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  3. Philosophy

à eux seuls

English translation: alone

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:à eux seuls
English translation:alone
Entered by: Stephen Rifkind

17:11 May 14, 2014
French to English translations [Non-PRO]
Philosophy / peace
French term or phrase: à eux seuls
Les idées engagent les bras dans la construction du monde. Ces derniers à eux seuls ne font que détruire ce qui a été construit.

I do not understand the second sentence.
Stephen Rifkind
Israel
Local time: 09:51
alone
Explanation:
Hands alone, not guided by ideas, will only destroy what has been built.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 mins (2014-05-14 17:25:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I hope that this is not the sort of elitist argument that assumes that one lot of people contribute ideas, while another lot of people contribute the hands to construct what has been conceived. It is better to assume that all people can be workers by both hand and brain. (To freely adapt Clause 4.)
Selected response from:

B D Finch
France
Local time: 08:51
Grading comment
Thank you.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +9alone
B D Finch
4 +1left alone
Daryo
4single-handedly
Zohar CHABAUD
4they suffice to...
Nikki Scott-Despaigne


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
single-handedly


Explanation:
Avec leur idéologie de droite, les conservateurs ont à eux seuls créé une situation qui se traduira par une aggravation de la pauvreté dans notre pays.

With its ideological, right wing approach, the Conservatives have single-handedly created a situation that will contribute to the rise of poverty in our country.


    Reference: http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Doc...
    Reference: http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Doc...
Zohar CHABAUD
France
Local time: 08:51
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in HebrewHebrew

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Carol Gullidge: elegant!
17 mins
  -> Merci :)
agree  SafeTex: I like this especially if you are able to keep 'arms' in the sentence before
2 hrs
  -> Thanks
neutral  Tony M: You can't speak of 'arms' doing anything 'single-handedly' — it would sound comical at best, and at worst, nonsensical: the brain does not provide a second hand.
2 hrs
neutral  Michele Fauble: Agree with Tony's comment
4 hrs
disagree  Daryo: wrong slant - it would mean s.o. ("hands") managed to do s.t. ("wreck things") without needing any external help (you would almost make it sound like some kind of achievement)
10 hrs
disagree  Victoria Britten: With Daryo
14 hrs
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10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +9
alone


Explanation:
Hands alone, not guided by ideas, will only destroy what has been built.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 mins (2014-05-14 17:25:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I hope that this is not the sort of elitist argument that assumes that one lot of people contribute ideas, while another lot of people contribute the hands to construct what has been conceived. It is better to assume that all people can be workers by both hand and brain. (To freely adapt Clause 4.)

B D Finch
France
Local time: 08:51
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 10
Grading comment
Thank you.
Notes to answerer
Asker: This reinforces my sense of the meaning of this sentence. The context involves leaders of "peace" thinking.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Denise DeVries: Yes, "in themselves" or "per se"
16 mins
  -> Thanks Denise
agree  Sheri P
44 mins
  -> Thanks Sheri
agree  writeaway: Lots of ways to translate this. This is one of them
1 hr
  -> Thanks writeaway
agree  Tony M: Totally agree (though I'm very happy to take care of the brains bit and leave the brawn to the others...)
2 hrs
  -> Thanks Tony (you old elitist).
agree  Daniel Weston
2 hrs
  -> Thanks Daniel
agree  Helen Shiner
3 hrs
  -> Thanks Helen
agree  Michele Fauble
4 hrs
  -> Thanks Michele
agree  Melissa McMahon
5 hrs
  -> Thanks Melissa
agree  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: The sentence could start quite simply with "They alone ..."
6 hrs
  -> Thanks Nikki. Possibly.
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
they suffice to...


Explanation:
I like the simplicity of "alone" but you coudl also opt to express it verbally, using a verb like "suffice" which conveys the necessary meaning without any qualifier.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2014-05-14 23:34:06 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

As in "they suffice to destroy what has been (was) built".
More context about what leads up to this pair of sentences might help to get the style and pitch right.

Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Local time: 08:51
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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10 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
left alone


Explanation:
left alone = without the guidance from ideas

Les idées engagent les bras dans la construction du monde. Ces derniers à eux seuls ne font que détruire ce qui a été construit.

... . Left alone, hands ....



Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:51
Native speaker of: Native in SerbianSerbian, Native in FrenchFrench

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Victoria Britten: or "on their own": both reinforce the point that ideas are needed to drive positive action
4 hrs
  -> ideas are needed to drive positive action - exactly the point; no need to add "elitism" nor "anti-elitism" in the mix. Thanks!
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