French Translation problem (Specific Languages) Language Learning Forum

French Translation problem
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utu
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Message 1 of 4

06 February 2014 at 3:57pm | IP Logged

Hi! I'm working with a text which deals with merging French regions and I have troubles
understanding the beginning of the following sentence.

"D'où la nécessité pour certains, gagnés par la folie des grandeurs, de
privilégier un ménage à plusieurs par rapport à un vulgaire rapport monogame."

Could someone be so kind and help me with this? I've spent hours with this text today and
this is driving me crazy.

Edited by Fasulye on 17 February 2014 at 6:01am
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Iversen
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Message 2 of 4

06 February 2014 at 4:28pm | IP Logged

"Some people are so megalomanic that they can't stand just having one wife."

Or more literally:

Whereof the need for certain (people) - (who have been) gripped by the madness of megalomania - to prefer/strive-for a multi - household rather than a banal monogamous relationship

And of course this should be translated into political terms when the theme is French regions, but the metaphor is polygamy among humans

Edited by Iversen on 06 February 2014 at 4:31pm
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emk
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Message 3 of 4

06 February 2014 at 4:35pm | IP Logged

This is from a story from Le Point, about reorganization of the French administrative regions:

Quote:

"Je ne suis pas contre, mais je ne suis pas non plus convaincue que cela sera plus économique et plus efficace", prévient Marie-Guite Dufay, qui préside le conseil régional franc-comtois. "L'ensemble des collectivités locales représente 20 points dans les dépenses publiques. Et les régions, 12 % de ces 20 points. Quand on passe à 15 régions, je ne vois pas où est l'économie", s'exclame Claude Gewerc, le président picard.

"Une région étendue appelée Grande-Bretagne"

D'où la nécessité pour certains, gagnés par la folie des grandeurs, de privilégier un ménage à plusieurs par rapport à un vulgaire rapport monogame. Convaincu par la maxime "fusionner plus pour économiser plus", Philippe Grosvalet souhaite, par exemple, créer "une région étendue appelée Grande-Bretagne ou Ouest-Atlantique avec huit départements, dont six littoraux". Marie-Guite Dufay ne veut pas non plus "se cantonner à la Bourgogne et à la Franche-Comté", mais réclame "une région du Grand Est".

The author is making an analogy between romantic relationships and the possible combinations of various regions. He thinks a relationship between Alsace and Lorraine is a sensible "marriage", but that several other regions are getting carried away by excess enthusiasm.

Hence:

Quote:

D'où la nécessité pour certains, gagnés par la folie des grandeurs, de
privilégier un ménage à plusieurs par rapport à un vulgaire rapport monogame.

From which the necessity for certain [regions], overcome by the folly of the sizes [of the potential regions], to privilege a ménage à plusieurs over a vulgar monogamous relationship.

Anyway, that's my take on it. Corrections welcome!
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utu
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Message 4 of 4

06 February 2014 at 7:03pm | IP Logged

Oh sorry, I should have pointed out myself that where the quote was from.

But anyway, thank you so much!

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