1 (for UK contexts)

westerlies, westerly winds

Winds blowing from the west, most often occurring in mid latitudes. The westerlies of the Northern Hemisphere blow from the south-west; those of the Southern Hemisphere blow from the north-west. These Southern Hemisphere westerlies are more constant than those of the North because there are fewer land areas or relief barriers in the South.

A Dictionary of Geography, Oxford University Press, © Susan Mayhew 1997


3 - http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary (for US contexts)

Main Entry: 2westerly
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -lies
Date: 1876
: a wind from the west





    Reference: http://www.met-office.gov.uk/education/curriculum/leaflets/b...
    Dictionary of Geography, Oxford University Press, � Susan Mayhew 1997
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Local time: 10:10
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 4638

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Bourth (X): The expert opinion! (see yr animation).
7 hrs
agree  Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X): this is great of course....
11 hrs
agree  Yolanda Broad
2 days 21 hrs
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