du meilleur effet

English translation: that had seen better days

08:38 Sep 2, 2020
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
French term or phrase: du meilleur effet
Please read the below context first:

"Nous étions assis depuis bientôt une heure, sirotant un café poudreux, lui assis sur un divan mourant, moi massant mes courbatures sur un fauteuil du meilleur effet."

A young man is welcomed in a wooden hut by a very destitute Georgian family. The furniture in the hut is poor and very damaged, but the family behaves in a very noble and dignified manner. The contrast is stunning. The author is sitting in an armchair that is totally collapsed and threadbare, but he uses the term "du meilleur effet" here, which of course expresses a friendly and amusing irony.
I thought about using two terms like "fancy" and "threadbare" side by side, but I'm sure there is a natural and pleasant way to convey the idea.

Thanks to the native English speakers for your tips!

PS: And once again, for those who may be wondering: my translation is a preliminary work, which will be PROOFREAD and corrected by a NATIVE English speaker :)
Hugues Roumier
France
Local time: 12:24
English translation:that had seen better days
Explanation:
This seems to fit nicely in the context, but alas, I have nothing more concrete on which to base this idea, hence the lowish CR.


In fact, I'm now seriously thinking along the lines of something akin to "... that was proving more beneficial".
BUT, I would also have preferred to be able to highlight the possibly ironic contrast between "divan mourant" and "du meilleur effet" -

perhaps something along the lines of

"less incommodious/excruciating"
Selected response from:

Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:24
Grading comment
Thanks a lot, Carol
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +6that had seen better days
Carol Gullidge
3 +3once-comfortable
Tony M
2still intended to impress
David Hayes


Discussion entries: 11





  

Answers


47 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
once-comfortable


Explanation:
I think you could use this structure with 'once-...' with a variety of adjectives, to convey the notion that although it used to be ..., it no longer is.
'Once-luxurious' might be a little OTT, but I'm sure you get the idea.

Tony M
France
Local time: 12:24
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 348

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  philgoddard: Good idea.
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Phil!

agree  Cyril Tollari
4 hrs
  -> Merci, Cyril !

agree  rokotas: this choice sounds better in that case
23 hrs
  -> Thanks, rokotas!
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +6
that had seen better days


Explanation:
This seems to fit nicely in the context, but alas, I have nothing more concrete on which to base this idea, hence the lowish CR.


In fact, I'm now seriously thinking along the lines of something akin to "... that was proving more beneficial".
BUT, I would also have preferred to be able to highlight the possibly ironic contrast between "divan mourant" and "du meilleur effet" -

perhaps something along the lines of

"less incommodious/excruciating"

Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:24
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 124
Grading comment
Thanks a lot, Carol

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Yvonne Gallagher: the first thing that sprang to mind on reading the context. I think it fits well. "concrete" not always required for native immediate response
14 mins
  -> many thanks, Yvonne!

agree  Sarah Bessioud
21 mins
  -> Thanks, Sarah!

agree  Tony M
48 mins
  -> Thanks, Tony

agree  Timothy Rake
56 mins
  -> Thanks, Timothy!

agree  SafeTex: This English expression fits perfectly here
2 hrs
  -> many thanks SafeTex :)

neutral  David Hayes: I had thought of this but was not convinced that it captures the irony of the French. To me, it seems a simple statement that something is now a poor shadow of its former glory.
3 hrs
  -> I get your point, but still haven't found a solution that satisfies me! Perhaps something along the lines of simply: the "posh" armchair or "that looked past its prime"(to capture the irony, alongside the dying or moribund divan).

agree  AllegroTrans
10 hrs
  -> Thanks, Allegro!
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
still intended to impress


Explanation:
Based on the asker's desire to retain the ironic aspect, I thought adding 'still intended' to the usual translation of this expression might work.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs (2020-09-02 16:49:17 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

i.e. "an armchair still intended to impress"

David Hayes
France
Local time: 12:24
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 6

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Carol Gullidge: These people don't sound in the least as though they are trying or ever have tried to impress, but are showing courtesy and hospitality in a totally unaffected way.//Noble and dignified, yes, pretentious, no!
15 hrs
  -> "The furniture in the hut is poor and very damaged, but the family behaves in a very noble and dignified manner." What exactly is meant by the second aspect perhaps needs to be clarified by the asker. I do not think 'impressive' means 'pretentious'.
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