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travailler AVEC des malades plutôt que COMME des malades

English translation: working WITH illness, not AROUND it

18:47 Feb 11, 2016
French to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - Advertising / Public Relations / brochure outlining
French term or phrase: travailler AVEC des malades plutôt que COMME des malades
This is used as a kind of slogan in an insurance brochure about cancer in the workplace and how sufferers are treated. I fear the 'pun' will have to be left aside. How could this be put to preserve the tone and intention (take a step back, get involved, care and share sort of thing)

Les conséquences dans l’entreprise sont multiples : humaines, organisationnelles, économiques, d’image.
Aujourd’hui, cancer et maladies chroniques sont synonymes d’isolement, de difficultés, de performance dégradée, de coûts pour les personnes, pour l’entreprise, pour la Société.
Il est temps de changer cela et d’apprendre à travailler AVEC des malades plutôt que COMME des malades
(the capitals are theirs)
ormiston
Local time: 05:22
English translation:working WITH illness, not AROUND it
Explanation:
Another, more literal, possibility. It seems to me that the main issue is not 'working ourselves sick' but rather avoiding the elephant in the room that is (chronic) illness in the workplace.

By the way, sorry for the multiple answers. I'm not trying to improve my odds! This rendering just occurred to me and seemed sufficiently different to my other suggestion to merit posting.

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Note added at 16 hrs (2016-02-12 11:18:36 GMT)
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Or 'working with sick colleagues, not around them', but starts to feel a bit wordy...

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Note added at 19 hrs (2016-02-12 14:20:50 GMT)
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@Asker, I do like 'making your people your business', actually. I think the specific reference to *your* people is good, too, as simply 'people' could sound a bit vague and misdirected. The only downside is, like my above attempt, it doesn't explicitly mention illness. But if you feel that, in the context, this is not an impossibly huge loss, then why not?
Selected response from:

Ed Ashley
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:22
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +2tending to people, not just business
Ed Ashley
3 +2working WITH illness, not AROUND it
Ed Ashley
3 +1Work with the sick rather than working until we're sick
Stephen Kilgore
3work WITH patients rather than acting LIKE the patient
Timothy Rake
3put the stigma of illness out of condition
Wolf Draeger


Discussion entries: 16





  

Answers


16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
work WITH patients rather than acting LIKE the patient


Explanation:
I think this is a sort of play on words; trying to stress the point that we need to get our head out of our a** and listen to patient needs, provide them what they need, rather than being "sick" – that is to say "dysfunctional" as health care providers. There may be a better way to express it than I have, but I believe that's the essential message here.

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Note added at 41 mins (2016-02-11 19:29:33 GMT)
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Perhaps:
"work WITH the patient instead of BEING the patient"

Timothy Rake
United States
Local time: 20:22
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Notes to answerer
Asker: if you double think this could work but...they want COMPANIES / the workplace to sit up and take notice


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Daryo: interesting try, but doesn't work
6 hrs
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Work with the sick rather than working until we're sick


Explanation:
Still doesn't flow as well as in french.

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Note added at 4 hrs (2016-02-11 23:35:09 GMT)
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Or maybe even "until we're sick of it."

Stephen Kilgore
United States
Local time: 23:22
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Daryo: "COMME des malades" is not exactly "until we're sick" it's more "working like crazy/too much"
1 hr
neutral  Ed Ashley: I considered this solution, too, but somehow 'the sick' felt awkward to me. Still, it's as close as you can probably get to faithfully replicating the pun.
10 hrs
agree  katsy: you could maybe try "..rather than working ourselves sick"
14 hrs
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15 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
tending to people, not just business


Explanation:
I'm happy enough with this attempt to submit it as an answer, though it may not be what the asker is looking for. See discussion box for explanation.

Ed Ashley
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:22
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Timothy Rake: Ed, I actually like this - not literal, but catches well the sense as I NOW understand it (after my initial attempt to solve it)
6 hrs
  -> Thanks, Timothy. Yes, a bit fuzzy but seemed to be in the spirit of the text, I thought.
agree  philgoddard: We *still* don't have the full context, but I think the French may be bad writing. This is nice, and you're justified in improving on the original.
8 hrs
  -> Thanks, Phil. I wound up thinking the French was a bit forced, too.
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16 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
travailler AVEC des malades plutôt que COMME des malades
working WITH illness, not AROUND it


Explanation:
Another, more literal, possibility. It seems to me that the main issue is not 'working ourselves sick' but rather avoiding the elephant in the room that is (chronic) illness in the workplace.

By the way, sorry for the multiple answers. I'm not trying to improve my odds! This rendering just occurred to me and seemed sufficiently different to my other suggestion to merit posting.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 hrs (2016-02-12 11:18:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Or 'working with sick colleagues, not around them', but starts to feel a bit wordy...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 hrs (2016-02-12 14:20:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

@Asker, I do like 'making your people your business', actually. I think the specific reference to *your* people is good, too, as simply 'people' could sound a bit vague and misdirected. The only downside is, like my above attempt, it doesn't explicitly mention illness. But if you feel that, in the context, this is not an impossibly huge loss, then why not?

Ed Ashley
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:22
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: all your musings are very helpful and I think you are onto the right track. They want to get rid of the stigma. do you like 'making your people your business'


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Wolf Draeger: "Working with illness not around it" is good; it asks for compassion, not pity, for sufferers
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Wolf. I do feel a little distance from the source text is called for here, for the sake of idiom.
agree  philgoddard: Another good suggestion.
7 hrs
  -> Cheers, Phil.
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20 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
put the stigma of illness out of condition


Explanation:
Thought I'd throw my hat into the ring. Not the most lyrical of answers and more of a light play on words than a pun, but there you go.

Or variants such as "deal the stigma of illness a knockout blow" and so on.

Example sentence(s):
  • It's time to change all that and put the stigma of illness out of condition.
Wolf Draeger
South Africa
Local time: 05:22
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
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