glisse

English translation: zippy

15:19 Sep 10, 2014

French to English translations [PRO]
Sports / Fitness / Recreation / Sailing

French term or phrase: glisse

Il poursuit la compétition avec le Tornado, un bateau plus "fun", plus "glisse".

Timothy Barton KudoZ activity Questions: 557 (4 open) (22 closed without grading) Answers: 290
Local time: 09:18

English translation:zippy

Explanation:
Another possibility along the lines of Nikki's suggestions. The French gives us both the technical and "cool" (this is something that adventurous well cool people do) aspect in one word. The descriptions of the Tornado are that it is fast, so zippy conveys that well and fits with the register which is apparently quite familiar. Only the asker will know what to go for taking the whole text into account.

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Note added at 7 hrs (2014-09-10 22:41:54 GMT)
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We cannot have the technical (slide) and "cool" in one word in English. Have to go one way or the other...

Selected response from:

Ruth C (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:18

Grading comment

Thanks
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

5 +1

sleek (uk)

Dr Lofthouse

4 +1

slips [through the water]

B D Finch

4 +1

with a better friction coefficient or less drag

Drmanu49

skimming

Verginia Ophof

3 +1

competitive, sporty, nervy, reactive, faster...

Nikki Scott-Despaigne

3 +1

zippy

Ruth C (X)

Gliding ability

Gad Kohenov

slick

Sheri P

feeling of gliding

Sophie Cherel

Discussion entries: 5

Answers

26 mins confidence:

Gliding ability

Explanation:
Peut etre.

Gad Kohenov
Israel
Local time: 10:18
Works in field
Native speaker of:

French,

Hebrew
PRO pts in category: 8

47 mins confidence:

skimming

Explanation:
http://www.catsailingnews.com/2014/01/flying-phantom-2014-vi...

Example sentence(s):

The Tornadoes were flying hulls, the 49ers were zipping around Fushan Bay, the Ynglings had full spinnakers, and the RS:X sailors were skimming over the tops of white caps in the afternoon.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_%28sailboat%29

Verginia Ophof
Belize
Local time: 01:18
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8

59 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

slips [through the water]

Explanation:
forums.sailinganarchy.com › ... › Sailing › Sailing Anarchy
17 May 2004 - 30 posts - ‎17 authors
Small boat, say under 20', gotta be a cat like Tornado or Inter 20. Easy to ... the ama doesn't throw the boat around, just slips through the water.

www.flexisail.com › Boat Ownership Overview
There is something rather nice about enjoying a boat with everything working optimally; the hull slips through the water nicely; and the engine starts on the first ...

books.google.co.uk/books?id=L7DjVh7-62sC
Vol. 7, No. 5 - ‎Magazine
It is obvious that a heavy working boat requires a propeller of low pitch and an ... A light racing boat with fine lines, slips through the water so easily that the lead ...

B D Finch
France
Local time: 09:18
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 37

1 hr confidence:

slick

Explanation:
Maybe this would work to convey both the notion of physical "slip" and the notion of "stylish, efficient"?

Sheri P
United States
Local time: 03:18
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12

2 hrs confidence:

feeling of gliding

Explanation:
It gives you a feeling of gliding / gives a sensation of gliding /lets you feel the glide

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Note added at 2 hrs (2014-09-10 17:32:06 GMT)
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It's more fun, gives a real gliding sensation

Sophie Cherel
Spain
Local time: 08:18
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

with a better friction coefficient or less drag

Explanation:
I practice sailing and gliding. The closest term suggested so far would be "slipping throughor on the water"

Drmanu49
France
Local time: 09:18
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English,

French
PRO pts in category: 62

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

competitive, sporty, nervy, reactive, faster...

Explanation:
Your answer needs to go in inverted commas as with the original.
"Glisse" has to be read with "fun" here. They are hip words describing watersports, but "glisse" in particular goes beyond that. It includes not only surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing, but also skateboarding and, at a pinch, BMX. Both terms are being used to convey a feel, an ambiance, a spirit for the type of sailing the person wishes to do, thus for a change in the type of boat he wants to sail and the type of sailing he wishes to do. More speed, greater reactivity, more nerve.

Could we have the sentence before and the one after? It reads as though this is a portrait of a yachtsman, by likes of Franck Cammas, Fred Le Peutrec, Yann Guichard etc. Any hints? In fact, you have a fair bit of freedom for the translation of this term as you can basically go with any term which describes something which contributes towards speed, reactivity and enhanced performance, all the while retaining as far as possible, a reference to movement through the water.
"Glisse" is pretty much a way of life for those who are into it. ;-)

http://www.tornado-class.org/the-class/tornado-class-history...

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Note added at 1 hr (2014-09-10 16:57:12 GMT)
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Something to convey a competitive spirit, something young, modern.

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Note added at 1 hr (2014-09-10 16:59:12 GMT)
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My ex was a navigator and there's a share of a Tornado in a hangar somewhere in Brittany. These were (are?) used on the Olympic circuit.

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Note added at 5 hrs (2014-09-10 20:57:25 GMT)
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Zooming out to give an idea of the wider use of the term :http://nuitdelaglisse.com/
Water, snow, air, whatever!

Hadn't checked out WIkipedia, but here it is : http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_de_glisse

Back to sailing and the Tornado : http://www.spindrift-racing.com/fr/2014/05/spindrift-racing-...

http://www.voilesetvoiliers.com/cultures-voiles/l-histoire-d...

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Note added at 5 hrs (2014-09-10 20:58:33 GMT)
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Along the same lines as the Asker's original :
From the Voiles et Voiliers source :

"Dès 1972, le Hobie Cat est le catamaran le plus vendu au monde. Et reste aujourd’hui encore «le» cata de sport, au nom emblématique, comme Frigidaire, Zodiac ou Mobylette. Avec ses couleurs vives et ses performances, le Hobie est devenu l’ambassadeur d’un véritable art de vivre – et l’un des premiers représentants de la glisse et du «fun»."

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Note added at 5 hrs (2014-09-10 21:00:39 GMT)
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http://funglisse.com/

I mean, just try Googling : "sport + voile + fun + glisse"

It's a question of the guy looking for a boat in which he can sail fast and furious!!!

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Note added at 5 hrs (2014-09-10 21:11:33 GMT)
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The Tornado's history put it up there with the best. It really stood out when it first hit the water. The terms "fun" and "glisse" are not just about having fun and reducing frcition on the water. Placed together, they are conjuring up a movement, youth, energy, tehcnology, speed, competition. Form what we can glean from the context, this is not a technical document but about what attracted X to the Tornado. Certainly, without the technology enabling them to be sailed fast, then the image being conveyed would not be there. However, it reads here as though it is being used to convey the wider image of "glisse", in spite of the fact it has obvious technical meaning too.

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Note added at 5 hrs (2014-09-10 21:13:43 GMT)
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It's about having fun out on the water on a highly competitive boat, just as any decent "glisse" sport, it involves performance toys.

Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Local time: 09:18
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 21

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

neutral

B D Finch: That's another angle on it and, depending upon the rest of the text, may be what's needed. I was thinking of the "Sports de glisse", which include skiing, ice skating, snow-boarding etc.

43 mins

-> The er "glisse" includes all those you mention here too of course.

agree

Ruth C (X): I read this as short for "sports de glisse" as well, and I think the best we can do in English for that is "sporty"

2 hrs

-> Exactly. The difficulty is that in English we have no real equivalent and so pick up on something similar which is close.

neutral

Drmanu49: Disagree with Ruth. Sports de glisse is way more than sportywhich does not convey the feeling you have when you practice those very specific sports.

4 hrs

-> Ruth has put her finger on the difficulty. It is a difficult term to translate and will almost of necessity be under or over the French "glisse". It will almost certainly be necessary to turn the phrase round.

7 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

zippy

Ruth C (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:18
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

Thanks

7 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

sleek (uk)

Explanation:
.

Dr Lofthouse
France
Local time: 08:18
Native speaker of:

English,

Italian

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