Pays de convergences

English translation: a land of convergence

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:Pays de convergences
English translation:a land of convergence
Entered by: Clare Hogg

18:21 Apr 24, 2011
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / sculpture
French term or phrase: Pays de convergences
I am translating a high-brow, poetic/dreamlike text about a sculptor (XXXX) from the preface of a catalogue containing pictures of his work. In this paragraph, the writer describes a visit he paid to the sculptor's family in Havana.

I'm not sure if it's appropriate to translate **Pays de convergences** directly as "a country of convergences". The latter sounds odd to me and somewhat out of keeping with the poetic style of the rest of this text. I get a few Ghits for "Pays de convergences" in French, but none for "a country of convergences" in English, which further suggests to me that a direct translation isn't the most appropriate option here. I like the way the French repeats the same "X de Y" structure in this sentence ("Pays de convergences, race d'idees") and would ideally like to do something similar in English.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you can give! MUCH APPRECIATED!!

Here's the entire paragraph for context:

"C'etait a travers un quartier de La Havane, ou j'allais rendre visite a la famille du sculpteur. Son pere, l'assurance retenue de celui qui recoit I'ami de son fils, qu'on comprend et qu'on ne comprend pas. La presentation a la maisonnée, la barriere des langues, la difficulté de saisir tel point de filiation. Mais aussi, cette aise immediate. Une tranquillité sans manieres, comme de parents qui se retrouvent une fois I'an. La dentelle des rais du soleil à travers la piece. Et par dessous ce que nous tentions si paisiblement de nous dire, I'aimant de ce silence a quoi nous eussions bien voulu nous laisser aller. XXXX connait un tel silence. Nous voyons qu'il en vêt les formes qu'il fait surgir. II s'en protege peut-etre, mais surtout it en nourrit son travail, et parfois nous en contamine. C'est la ponctuation du discours. C'est le plus essentiel paysage. Peut-etre l'emportai-je avec moi quand je quittai cette maison, ou nous nons etions trouves si naturellement de meme pays et de meme race. **Pays de convergences**, race d'idees. Au dehors, le soleil frappait toujours son tambour, et Cuba fetait ses palmiers."
Clare Hogg
Spain
Local time: 20:20
a land of convergences
Explanation:
I actually think the word "convergences" or possibly in the singular: "a land of convergence" would work rather well here.

Convergence has the same meaning in English, and I don't think it is necessary to seek out a synonym. It is simple and clear (the essence of poetry).
Selected response from:

Evans (X)
Local time: 19:20
Grading comment
"convergence" singular. Thanks. "Land" works much better than "country" and gets many more Ghits. My final translation for this phrase was, "a land of convergence; a people of ideas."
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1A land of gatherings
Dieezah
3 +1a land of convergences
Evans (X)
3country of comings-together
DLyons
3land of harmony
silvester55
3land of converging cultures
Barbara Cochran, MFA
3terrain of sameness
kashew
2a land where opinions/thoughts converge
Wendy Streitparth
2Land of fusion,
ormiston


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
country of comings-together


Explanation:
"Mixtures" sounds less poetic. Other ideas begin to sound racist.

DLyons
Ireland
Local time: 19:20
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 5
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9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
land of harmony


Explanation:
convergences syn= rassemblement , croisement , harmonie , rencontre , intersection , etc.........
le plus poétique c'est : harmonie

silvester55
Local time: 21:20
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
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38 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
a land where opinions/thoughts converge


Explanation:
a race whose ideas merge

Wendy Streitparth
Germany
Local time: 20:20
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
Land of fusion,


Explanation:
powerhouse of ideas...?
people of profusion?§

It's hard to work in the word 'race' afterwards

ormiston
Local time: 20:20
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 24
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
land of converging cultures


Explanation:
HTH

Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 15:20
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Dieezah: That's the meaning... Now I did not chose that for the sake of poetry rythm...
22 hrs
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
A land of gatherings


Explanation:
In the sentence, the writer describes the place as a place where people come together as if they were of the same race, same culture, same country so I thought this word might just be the right one...


    Reference: http://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/gatherings
Dieezah
Martinique
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench, Native in Creoles & Pidgins (French-based Other)Creoles & Pidgins (French-based Other)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Savvas SEIMANIDIS
4 days
  -> Merci !
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14 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
terrain of sameness


Explanation:
*

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 heures (2011-04-25 08:35:42 GMT)
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Or; a terrain for sameness - kindred spirits: maybe that fits the rest of your rendition.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 heures (2011-04-25 08:37:08 GMT)
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I keep thinking melting pot - but that's too banal!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 heures (2011-04-25 08:38:59 GMT)
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Another shot - "terrain of complicity" - I like that ;-) maybe even poetic?

kashew
France
Local time: 20:20
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
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14 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
a land of convergences


Explanation:
I actually think the word "convergences" or possibly in the singular: "a land of convergence" would work rather well here.

Convergence has the same meaning in English, and I don't think it is necessary to seek out a synonym. It is simple and clear (the essence of poetry).

Evans (X)
Local time: 19:20
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 48
Grading comment
"convergence" singular. Thanks. "Land" works much better than "country" and gets many more Ghits. My final translation for this phrase was, "a land of convergence; a people of ideas."

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  philgoddard: This works perfectly - there's no point complicating matters.//Phil is short for Philip!
7 hrs
  -> thank you, Phil! Oops. I know that, I think I must have pressed one of those pretyped things that come up and I didn't notice... sorry about that!

neutral  Dieezah: I think the musicality of the sentence said aloud (as intended by the writer)loses something with that choice of yours...
11 hrs
  -> Thank you for your comment Dieezah. When it comes to musicality, English is a very different language to French. Simplicity of expression is often the source of the beauty of the English language (in my view, of course :-))
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