French translation wanted

JohnnyGottaKeyboard · Nov 11, 2014

Hi all (and especially those of you who speak French),

I was wondering if you could confirm something for me. I want a character to say something is out of fashion (he's commenting on clothes), and he's American but trying to be a real snob so he wants to say it in French (not that French is inherently snobby, just that he thinks he's showing off). According to the internets, a la mode translates to out of fashion but also to several other things. I want my character to say "a la mode" because someone else counters with a crack about ice cream, but I also want a la mode to actually be what the first character is trying to say. Does that makes sense? I understand it and my attempt to describe it is making my head spin.

Anyway, briefly, can "a la mode" mean "out of fashion" with relation to clothing style?

Thanks!

raburrell · Nov 11, 2014

I'd probably use se démoder instead (that's the infinitive form - let me know if you need it conjugated). C'est passé could work too.

TheNighSwan · Nov 11, 2014

"à la mode" (the grave accent on the "a" is important) means "in fashion", it can and is applied to clothing, very often so.

"out of fashion" would need a negation, like "this is not à la mode".

At least if it is genuine French. I know French phrases sometimes take a life of their own in English.

King Neptune · Nov 11, 2014

JohnnyGottaKeyboard said:
Hi all (and especially those of you who speak French),

I was wondering if you could confirm something for me. I want a character to say something is out of fashion (he's commenting on clothes), and he's American but trying to be a real snob so he wants to say it in French (not that French is inherently snobby, just that he thinks he's showing off). According to the internets, a la mode translates to out of fashion but also to several other things. I want my character to say "a la mode" because someone else counters with a crack about ice cream, but I also want a la mode to actually be what the first character is trying to say. Does that makes sense? I understand it and my attempt to describe it is making my head spin.

Anyway, briefly, can "a la mode" mean "out of fashion" with relation to clothing style?

Thanks!

Using "à la mode" that way wouldn't seem right, but certainly it isn't wrong. It can mean "of the style", but it would be used : "C'est à la mode de la premier regime de Charles de Gaulle." (It is of the style of Charles de Gaulle's first regime.) or Maybe "C'est à la mode de 1963."( trans It is of the style of 1963.)

It certainly does not mean "out of style".

I agree with Raburell.

I would tend to say, "C'est passe.

Kolta · Nov 11, 2014

JohnnyGottaKeyboard said:
I want my character to say "a la mode" because someone else counters with a crack about ice cream, but I also want a la mode to actually be what the first character is trying to say.

If you really want to keep the line because of the ice-cream bit, rather have him attempting to compliment something he considers to be fashionable. That is, if it's not terribly important that he should be making a negative comment on some clothing and this is really just there for him to use the line at all.

I'm not sure even then that it's strictly correct, but since he's being pretentious, it would kind of fit that he couldn't be bothered to use it properly.

Thewitt · Nov 11, 2014

I thought a la mode was with ice cream...

Niiicola · Nov 11, 2014

What if he just said something like "well it's not exactly a la mode"?

If you didn't want to use the ice cream thing, you could have him say something is "gauche." (in my experience, this tends to be something non-French speakers say to make themselves sound fancy)

PrincessOfCats · Nov 11, 2014

If it's not quite right, or even if he accidentally says exactly the opposite of what he's trying to say, that, IMO, makes it even better. He's trying to be snobby so he's going to use French except he doesn't actually speak French very well and has no idea what he's talking about or what he's saying. We've all seen THAT GUY on internet debates, who's trying to sound smart and just starts farting out words that have nothing to do with the concept he's trying to get across because they're big and he thinks no one will notice.

You don't even have to have any of the characters call him on it, if none of them knows French well enough to do so (although if someone does, you have the makings of a hilarious takedown). You could just leave it in there as a joke that anyone who knows French well will get.

King Neptune · Nov 12, 2014

After further consideration, I decided that "à la mode" can mean out of fashion, if done right.

Oui, c'est à la mode, la mode de 1960. (Yes, it is fashionable, the fashion of 1960.)

JohnnyGottaKeyboard · Nov 12, 2014

King Neptune said:
Oui, c'est a la mode, la mode de 1960. (Yes, it is fashionable, the fashion of 1960.)

That's what I'm leaning toward, only it's too much French! My Chicago PI is not quite that hoitytoity!

Niiicola said:
What if he just said something like "well it's not exactly a la mode"?

If you didn't want to use the ice cream thing, you could have him say something is "gauche." (in my experience, this tends to be something non-French speakers say to make themselves sound fancy)

Yes and yes. Coincidentally, I used a "gauche" joke in a previous book (well, I've probably used many gauche jokes by now) and made it funny by having the woman pronounce it so it rhymed with crochet.

Anyway:

Thanks for all the responses EVERYBODY! I think I shall go with something like:

"Why a more slovenly fellow might mistake the pattern for something outdated—not al a mode at all."

Then the other guy can come back with the crack about ice cream.

That sounds all right, doesn't it?

P.S. - I just got the contract for this book today! Yippee!

TheNighSwan · Nov 13, 2014

I would reiter my insistance on spelling it correctly: "à la mode".

"à" means "at, to, in".
"a" means "has".

JohnnyGottaKeyboard · Nov 13, 2014

TheNighSwan said:
I would reiter my insistance on spelling it correctly: "à la mode".

"à" means "at, to, in".
"a" means "has".

Gotcha. I have it that way in the ms.

arcan · Nov 17, 2014

if you want to go with "à la mode", this is the proper spelling. Instead of "not à la mode" I'd use "démodé" (out of fashion).
I'd go with something like "C'est tellement rétro" wich isn't and old way to speak, or "ça fait tellement XIXème siècle/1960..."

French translation wanted

JohnnyGottaKeyboard

Who let this guy in...?

raburrell

Treguna Makoidees Trecorum SadisDee

TheNighSwan

King Neptune

Kolta

Thewitt

Niiicola

Twitchy

PrincessOfCats

King Neptune

JohnnyGottaKeyboard

Who let this guy in...?

TheNighSwan

JohnnyGottaKeyboard

Who let this guy in...?

arcan