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This question was closed without grading. Reason: Aucune réponse acceptable
Nov 29, 2018 03:20
5 yrs ago
français term

échapper à la réflexion

français vers anglais Autre Général / conversation / salutations / correspondance
This is in a Belgian speech about the state of employment in Wallonia. I feel like it means "Even if you don't take anything else away from this today..." but a) I'm unexpectedly dealing with an emergency so my brain's not all there and b) even if so, that's a bit of an overtranslation. So I could just use some confirmation or rebuttal.

Parmi ces défis, il y a aussi bien sûr celui de l’innovation technologique, et donc de l’intelligence artificielle. Si nul n’échappe aujourd’hui à la réflexion en la matière, c’est évident que les opportunités pour la recherche biopharmaceutique et médicale, et les soins de santé sont gigantesques. Mais elles nécessitent aussi de solides balises éthiques.
Proposed translations (anglais)
3 +1 avoid thinking/considering/examining
3 +1 Although all of you here today need to think about this subject, ....
4 Although consideration of the use of AI has become inescapable/omnipresent

Discussion

David Hayes Nov 30, 2018:
If I were you, I would ask the author if the formulation "si nul n'échappe à" really does mean "nothing" rather than "nobody". The evidence I see online points to it being used in sense of "nobody".
B D Finch Nov 30, 2018:
@David S My reading is "nul" = "nothing", not "nobody" and is the object of "réflexion". So, "Si nul n’échappe" could be rephrased as "Si rien n’échappe", but not as "Si personne n’échappe".
David Hayes Nov 30, 2018:
You could obviously be right, David. It depends on who is being addressed and for which purpose. The following source distinguishes between "personne" and "personne au monde" : http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/NUL.
I therefore wonder if "nul" can sometimes have a more restricted meaning.
Sandra & Kenneth Grossman Nov 30, 2018:
@David That's exactly how I read it. See posted answer.
David Sirett Nov 30, 2018:
In a minority? My reading is the more generic one, i.e. nul = nobody in general rather than the audience and aujourd'hui = nowadays rather than here today.
B D Finch Nov 29, 2018:
@Roberta I also agree with your interpretation, which understands the phrase as referring to the "réflexion" of the audience, rather than of the world in general. Though your suggested translation is rather a free one and whether it's suitable or not depends upon the context of the speech, I like it.
Carol Gullidge Nov 29, 2018:
@ Roberta I agree with your interpretation
polyglot45 Nov 29, 2018:
well you could turn it round While these may be attracting universal attention, it is in such and such areas that their promise is the greatest

Proposed translations

+1
3 heures

avoid thinking/considering/examining

Declined
Although no one can avoid thinking about/considering/examining this subject, etc. Technological innovation IT and AI have become so prominent, that no one can afford to ignore them.
There is too little context to be sure and the general idea is not clear.

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Note added at 4 hrs (2018-11-29 07:42:18 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Technology has become inescapable - this is about its impact on medical and pharmaceutical research.
Peer comment(s):
agree Victoria Britten : Or "While no one..."
1 heure
Thanks!
Something went wrong...
+1
16 heures

Although all of you here today need to think about this subject, ....

Declined
I too think you could be right in supposing that, unless the speaker is discussing this topic in the abstract, he/she is here using "nul" in the sense of "no one here present (i.e. in this particular audience). If this is true, maybe you could turn it round into a positive statement (to talk about what everyone has to do rather than what no one can avoid doing).
Can't help feeling that your translation is too free, even though it reads well.
Peer comment(s):
agree Yolanda Broad
2 heures
Something went wrong...
1 jour 10 heures

Although consideration of the use of AI has become inescapable/omnipresent

Declined
I am fairly confident that in this context, the "nul" in this context is more generally any sector, any area of science/business/life...

I'm not sure my phrasing is the most optimal though, it was more to explain how I think it should be understood :-)
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