les codes doivent s’accommoder

English translation: the criteria/principles should suit/cater to/reflect

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:les codes doivent s’accommoder
English translation:the criteria/principles should suit/cater to/reflect
Entered by: Lara Barnett

14:01 Feb 19, 2019
French to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / Interior design website
French term or phrase: les codes doivent s’accommoder
Is this really to be translated as "codes must accommodate"? Or is there a better way to say this.

"La décoration d’une maison ne s’improvise pas. Si les règles en la matière sont précises et répondent à des critères bien établis, les codes doivent s’accommoder des goûts de chacun, de leur vécu, de leurs attentes et bien sûr de leur mode de vie."
Lara Barnett
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:02
the /end/ results should suit/cater to/reflect
Explanation:
To be honest, I've no idea why "codes" has been used here, but given the general flavour of the text, I think you can afford to be a bit "transcreative" with it. Seems to me that while there are specific rules that have to be adhered to, the results should ultimately suit the client's taste, lifestyle, etc.
Selected response from:

MoiraB
France
Local time: 17:02
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +6the /end/ results should suit/cater to/reflect
MoiraB
4 +3the rules must bend/make room for/be adapted to
Eliza Hall
3the codes should complement
mrrafe


Discussion entries: 25





  

Answers


24 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +6
the /end/ results should suit/cater to/reflect


Explanation:
To be honest, I've no idea why "codes" has been used here, but given the general flavour of the text, I think you can afford to be a bit "transcreative" with it. Seems to me that while there are specific rules that have to be adhered to, the results should ultimately suit the client's taste, lifestyle, etc.

MoiraB
France
Local time: 17:02
Meets criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 28

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Chakib Roula: Suit suits here.
5 mins
  -> Thanks!

agree  Yvonne Gallagher: definitely "a better way to say this". Prefer "reflect"
10 mins
  -> Thanks - saved the best til last ;-)

agree  philgoddard: And maybe "principles" would be better than "rules".
11 mins
  -> Thanks! I think the whole thing could be rephrased into EN interior design speak

agree  Patricia Fierro, M. Sc.
3 hrs
  -> Thanks!

neutral  Carol Gullidge: "end/ results" don't work for "codes", although I believe "suits' and "reflect" do
5 hrs
  -> I think asker should be looking for a plain English solution, one that's fit for purpose

agree  AllegroTrans: Thinking outside the box does lead to this sensible result but "codes" seems like goobledegook to me
6 hrs
  -> Same here!

agree  Tony M: 'codes' is a perfectly legitimate term in this field, but used a great deal more in FR than in EN, where it is regarded as a bit hifalutin'
16 hrs
  -> Yes, think of the target audience, I say
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9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
the codes should complement


Explanation:
Complement or comport with. I think the idea is closer to that, rather than the codes being diluted or overridden in the face of ocerriding personal preferences.

More important, I think soivent is not being used in a mandatory sense: they ought to, or should, i.e. probably will, rather than must.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 mins (2019-02-19 14:12:41 GMT)
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*overriding*

*doivent*

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Note added at 35 mins (2019-02-19 14:37:27 GMT)
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Oh OK sorry - maybe I was being myopic without realizing it but I presumed "building codes," which certainly is a commonly used term and corresponds with regles. But the intent could be something like customary precepts or principles (or actually rules but then you need a different translation for regles). Depends on what the author's general topic is.

mrrafe
United States
Local time: 12:02
Meets criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks. It not so much the grammar I cannot understand, it is the use of codes. Would we actually use this word here?


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  AllegroTrans: "Codes" doesn't reallty work here
6 hrs
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46 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
the rules must bend/make room for/be adapted to


Explanation:
Any of those would work. I changed "codes" to "rules" because in English the first meaning of "code" isn't rules/laws but secret codes.

Eliza Hall
United States
Local time: 12:02
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: But "rules" is being used in the earlier phrase to refer to something else, which is why I can't use it. Maybe I should look for a synonym?


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  sharon bottom: I like rules here - the rules must be adapted to each person's taste...
18 mins
  -> Thanks!

agree  Ph_B (X): rules must make room for
45 mins
  -> Thanks!

agree  Carol Gullidge: rules is fine, but I think accommodate is OK, as is reflect!
58 mins
  -> Thanks!

neutral  Tony M: I think (as Ph_B explains elsewhere) that 'codes' are something different from 'rules', which would not I feel be the best translation here.
2 hrs

neutral  philgoddard: We've already had "rules" earlier in the sentence, so this doesn't work. In my opinion, "règles" and "codes" mean the same thing.
3 hrs
  -> There is no law that two synonyms in the source language must be translated as two different words in the target.

neutral  AllegroTrans: Problem is we've already had rules so the end result is a contradiction
9 hrs
  -> What's contradictory about saying "though there are precise rules, the rules have to bend to make room for personal tastes"?
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