pipelette

English translation: Gossiper

12:44 Feb 23, 2013

French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Music / Paroles

French term or phrase: pipelette

La midinette fait sa dînette au bistro
La pipelette
Lit ses journaux
- Ménilmontant (Trenet)

kashew KudoZ activity Questions: 242 (7 open) (1 without valid answers) (4 closed without grading) Answers: 6171 France
Local time: 23:37

English translation:Gossiper

Explanation:
A little more precise than one who never stops talking, a pipelette is a gossip monger.

Selected response from:

chriscfro
Local time: 23:37

Grading comment

Thanks to everyone for the input.
In the end, right or wrong, I went for tattletale (3 syllables like pipelette!) after initially gossip.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +6

doorkeeper, concierge, janitor

Catharine Cellier-Smart

5 +3

chatterbox

Nikki Scott-Despaigne

Gossiper

chriscfro

chatty concierge

David Vaughn

Discussion entries: 6

Answers

18 mins confidence:

Gossiper

Explanation:
A little more precise than one who never stops talking, a pipelette is a gossip monger.

chriscfro
Local time: 23:37
Native speaker of:

French,

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

Thanks to everyone for the input.
In the end, right or wrong, I went for tattletale (3 syllables like pipelette!) after initially gossip.

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thanks - I reckon that's the gist of it.

1 hr confidence:

chatty concierge

Explanation:
Both ideas are essential to the French meaning. I'm not sure what kind of translation you need, but this is concise enough for many purposes.

You don't call a silent sullen concierge a pipelette.

David Vaughn
Local time: 23:37
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 201

38 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +6

doorkeeper, concierge, janitor

Explanation:
it doesn't help you with the rhyme, but when this song was written 'pipelette' referred to the above profession.
That explains why they're reading the newspapers (presumably on their lunch break), which would be difficult to understand if the meaning here was 'chatterbox'.

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Note added at 40 mins (2013-02-23 13:25:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

It's easy to understand where the present day meaning came from!

see also:

Pop. ou p.plaisant. Concierge, portier. Il venait au bureau le dimanche; et comme le concierge, ce jour-là, mettait à profit ses loisirs pour aller prendre le vermouth avec des cochers du quartier, il lui arrivait de l'attendre des heures, sous le porche glacial de l'immeuble, −payé de sa peine si, à son retour, le pipelet le saluait d'un flatteur: −Ah! ah!... quel bûcheur, ce Monsieur Sainthomme! (Courteline, Ronds-de-cuir,1893, 2etabl., III, p.82).Une concierge distinguée, qui n'a rien de la pipelette d'arrondissement populaire, sort de sa loge (H. Bazin, Vipère,1948, p.207).
http://www.cnrtl.fr/lexicographie/pipelette

(Populaire) Concierge.
Il s’rend aux endroits en question et passe la loge d’la cloporte, une serviette sous le bras. « Eh bien ! crie la pip'lette, où qu’vous aller ? » — (Francis Carco, Messieurs les vrais de vrai, 1927)
http://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/pipelette

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Note added at 1 hr (2013-02-23 14:37:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I also suggest 'caretaker', to rhyme with 'dressmaker' (see previous question: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/french_to_english/music/5115037-mi...

Catharine Cellier-Smart
Reunion
Local time: 01:37
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

jmleger: Yes. The word is derived from a gossipy concierge character (Mrs. Pipelet) in Les mystères de Paris by Eugène Sue.

31 mins

-> Yes. Thank you.

agree

SafeTex: Agree cos I've seen the read the rest of the verse

50 mins

-> thank you

agree

ormiston: I'd go for 'office girl' (on her lunch break) and keep the French word 'concièrge' but is this meant to scan and be SUNG ?!

1 hr

-> it's meant to rhyme if possible with translations for "midinette" and "dinette"!

agree

Cyril B.

1 hr

-> thank you

agree

Daryo: "concierge" // also agrees with: "Voici la grille verte Voici la porte ouverte"

1 hr

-> exactly. Thank you Daryo.

agree

Nikki Scott-Despaigne: "concièrge" is a nice solution her, for meaning at the time and also keeps a French reference. As for the rhyming elements, then the asker may have to tweak to fit and/or provide indications of terms used so we can take account of rhymes.

2 hrs

-> thank you Nikki

disagree

Marie LE MEN (X): It's over-translated here. Concierge in Paris is really the receptionist of a building, does not work. Only chatterbox works here Voir mon commentaire ci-dessus

2 days 3 hrs

-> This is not over-translation, this is contextually correct translation. This song of Trenet's was written in the 1930s, when 'pipelette' did not have its current meaning. Have you read the discussion entries for this and the asker's previous question?

agree

Jean-Louis S.

3 days 12 hrs

-> merci Jean-Louis

13 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

chatterbox

Explanation:
That's it for the meaning. A "pipelette" is someone who never shuts up a real chatterbox!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2013-02-23 16:14:07 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

As I have indicated elsewhere, but not done so here, now is the time! "Chatterbox" is the contemporary meaning, but given the time when Charles Trenet was around, then the older meaning is more likely to be the relevant one!

Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Local time: 23:37
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 7

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

neutral

freekfluweel: but she is reading the newspapers...

4 mins

-> Which does nothing to prevent her from being a chatterbox!

neutral

writeaway: @freekfluweel: look again, you have misread the question

19 mins

neutral

Catharine Cellier-Smart: that's not the meaning meant here IMO

43 mins

agree

Jane F: agree with Nikki, a "pipelette" is a girl or young woman who never stops talking

2 hrs

-> That is is current day meaning but I have come round to thinking that the earlier meaning is the appropriate one here, given the times when Trenet was around.

agree

Marie LE MEN (X): Chatterbox is perfect here, it would be my pick. Trenet was around in the 20's and not in Zola's times where indeed it meant concierge.

2 days 4 hrs

agree

Claire Mercier

6 days

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English translation: Gossiper

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