Monday, October 16, 2006

When ingrown is incarné

About a month ago, I remember stubbing my right toe while wearing sandals but did not think anything of it. Time went by and I noticed that the toe was sore and inflamed. To make a long story short, today I went to see my Family Clinic and was told that I had an ingrown toenail.

Some would go home and play “sick” to get all the attention they can. I went and surfed the internet to find an explanation.

In English, I found the following:

which explained in simple terms the problem, the cause, the symptoms and the treatment.

Du côté français, j’ai trouvé

It is interesting to note that the English description uses ingrown, i.e. having grown into the flesh.

The French uses the verb incarner, meaning to move into the flesh. Notice the Latin root incarnare which we find in the English word incarnate. Interestingly, English has lost the meaning of moving into the flesh, keeping the meaning to embody, to personify.

Un traducteur doit constamment être à l’affût de divergences de ce genre et trouver l’équivalent linguistique correspondant. A translator must watch out for this sort of linguistic trap and use the proper corresponding expression.

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