dispersion

English translation: self-fragmentation

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

French term or phrase:	dispersion
English translation:	self-fragmentation
Entered by:	Helen Shiner

13:45 Sep 4, 2009

French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Philosophy

French term or phrase: dispersion

This occurs in a text about St. Augustine.

Ce qui sépare l'homme de la manifestation divine en laquelle résident sa béatitude et sa fin, Augustin le pense comme différence radicale de la créature au Créateur, mais que le péché a encore aggravée, faisant d'elle un abîme infranchissable. L'homme diffère désormais selon les modes de la dissemblance, du refus, de la dispersion, de l'atermoiement et du regard. Une phénoménologie de la différence augustinienne ne doit pas reculer devant le recours au terme derridien de "différance", seul à même de rendre compte du mouvement de différer qui fait toute la vie de l'ego ainsi envisagé.

My client tells me that this is 'dispersion de soi', a sort of equivalent of the loss of self and a descent into 'le multiple'. Has anybody got any good ideas about how I might render this? In my view 'dispersal' alone will not work.

Helen Shiner KudoZ activity Questions: 66 (none open) (5 closed without grading) Answers: 1689 United Kingdom
Local time: 22:23

fragmentation

Explanation:
possibly

Selected response from:

John Detre
Canada

Grading comment

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

dissipation

Constantinos Faridis (X)

self-dispersion

Gabrielle Leyden

fragmentation

John Detre

modes of distraction

MatthewLaSon

Summary of reference entries provided

Augustine & dispersion de soi

Gabrielle Leyden

Discussion entries: 17

John Detre

Canada

OK, thanks Helen

13:14 Sep 7, 2009

I should read Augustine!

Helen Shiner

United Kingdom

ASKER

Thanks, John

12:24 Sep 7, 2009

The term is Augustinian rather than Derridean. My author gave me a long paragraph in explanation when telling me he was delighted with self-fragmention, but I don't think I should post this here.

John Detre

Canada

17:39 Sep 4, 2009

Hi Helen, glad you were able to partially use my suggestion, but on second thought, given the author's apparent Derridean bent, I wonder if something along the lines of "decentering" might not work better?

Helen Shiner

United Kingdom

ASKER

And you

16:19 Sep 4, 2009

Jocelyne!

Jocelyne S

France

Glad to hear it!

16:16 Sep 4, 2009

Hi Helen, Glad to hear that you've found a solution! Have a good weekend, Jocelyne

Helen Shiner

United Kingdom

ASKER

Just to let you all know

16:08 Sep 4, 2009

my client is delighted with 'self-fragmentation', so thanks to all of you for getting me there!

Helen Shiner

United Kingdom

ASKER

Some thoughts

14:43 Sep 4, 2009

I wonder whether one should approach this from the opposite angle and instead speak of a 'loss of focus' or 'loss of concentration'.

Helen Shiner

United Kingdom

ASKER

Many thanks, Jocelyne

14:32 Sep 4, 2009

for your help so far.

Jocelyne S

France

Hmm...

14:29 Sep 4, 2009

Not an easy one for a Friday afternoon! I'll come back in a little while if anything better comes to mind. I agree that you may need to unravel the sentence a bit to have it flow more smoothly in EN.

Helen Shiner

United Kingdom

ASKER

Hi Jocelyn

14:18 Sep 4, 2009

it needs - at present - to follow 'varying modes/forms of dissemblance, reticence... procrastination, tardiness.' Maybe 'self-fragmentation' or self-fracture' would work, but really I feel it needs unpacking as a sentence. How to avoid it sounding like mental disintegration?

Jocelyne S

France

14:12 Sep 4, 2009

I've been toying with self-fracture/fracture of the self too. How have you translated the rest of the sentence so far?

Helen Shiner

United Kingdom

ASKER

Does

14:10 Sep 4, 2009

'fracture of the self' sound ok? I'm feeling a bit fractured myself!

Helen Shiner

United Kingdom

ASKER

Yes, Jocelyne

14:09 Sep 4, 2009

that is exactly the problem - the FR somehow suppresses that bit.

Helen Shiner

United Kingdom

ASKER

Anne-Marie

14:08 Sep 4, 2009

maybe 'loss of self in fragmentation'? I do like 'fragmentation', thanks, John.

Jocelyne S

France

Fragmentation or fracture

14:08 Sep 4, 2009

It's the loss of self bit that is going to be tough to get across, IMO. Fracture is what's coming to my mind, but fragmentation works too; these however omit the loss of self side of things.

Anne-Marie Grant (X)

loss of self/fragmentation

14:03 Sep 4, 2009

I wonder whether your own idea of 'loss of self' might work.

Helen Shiner

United Kingdom

ASKER

correction

13:49 Sep 4, 2009

that should read 'retard' and not 'regard' at the end of the second sentence. Apologies.

Answers

8 mins confidence:

dissipation

Explanation:

dispersion
nf [+débris, objets] scattering
[+efforts] dissipation

Translation French - English Collins Dictionary

Constantinos Faridis (X)
Greece
Local time: 00:23
Native speaker of: Greek

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you for your answer, Constantinos, but I am afraid 'dissipation' sounds like descent into drink, drugs and loose women! Scattering of the self might work, but I was hoping for something else since this is not very clear either.

16 mins confidence:

fragmentation

Explanation:
possibly

John Detre
Canada
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8

Grading comment

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thanks, John, for putting me on the right track.

1 hr confidence:

modes of distraction

Explanation:
Hello,

Doing too many things at one time...not focused enough

I know that in French when you say "dispersion" in everyday language, it probably means that someone is focused on too many things at one time (arrêtez la dispersion = Get more focused)

"La dispersion d'esprit" is what, I believe, is being referred to here.

I hope this helps.

MatthewLaSon
Local time: 17:23
Native speaker of:

English

Notes to answerer

Asker: This is a good thought - I will suggest a variety of solutions to my client and see which he prefers.

7 hrs confidence:

self-dispersion

Explanation:
It would appear to be the same term in English theological and philosophical writings: a scattering of oneself in all directions. Check out other references to Saint Augustine and dispersion versus unicity of the self. Unfortunately, I don't have "The Confessions" here.

Fragmentation does not seem right. Client happiness is not always the solution!

Example sentence(s):

In addition to Bergson, St. Augustine of Hippo, in the Confessions, .... of real or pretended self-dispersion, or national and historical catastrophes

Reference: http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/research_in_african_...

Gabrielle Leyden
Belgium
Local time: 23:23
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thanks, Gabrielle, for your assistance. My client is the author of the text and an expert in the field, so if he is happy, and he is very precise about language, English included, I am happy. It does look as if your 'self-dispersion' is used, as, indeed, is 'self-fragmentation' in similar contexts. Clearly Augustine was writing in Latin so there are a variety of ways of rendering the original phrase. I was unable to get very far with the link you give here unfortunately - the usual subscription issue. But I am grateful for your prompt to check the academic literature which has confirmed 'self-fragmentation', too, which seems clearer to me than 'self-dispersion'. Your reference material below is also great, so thanks very much indeed for taking the time to submit this information.

Reference comments

6 hrs

Reference: Augustine & dispersion de soi

Reference information:
http://hautesspheres.ifrance.com/cours/Augustin.doc

Gabrielle Leyden
Belgium
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8

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English translation: self-fragmentation

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