trombe d'eau mère assez de vie

English translation: main/mother waterspout

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:trombe d'eau mère
English translation:main/mother waterspout
Entered by: B D Finch

22:16 Feb 18, 2011
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Novel
French term or phrase: trombe d'eau mère assez de vie
Contexte:

"Et leurs visages se transformèrent car ils furent pris de panique devant l'énorme trombe d'eau qui envahit l'endroit, le leur, et qui n'allait point cesser de fatalement tourbilloner tant que l'énorme **trombe mère assez de vie** lui transmettrait."

People on a ship during a hurricane.

Merci Beaucoup,

Barbara
Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 03:13
main/mother waterspout
Explanation:
Water spouts may occur as "families". I believe that it is probably incorrect to assume that the largest one acts as "mother" to the others; however, that may be the impression being described here.

"A family of four waterspouts seen on the Great Lakes (Lake Huron) on September 9, 1999. Four waterspouts seen in the Florida Keys on June 5, 2009. ..."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterspout

"Then, all of the sudden, they're enveloped in darkness again and they're heading toward a family of waterspouts. No "edge of storm" in sight. ..."
www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2464358856&topic=805

"... family of waterspouts over Chesapeake Bay. A pair of waterspouts over Chesapeake Bay on 28 April 2002. While the 2002 tornado season was ..."
ccams.eas.cornell.edu/ithacation/ith_feb03.pdf



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Note added at 12 hrs (2011-02-19 11:09:14 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

As previously mentioned, you need to correct your parsing:
"assez de vie lui transmettrait" is just an inversion of "lui transmettrait assez de vie".
Selected response from:

B D Finch
France
Local time: 08:13
Grading comment
Thanks a lot. I found another translator, besides the ones here, who agrees with your translation.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +1main/mother waterspout
B D Finch
4 -1maelstrom like a mother brimming with life
Atelier de Mots
Summary of reference entries provided
pretty active mother-whirlwind
José Patrício

Discussion entries: 16





  

Answers


11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
maelstrom like a mother brimming with life


Explanation:
I suggest making the necessary link between "trombe" and "mother" with a simile. -- Le Tresor has a great deal to say about "trombe d'eau" and the use of "trombe" to indicate size and force. See link below.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 hrs (2011-02-19 09:33:31 GMT)
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Sorry, The link I cut and pasted does not seem to work. Try http://atilf.atilf.fr/ and search for "trombe."

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 hrs (2011-02-19 09:52:41 GMT)
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I've responded to Sylvain in the discussion section, and proposed "mother of all maelstroms" as a result of his helpful reading of this passage. Merci!


    Reference: http://atilf.atilf.fr/dendien/scripts/tlfiv5/advanced.exe?8;...
Atelier de Mots
Local time: 08:13
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Sylvain Lourme: Voir dans la partie discussion mon explication de la phrase et de la position de "assez de vie".
11 mins
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
main/mother waterspout


Explanation:
Water spouts may occur as "families". I believe that it is probably incorrect to assume that the largest one acts as "mother" to the others; however, that may be the impression being described here.

"A family of four waterspouts seen on the Great Lakes (Lake Huron) on September 9, 1999. Four waterspouts seen in the Florida Keys on June 5, 2009. ..."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterspout

"Then, all of the sudden, they're enveloped in darkness again and they're heading toward a family of waterspouts. No "edge of storm" in sight. ..."
www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2464358856&topic=805

"... family of waterspouts over Chesapeake Bay. A pair of waterspouts over Chesapeake Bay on 28 April 2002. While the 2002 tornado season was ..."
ccams.eas.cornell.edu/ithacation/ith_feb03.pdf



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 hrs (2011-02-19 11:09:14 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

As previously mentioned, you need to correct your parsing:
"assez de vie lui transmettrait" is just an inversion of "lui transmettrait assez de vie".

B D Finch
France
Local time: 08:13
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 43
Grading comment
Thanks a lot. I found another translator, besides the ones here, who agrees with your translation.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sandra & Kenneth Grossman: as long as the "mother" waterspout was nourishing it
1 hr
  -> Thanks Sangro. The "mother" (or largest waterspout) "nourishing" the smaller one would only have been an observer's impression, not the reality.
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Reference comments


10 mins peer agreement (net): -1
Reference: pretty active mother-whirlwind

Reference information:
http://www.google.pt/imgres?imgurl=http://www.webdesign.org/...

José Patrício
Portugal
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
disagree  Sylvain Lourme: Voir dans la partie discussion mon explication de la phrase et de la position de "assez de vie".
11 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



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