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  3. General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

drown each other out

French translation: s'enlisent mutuellement dans un débat stérile

14:01 Jan 2, 2015
English to French translations [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / general
English term or phrase: drown each other out
Blaming people is counter-productive, and political arguments about whether poverty is caused by individuals' actions or by our economic structure **drown each other out**. Neither is completely right.

Pas sûre de comprendre ici ce qui est entendu!!

Merci de votre aide!
Anne R
Italy
Local time: 23:15
French translation:s'enlisent mutuellement dans un débat stérile
Explanation:
...
Selected response from:

Anne-Marie Laliberté (X)
Local time: 17:15
Grading comment
Merci à tous! Merci MadameDequoi!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2s'annulent mutuellement
FX Fraipont (X)
3 +1finissent par s’annihiler
Jane F
3 +1s'enlisent mutuellement dans un débat stérile
Anne-Marie Laliberté (X)
3se tirent mutuellement vers le bas
Julien Mulas
3faire autant de bruit que l'autre
B D Finch


  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
s'annulent mutuellement


Explanation:
..

FX Fraipont (X)
Belgium
Local time: 23:15
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 1529

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: I'm not sure that's exactly the right image, really; it's more a case of each side trying to shout louder than the other that their argument is the right one, when in fact there is some truth in both.
11 mins
agree  Jean-Claude Gouin
58 mins
  -> merci!
agree  katsy
1 hr
  -> merci!
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
se tirent mutuellement vers le bas


Explanation:
Suggestion.

Julien Mulas
France
Local time: 23:15
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 21
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
finissent par s’annihiler


Explanation:
"Assénés depuis une dizaine d’années, les arguments opposés par les uns et les autres finissent par ne plus porter, voire même par s’annihiler."

http://blogs.mediapart.fr/blog/graindeville/251114/la-tour-t...


Jane F
France
Local time: 23:15
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 51

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  GILLES MEUNIER: finissent par se neutraliser
9 mins
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
s'enlisent mutuellement dans un débat stérile


Explanation:
...

Anne-Marie Laliberté (X)
Local time: 17:15
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 28
Grading comment
Merci à tous! Merci MadameDequoi!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  mchd: une meilleure tournure de phrase dans un français plus "élaboré"
3 hrs
neutral  Odile Raymond: Je veux dire que s'enliser, verbe pronominal à sens passif, a ici le sens de s'empêtrer/patauger, et semble bizarrement associé avec mutuellement, qui implique l'exercice d'une action sur un autre objet. "S'annuler", en revanche, marche bien avecl'adverbe
1 day 3 hrs
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
faire autant de bruit que l'autre


Explanation:
The phrase "drown each other out" means that those opposing political arguments make a lot of noise, with the effect that the valid points in each are lost in the din. If "neither is completely right", that does mean that they are each partially right.

B D Finch
France
Local time: 23:15
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 24
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