Tue, et tu n'ira point

English translation: Thou shalt not kill, You shall not murder

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

French term or phrase:	Tue, et tu n\'ira point
English translation:	Thou shalt not kill, You shall not murder
Entered by:	Jenny Bright

08:51 Nov 11, 2013

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

French term or phrase: Tue, et tu n'ira point

From a 1981 interview with Emmanuel Levinas, L'autre et son visage.
It sounds like he is saying "Tue, et tu n'ira point"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fmthcos0tx4 at 5.55 , 6.04

Could this be translated as:
Thou shalt not kill
Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further
but what would the modern-day informal equivalent be?

I'm writing the interview in a word document in order to learn about translation.
Thanks!

Jenny Bright Not a translator KudoZ activity Questions: 1 (none open) Answers: 1 United Kingdom
Local time: 20:06

Thou shalt not kill, You shall not murder

Explanation:
After having listened to the YouTube link you very helpfully provided, I can see how you came up with the transcription you used in your question, "Tue, et tu n'ira point."

However, I believe Levinas is actually saying "Tu ne tueras point." This is a rather well-known phrase, which Levinas used to describe our response to encountering the other. Here are some references:

Here is Levinas himself, in his text La proximité de l'autre, as reprinted at http://www.philo5.com/Les philosophes Textes/Levinas_Visage.... :
"Ce visage de l'autre, sans recours, sans sécurité, exposé à mon regard dans sa faiblesse et sa mortalité est aussi celui qui m'ordonne : « Tu ne tueras point ». Il y a dans le visage la suprême autorité qui commande, et je dis toujours, c'est la parole de Dieu. Le visage est le lieu de la parole de Dieu. Il y a la parole de Dieu en autrui, parole non thématisée."

Also, from http://palimpsestes.fr/textes_philo/levinas/emmanuel_levinas... :
"Le « Tu ne tueras point », dit Levinas, est « la première parole du visage ». Ainsi l'Autre est en même temps celui contre lequel je peux tout et celui auquel je dois tout. Ma responsabilité envers lui, dès que son visage m'apparaît, est infinie.
En réponse à la répudiation structuraliste de l'homme, Levinas se propose de restaurer l'humanisme sur la base, non plus de la nature raisonnable de l'humanité, mais de l'obligation dans laquelle chaque homme se trouve de veiller sur son prochain sans pouvoir prétendre à une quelconque réciprocité."

And finally, from http://laphilosophie.blog.lemonde.fr/2013/03/21/levinas-trah... :
"Mon argument est plutôt que l’interdiction du meurtre ("Tu ne tueras point") qui est incarnée et même commandée par "le Visage" est interrompue ou suspendue quand, d’après Lévinas, il devient nécessaire de tuer en autodéfense ou en défense de ceux qui sont proches : le "prochain"."

This last reference is of particular interest because it is a French translation, published in Le Monde, of a text that was originally written in English by the American philosopher Judith Butler. Le Monde published the English version, as well, so we can see how she translated the French phrase in question. Again from http://laphilosophie.blog.lemonde.fr/2013/03/21/levinas-trah... :
"My argument is rather that the interdiction against killing ("Thou Shalt not Kill" – « Tu ne tueras point ») that is embodied by, even commanded, by "le Visage" is checked or suspended when, according to Levinas, it becomes necessary to kill in self-defense or in the defense of those who are close (prochain)."

Since Levinas is talking about this same initial moment of encounter in the video interview, I think it's "Tu ne tueras point." "Thou Shalt not Kill" (although maybe without the capitalization) would seem to be most common translation.

The text itself is biblical, part of the Ten Commandments and found at Exodus 20:13. You can use the following link to see some different translations. For example:

"Thou shalt not kill" is the King James Version:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus 20:13&ver...

"You shall not murder" is from the New Revised Standard Version:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus 20:13&ver...

And so on... I do think the King James Version is the best known, however.

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Note added at 1 day4 hrs (2013-11-12 12:51:52 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

Thank you very much, Jenny, and welcome to ProZ! I think transcribing French videos that interest you is a great way to practice. Best of luck to you.

Selected response from:

John Holland
France
Local time: 21:06

Grading comment

4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +5

Thou shalt not kill, You shall not murder

John Holland

5 +1

the "Thou shalt not kill"

Daryo

Discussion entries: 4

Answers

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

Le "tu ne tuera point" the "Thou shalt not kill"

Explanation:
what he's saying is
... le "tu ne tuera point" ... c'est la premiere parole du visage ...
the quotation marks are in the intonation of his voice.

"Le "Tu ne tueras point" est la première parole du visage. Or c'est un ordre. Il y a dans l'apparition du visage un commandement, comme si un maître me parlait.

He's quoting himself:

Sur la pensée d'Emmanuel Levinas
Choix de quelques textes majeurs
(textes choisis par Philippe Fontaine).."
[http://lyc-sevres.ac-versailles.fr/projet-eee.levinasPhFtxt....]

Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:06
Native speaker of:

Serbian,

French

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thanks so much for the taking the time to respond, and for the link. I think you should be able to award points for all the helpful answers :)

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +5

"Tu ne tueras point"

Thou shalt not kill, You shall not murder

John Holland
France
Local time: 21:06
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 28

Notes to answerer

Asker: Wow, I didn't expect to get such a detailed and informative response so fast! These links will give me lots to read, and as I'm just starting to learn about Levinas I'm sure theyll be really helpful. I was guessing it was "Thou shalt not kill", but now I know why! Thanks so much again, I'll "grade the question" tomorrow :)

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