Ok, this isn’t exactly an introduction to a great new band, but this pop song has somehow managed to get wedged in my head. It fully deserves a translation here because the vocabulary in the lyrics is interesting and hopefully useful.
Looks like this writer (quoted below) feels pretty much the same way as me about Bénabar (French music awards Victoires de la Musique Male group or artist of the year 2007).
Je ne suis pas grand fan de cet artiste mais je sais reconnaître son talent pour les paroles. En ce qui concerne les mélodies : un coup j’aime, un coup je déteste. Mais d’ailleurs, je ne sais pas vraiment s’il écrit et compose l’intégralité de ses morceaux…
I’m no great fan of this artist but I recognise his talent for lyrics. As for the melodies, some I love, some I hate. Mind you, I don’t really know if he writes and composes all of his songs …
I don’t know either although I did briefly try to find out.
The first verse will give you an idea of what the song is about…
Si le battement d’aile d’un papillon quelque part au Cambodge
Déclenche sur un autre continent le plus violent des orages
Le choix de quelques uns dans un bureau occidental
Bouleverse des millions de destins surtout si le bureau est ovaleIf the flapping wings of a butterfly somewhere in Cambodia
Triggers the most violent of storms on another continent
The choice of some people in a western office
Disrupts millions of destinies, especially if the office is oval
Verbs
| Déclencher | To cause, to trigger |
...le battement d'aile d'un papillon quelque part au Cambodge déclenche sur un autre continent le plus violent des orages | |
...the flapping wings of a butterfly somewhere in Cambodia triggers the most violent of storms on another continent | |
| Bouleverser | To change dramatically |
Le choix de quelques uns dans un bureau occidental bouleverse des millions de destins surtout si le bureau est ovale | |
The choice of some people in a western office disrupts millions of destinies, especially if the office is oval | |
| Enduire | To coat |
Si au soleil tu t'endors, de biafine tu t'enduiras | |
If you fall asleep in the sun, you will be covered with Biafine | |
| Se gaver | To stuff oneself |
| Grossir | To put on weight |
Si on se gave au resto c'est un fait nous grossirons | |
If we stuff ourselves in the restaurant it's a fact that we'll get fat | |
| Se maquiller | To put on makeup |
Quand on achète ces cosmétiques c'est au harpon qu'on se maquille | |
When buying these cosmetics it's for a harpoon that they're made up | |
| Envoler | To fly off |
Le papillon s'en vole tout bat de l'aile | |
The butterfly flies away flapping its wings | |
| Tousser | To cough |
Quand le financier s'enrhume ce sont les ouvriers qui toussent | |
When the banker catches cold it is the workers who cough | |
Vocabulary
| La couche d'ozone | The ozone layer |
C'est très loin la couche d'ozone mais c'est d'ici qu'on la perce | |
The ozone layer is far away but it's from here that it gets pierced | |
| Dégâts | Damage |
C'est l'effet papillon petites causes, grandes conséquences, pourtant jolie comme expression, petites choses dégâts immenses | |
It's the butterfly effect, small causes, big consequences, though nice as an expression, little things, immense damage | |
| Vacarme | Din, racket |
Un murmure devient vacarme comme dit le proverbe à propos | |
A murmur becomes an uproar as the saying goes | |
| Le l'ours blanc | Polar Bear |
Il n'y a que le l'ours blanc qui s'étonne que sa banquise fonde | |
It's only the polar bear who's surprised that his icefield is melting | |
| Videur | Bouncer |
Si tu met un claque au videur, courir très vite tu devras | |
If you hit a bouncer, you'll have to run very fast | |
| Le rouge à lèvres | Lipstick |
Avec les baleines on fabrique du rouge à lèvres, des crèmes pour fille | |
We make up whales with lipstick and girly creams | |
| L'aile | Wing |
Le papillon s'en vole tout bat de l'aile | |
The butterfly flies away flapping its wings | |
Phrases / Idioms
| Retour de flamme | Backlash, cause-and-effect |
On l'appel retour de flamme ou théorie des dominos | |
We call it cause and effect or domino theory | |
| Avoir du mal | To struggle |
Si tu fais la tournée des bars demain tu sais que tu auras du mal pour récupérer à 8h ton permis au tribunal | |
If you hang around the bars tomorrow you know that you'll find it hard to retrieve your driving license at 8am in court | |
Expressions
| Revenons a nos moutons | Let's get back to the subject at hand |
As you can see, there's a problem of translation here because in the French lyrics, there is a wordplay, and in the English translation we have to choose either to keep the sheep, but end up with a strange lyric, or to translate to the equivalent and lose the animal link. | |
Mais ça c'est l'effet cachalot, revenons à nos moutons, à nos papillons | |
But that's the whale effect, let's return to our sheep, to our butterflies | |
| Donner un coup de boule | To headbut (slang) |
Le coup de boule de son mari alors si ton nez te fait mal c'est l'effet papillon c'est normal fallait pas te faire chopper | |
The headbutt from her husband, so if your nose hurts, it's the butterfly effect, it's to be expected, you mustn't get caught | |
| Le mari trompé | Cuckold (cheated on) |
Si par contre t'as mal au front ça veut dire que c'est toi le mari trompé | |
If, on the other hand, your forehead hurts, that means that you are the cuckold | |
L'effet Papillon - Bénabar | The Butterfly Effect (translation of L'effet Papillon by Bénabar) |
| Si le battement d'aile d'un papillon quelque part au Cambodge | If the flapping wings of a butterfly somewhere in Cambodia | |
| Déclenche sur un autre continent le plus violent des orages | Triggers the most violent of storms on another continent | |
| Le choix de quelques uns dans un bureau occidental | The choice of some people in a western office | |
| Bouleverse des millions de destins surtout si le bureau est ovale | Disrupts millions of destinies, especially if the office is oval | |
| Il n'y a que le l'ours blanc qui s'étonne que sa banquise fonde | It's only the polar bear who's surprised that his icefield is melting | |
| Ca ne surprend plus personne de notre côté du monde | It doesn't surprise anyone from our side of the world | |
| Quand le financier s'enrhume ce sont les ouvriers qui toussent | When the banker catches cold it is the workers who cough | |
| C'est très loin la couche d'ozone mais c'est d'ici qu'on la perce | The ozone layer is far away but it's from here that it gets pierced | |
| C'est l'effet papillon, petites causes, grandes conséquences | It's the butterfly effect, small causes, big consequences | |
| Pourtant jolie comme expression, petites choses, dégâts immenses | Though nice as an expression, little things, immense damage | |
| On l'appel retour de flamme ou théorie des dominos | We call it cause and effect or domino theory | |
| Un murmure devient vacarme comme dit le proverbe à propos | A murmur becomes an uproar as the saying goes | |
| Si au soleil tu t'endors, de biafine tu t'enduiras | If you fall asleep in the sun, you will be covered with Biafine | |
| Si tu met un claque au videur, courir très vite tu devras | If you hit a bouncer, you'll have to run very fast | |
| Si on se gave au resto c'est un fait nous grossirons | If we stuff ourselves in the restaurant it's a fact that we'll get fat | |
| Mais ça c'est l'effet cachalot, revenons à nos moutons, à nos papillons | But that's the whale effect, let's get back to our sheep (see note), to our butterflies | |
| Allons faire un après midi aventure extra conjugal | Let's go have an extra-marital afternoon adventure | |
| Puis le coup de boule de son mari alors si ton nez te fait mal... | Then a headbutt from her husband, so if your nose hurts... | |
| C'est l'effet papillon c'est normal fallait pas te faire chopper | It's the butterfly effect, it's to be expected, you mustn't get caught | |
| Si par contre t'as mal au front ça veut dire que c'est toi le mari trompé | If, on the other hand, your forehead hurts, that means that you are the cuckold | |
| Avec les baleines on fabrique du rouge à lèvres, des crèmes pour fille | With whales we make lipstick and girly creams | |
| Quand on achète ces cosmétiques c'est au harpon qu'on se maquille | When buying these cosmetics it's for a harpoon that they're made up | |
| Si tu fais la tournée des bars demain tu sais que tu auras du mal | If you hang around the bars tomorrow you know that you'll find it hard | |
| Pour récupérer à 8h ton permis au tribunal | To retrieve your driving license at 8am in court | |
| C'est l'effet papillon petites causes, grandes conséquences | It's the butterfly effect, small causes, big consequences | |
| Pourtant jolie comme expression, petites choses dégâts immenses | Though nice as an expression, little things, immense damage | |
| Le papillon s'en vole | The butterfly flies away | |
| Le papillon s'en vole | The butterfly flies away | |
| Tout bat de l'aile | While flapping its wings | |
| Le papillon s'envole | The butterfly flies away | |
| Le papillon s'envole | The butterfly flies away | |
| Tout bat de l'aile | While flapping its wings |
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi, congratulations, nice work. I like this song too.
I think this part of the translation is not accurate:
“Avec les baleines on fabrique du rouge à lèvres, des crèmes pour fille /We make up whales with lipstick and girly creams”
It should be instead something like: ” Is from the whales that we produce lipsticks and creams for girls” If I can make the idea clear. Anyway, take this with a grain of salt as neither English, nor French are my mother languages.
Kind Regards.
Thanks Hector – yes you are right – the original translation was incorrect!
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