mise en coupe

English translation: systematically bled dry

09:57 Jan 9, 2017

French to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Economics

French term or phrase: mise en coupe

I'm translating an analysis of the political and economic situation in a "middle-income" country, and I've come across an expression that is giving me trouble:

"La longévité de la présence de (xxx political party) au pouvoir a aiguisé les appétits économiques et force est d’admettre que la corruption et le népotisme se développent, voire s’amplifient. Pour autant, le cadre d’une économie libérale solidement installée ne sera pas remis en cause et on n’imagine pas sa *mise en coupe* par un clan ou une famille."

First of all, I just wanted to confirm that this is indeed a shorter version of "mise en coupe réglée", which I've found defined as "exploiter de manière systématique et répétée, prélever des morceaux de richesse"; "tirer parti (de quelqu'un, de quelque chose) de façon répétée et abusive.; dominer, exploiter".

If that is indeed the same expression as the one in my text, what might be the best way to render it in English? Some translations I've found include "bleed", "drain", "evict", "absolute control". Or perhaps simply exploit? But it seems like this particular party is already dominating/exploiting the economy for their gain, so not as sure about that. Given the first sentence, which talks about the corruption, nepotism that has arisen (and further described in other parts of the paper), the last sentence almost seems contradictory. It feels like I'm missing a particular nuance...

The expression "mise en coupe is réglée" is fairly easy to find online, but seems to take on a variety of meanings. Any ideas of what might best fit my context? Thanks in advance!

UK English is fine.

Diana Huet de Guerville KudoZ activity Questions: 92 (7 open) (3 without valid answers) (10 closed without grading) Answers: 12 France
Local time: 23:19

English translation:systematically bled dry

Explanation:
I agree with your reading of this as an abridged version of "mise en coupe réglée". (It would be handy if a native French speaker would confirm this.)

I would suggest something along the lines of "…it is hard to imagine its being bled dry by a clan or family."

Selected response from:

Rob Grayson
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:19

Grading comment

Thanks for the suggestion, I went with bled without the dry as per ph-b's suggestion.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +3

systematically bled dry

Rob Grayson

cut down

B D Finch

its progressive destruction by a clan or a family

Francois Boye

Summary of reference entries provided

mettre en coupes réglées/mise en coupe/mise en coupe rase

Nathalie Stewart

"bleed" vs. "bleed dry"

ph-b (X)

Answers

4 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

systematically bled dry

Rob Grayson
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:19
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16

Grading comment

Thanks for the suggestion, I went with bled without the dry as per ph-b's suggestion.

1 hr confidence:

cut down

Explanation:
"Mise en coupe" does have connections with both forestry and clearing ground for agriculture. So while what is cut down might be exploited, that is not necessarily the main focus.

https://ovipot.hypotheses.org/14408
"Même la compagnie «Turkish Airlines» a licencié près de 300 personnes ! En dernier lieu, il ne faut pas perdre de vue que les trous béants créés par les licenciements massifs des dernières semaines vont donner lieu à des embauches tout aussi importantes, qui risquent de se faire hâtivement, sur des critères où la compétence ne sera probablement la première préoccupation des recruteurs. Si bien que par rapport à la mise en coupe de l’Etat en cours, et même au purgatoire massif qui avait suivi le coup d’Etat du 12 septembre 1980, le noyautage «güleniste» de la décennie écoulée risque d’apparaître comme un travail d’amateur, ce qui n’est pas peu dire !"

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Note added at 1 hr (2017-01-09 11:20:52 GMT)
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Perhaps the stronger "hacked down" might be better.

B D Finch
France
Local time: 23:19
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12

5 hrs confidence:

its progressive destruction by a clan or a family

Explanation:
'Pour autant, le cadre d’une économie libérale solidement installée ne sera pas remis en cause et on n’imagine pas sa *mise en coupe* par un clan ou une famille'

If you put together the text's two clauses above, you realis(z)e that 'mise en coupe' does not so much conjure up the idea of bleeding dry as the idea of destroying step by step (abattage périodique) a functioning economic system.

Francois Boye
United States
Local time: 17:19
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

French
PRO pts in category: 37

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thanks for the suggestion, I thought about destruction as well at first, but my sense is that it's suggesting that this family/clan will not be able to *extract* all of its wealth...

Reference comments

36 mins

Reference: mettre en coupes réglées/mise en coupe/mise en coupe rase

Reference information:
mettre en coupes réglées

http://dictionnaire.reverso.net/francais-definition/mettre (...

Cette expression date du XVIIe siècle.
En sylviculture, une coupe réglée désigne l'abattage périodique d'une portion de bois déterminée.

Au sens figuré, mettre en coupes réglées signifiait 'imposer indûment à un individu, à une collectivité des prélèvements périodiques, des sacrifices onéreux'.

Pour mener ses guerres, Napoléon a eu un grand besoin de 'chair fraîche'. C'est grâce à un service militaire généralisé et obligatoire qu'il a pu ainsi constituer ses armées sous le Premier Empire.
Plus tard, Littré écrivit que la population de la France était alors mise en coupes réglées par la conscription.

Par extension, mettre en coupes réglées signifie aussi tirer parti (de quelqu'un, de quelque chose) de façon répétée et abusive.

mise en coupe
https://books.google.ie/books?id=EOuk64Y1lVIC&pg=PA266&lpg=P...

"...mise en coupe, puis défrichement et mise en culture..."

mise en coupe rase
http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2015/05/25/97001-20150525F...

https://www.change.org/p/l-administrateur-du-domaine-de-chan...

Nathalie Stewart
France
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English,

French

Note to reference poster

Asker: Thank you, I saw some definitions along these lines, but figuring out the English was the hard part!

6 hrs

Reference: "bleed" vs. "bleed dry"

Reference information:
Doesn’t ‘bleed dry’ suggest that that the country is exploited down to its last resource and will not be able to recover?

ATILF suggests otherwise:

COUPE, subst. fém.
(...)
Coupe réglée. Coupe effectuée régulièrement sur une portion de bois déterminée. (…)
Au fig. Mettre qqn ou qqc. en coupes réglées. En tirer parti de façon répétée et abusive.
http://atilf.atilf.fr/dendien/scripts/tlfiv5/visusel.exe?12;...

En tirer parti de façon répétée suggests it is done in a way that keeps the country going so that its exploitation can go on, as you wood in forestry for instance, whereas adding ‘dry’ implies 'to the last drop’, i.e. to its final destruction.

For what it's worth, 'bleed systematically' is also also what R+C suggests.

These two examples seem to match your context:

Consolation of Mind - Page 90 - Résultats Google Recherche de Livres
https://books.google.fr/books?isbn=0595308740 - Traduire cette page
H. K. Suhas, ‎Suhas Hosur - 2004 - ‎Philosophy
The greatest democracy on this earth, the God's own country, the most powerful ... All through the twenty odd years, when India was being systematically bled by ...

The Greenland Dilemma: The quest for independence, the underground ...
https://books.google.fr/books?isbn=8771470999 - Traduire cette page
Martin Breum - 2015 - ‎Political Science
... agreements or other economic co-operation agreements with other countries. ... that Greenland had been systematically bled by its Danish colonial master, ...

ph-b (X)
France
Native speaker of: French

Note to reference poster

Asker: Thanks, great references!

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mise en coupe

English translation: systematically bled dry

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English translation: systematically bled dry

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