Tu suis Cannes !
Colleagues and I often joke about English expressions and French ones that sound nearly identical in pronunciation. This weekend I came across this Chevy ad on my way to the supermarket and mentioned it on Monday at the office. “Yes we can” was promptly turned into “tu suis Cannes” (roughly pronounced “too swee can”). Literally translated, “you follow Cannes”, but the actual meaning is “follow [road] signs to Cannes”.
Neighbor update!
Today Francine, the kind neighbor, updated me about Gertrude’s visit before the judge last Monday. I nearly jumped out of my chair with joy when I read these two sentences (“elle/she” refers to Gertrude):
“Elle a été insolente auprès du délégué du procureur, donc il n’y aura pas de médiation mais un procès. Elle est amendable de 450 euros par infraction devant un juge si elle continue dans son comportement envers l’ensemble des résidents.”
Translation: “She was insolent with the attorney general’s representative, so there won’t be mediation, but a trial. A judge can fine her 450 euros per infraction if she continues her behavior with all of the residents.”
Gertrude’s mental health must be slipping indeed if she was so thoughtless as to insult a public attorney. Although I can’t say I’m surprised considering her profanity towards others, a mild version of which I caught on film, I can’t say I expected it either. So much the better, this way things will go more smoothly.
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February 6th, 2009 at 05:42
So does the French audience understand the reference to Barak Obama in this ad?
February 6th, 2009 at 05:43
Good news about your crazy neighbor. It’s still saddens me that she creates so much suffering to everyone around her. I can’t imagine how much suffering she must have inside.
February 6th, 2009 at 19:20
Yes, Obama’s slogan is pretty well-known here. My colleagues had seen the ad and recognized the reference before I showed it to them. (However, my “statistical sample” is very likely skewed by the fact that, well, they work with an American — me! — who was exceedingly happy to see someone like Obama win, and so quite a few of them followed the campaign and asked me questions about it daily for a long time — it’s great to have their viewpoints.)
Re: the neighbor, yes, considering how bad she is, I too feel sadness for her (and those she abuses…) more often than anger. The part of her that recognizes she’s messing with people makes me angry — because she does realize it, she brags about how she f*cks with people — but whatever she lived through that led her down the path to where she is today… it couldn’t have been healthy. Not that it’s an excuse, but it is indeed sad. We still hope she gets psychiatric treatment…
February 9th, 2009 at 22:40
I snapped this sort of companion picture on the metro the other day:
http://www.thetexascowboy.com/madoffEnglish2.jpg