déploiements d'éruditions subtiles

English translation: displays of fine and futile knowledge

07:33 Dec 1, 2007

French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Philosophy

French term or phrase: déploiements d'éruditions subtiles

How would you translate "déploiements d'éruditions subtiles et vaines" here? I don't see how "subtle" would work here.

Qu'il y ait dans ces tendances en histoire de la philosophie bien des paresses intellectuelles, des conforts de pensée, des déploiements d'éruditions subtiles et vaines, des fuites aussi dans la poussière des bibliothèques permettant de fuir l'urgence de bien des problèmes, le lecteur peut aisément le supposer.

Paul Frank (X) KudoZ activity Questions: 78 (none open) Answers: 37
Local time: 09:30

English translation:displays of fine and futile knowledge

Explanation:
Or you can use "erudition" I guess but it's not quite the same

Selected response from:

Anne de Freyman (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:30

Grading comment

Thanks for all the good suggestions!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +3

displays of fine and futile knowledge

Anne de Freyman (X)

deployment of subtle eruditions

Vittorio Ferretti

the use of erudite but empty subtleties

B D Finch

use/deployment of tenuous and meaningless pedantry/theory

Carol Gullidge

flaunt of pedantic and superfluous learning

Euqinimod (X)

The proliferation of selective and futile scholarship

Cervin

Discussion entries: 2

Answers

51 mins confidence:

deployment of subtle eruditions

Explanation:
in abtact issues, English is a mispelled French ...

Vittorio Ferretti
Local time: 09:30
Native speaker of:

German

1 hr confidence:

The proliferation of selective and futile scholarship

Explanation:
Or 'dissemination of selective and useless scholarship. Maybe you could use 'learning' instead of scholarship....

Cervin
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:30
Works in field
Native speaker of: English

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

displays of fine and futile knowledge

Explanation:
Or you can use "erudition" I guess but it's not quite the same

Anne de Freyman (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:30
Works in field
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

Thanks for all the good suggestions!

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

agree

Jenny Duthie

20 mins

agree

Melissa McMahon: I like this, but I would keep "erudition" as knowledge tends to suggest a positive value (ie truth), whereas erudition is just 'learning' that may be useless, as suggested here

2 hrs

-> ooohh... that's food for a huge philosophical debate on the value of knowledge :-)

agree

Cath St Clair (X): I like this Anne! Just a thought - how about "fine yet futile"? The use of "and" between the adjectives suggests to me that the 2 are not describing the same piece of writing (i.e. some fine, some futile). I think it is trying to link both together, no?

2 hrs

-> agreed!

neutral

Carol Gullidge: I like futile, but can't see where "fine" comes from, nor its meaning! It also seems too positive for the context...

12 hrs

-> fine = subtiles... Agreed earlier to use fine "yet" utile. Trying like French, to use pos. words in sarcastic way.

2 hrs confidence:

the use of erudite but empty subtleties

Explanation:
I suggest that you turn it around and that "vaines" is an essential part of the meaning. It is best to keep the use of the word "subtlety" but ensure that it is understood in the negative rather than in the positive sense.

B D Finch
France
Local time: 09:30
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 10

2 hrs confidence:

use/deployment of tenuous and meaningless pedantry/theory

Explanation:
I think that's the sense of it.

or falling back on tenuous ....

relying on ...

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Note added at 2 hrs (2007-12-01 10:05:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

or

resorting to flimsy and meaningless tenets

----

But, I meant to say earlier (but forgot!) that I also think you could use subtle - except that it might possibly be seen to be too positive in the context. Anyway, here are a few possible, but slightly derogatory, alternatives.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2007-12-01 11:42:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

If you have some leeway with creativity, you could even say, e.g.,

resorting to/citing the finer points of some meaningless hypothesis/erudition

----

(plenty of leeway with any the above combinations!)

(eruditions (pl) doesn't work)

Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:30
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

10 hrs confidence:

flaunt of pedantic and superfluous learning

Explanation:
I think "flaunt"better conveys the pejorative overtone of déploiement in this context.

Euqinimod (X)
Local time: 09:30
Works in field
Native speaker of:

French
PRO pts in category: 4

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