ça sonne même l’import

English translation: it even sounds like it comes from somewhere else.

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

French term or phrase:	ça sonne même l’import
English translation:	it even sounds like it comes from somewhere else.
Entered by:	Marge Hogarty

11:04 Apr 27, 2021

French to English translations [Non-PRO]
Social Sciences - Government / Politics / Algeria

French term or phrase: ça sonne même l’import

**'D’où vient ce mot, “hirak” ? Ça sonne pas algérien, et ça sonne même l’import. Je préfère le mot “révolution”, tagrawla en kabyle ou thoura en derdja,' s’exclame un manifestant devant un groupe de jeunes originaires de la wilaya arabophone de Sétif.**

Hi everyone,

I am translating an article about the Hirak movement in Algeria. I am wondering if "import" here simply means "foreign", or if there is more of a nuance to it?

Many thanks for your suggestions,
Anam

A Zafar KudoZ activity Questions: 74 (none open) (2 closed without grading) Answers: 0 United Kingdom
Local time: 00:30

it even sounds like it comes from somewhere else.

Explanation:
This means the same as the other suggestions, but the tone is different. I'm looking at the absence of "ne" in the first clause of that sentence.

Selected response from:

Marge Hogarty
United States
Local time: 19:30

Grading comment

Thanks Marge, I like the natural sound to this, and that it still carries the essential meaning behind "import"!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

2 +4

it even sounds like an import

Conor McAuley

3 +2

it even sounds like it comes from somewhere else.

Marge Hogarty

3 +1

it sounds like a borrowed/loan word

SafeTex

It even smells import(s)

Sanjin Grandić

it even sounds alien

Saeed Najmi

Discussion entries: 10

A Zafar

United Kingdom

ASKER

10:37 Apr 29, 2021

Thank you SO much, everyone, for such a detailed discussion. You have all helped me greatly! As always, I wish I could give points to more than one person.

Lisa Rosengard

United Kingdom

23:34 Apr 28, 2021

I'd use a general phrase to explain that it comes from outside of Algeria.

Conor McAuley

France

19:01 Apr 27, 2021

Thanks Saeed, that's very interesting. What I have read as research for this question confirms what you say.

Saeed Najmi

Morocco

18:45 Apr 27, 2021

Berbers in general are very language-conscious indeed, but I don't think it is an issue of language rejection here; otherwise, the author would have demonstrated their attitude towards the entire tongue and not only that particular term. The other thing is berbers in North Africa generally have an assimilative standpoint vis a vis Arabic, the official language in those countries.

Conor McAuley

France

18:11 Apr 27, 2021

Could there also be an ethnic identity element to the person's remark as well?

"The ethnic Berbers are divided into many groups with varying languages. The largest of these are the Kabyles, who live in the Kabylie region east of Algiers, the Chaoui of North-East Algeria, the Tuaregs in the southern desert and the Shenwa people of North Algeria."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Algeria#Ethnic...

But I don't think this affects the translation, it's just a point of interest.

Saeed Najmi

Morocco

17:42 Apr 27, 2021

The term ''harak'' also ''hirak'',as you rightly mention, is an Arabic word. It draws its roots from the stem ''haraka'' move. I think the reason the author says ''ça sonne même l’import'' is that he feels it is a reductionism of what the phenomenon really is. It is a premeditated attempt to deny the revolutionary nature of the movement. To speak of a ''harak'' might go by unnoticed compared to speaking of an upheaval, an uprising or a revolution. Additionally, from a linguistic perspective, though word ''harak'' means ''move'' or ''movement'', it is paradoxically a dormant word in the Arabic lexicon; it is not actively used in Arabic at all.

Thomas Miles

France

'haraak' = 'movement' in Modern Standard Arabic

16:31 Apr 27, 2021

How does this make it foreign?

Daryo

United Kingdom

yes, there is a connotation

11:33 Apr 27, 2021

that that word "hirak" is some kind of intruder in Algerian Arabic.

Carol Gullidge

United Kingdom

agree with Suzie

11:27 Apr 27, 2021

it's not just foreign, but it has infiltrated the language. This somehow makes it appear more sinister in this context!

Suzie Withers

United Kingdom

11:15 Apr 27, 2021

I read it as meaning that it's derived from a foreign language, a loan word. But I might be wrong...

Answers

20 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

it even sounds like an import

Explanation:
The word was used in several other countries before Algeria, it appears.

I don't think it would be right to use the word foreign, import is fine.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirak

Hirak est un mot arabe signifiant étymologiquement « mouvement ». Il désigne des mouvements de contestations populaires dans les pays du monde arabe. Il a servi notamment à désigner :

le mouvement du Sud, manifestations (2009) puis le mouvement politique issu de celui-ci, au Yémen ;

Mouvement populaire irakien, parti politique irakien fondé en 2011 ;

le mouvement populaire du Rif, au Maroc, depuis 2016 ;

***les manifestations de 2019-2020 en Algérie, commencées le 16 février 2019 pour protester dans un premier temps contre la candidature d'Abdelaziz Bouteflika à un 5e mandat puis pour le départ du régime et un changement du système politique en place.***

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 23 mins (2021-04-27 11:27:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The underlying message is that the speaker wants the movement to be defined differently, to BE different, to those with the name same in other countries.

That's my interpretation, anyway.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 24 mins (2021-04-27 11:28:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

correction: same name

Conor McAuley
France
Local time: 01:30
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 25

1 hr confidence:

it even sounds alien

Explanation:

The person in the ST refers to the term ''hirak'' as a word imported from another context. It is uncommon, weird and doesn't call a spade a spade. They prefer the word ''revolution'' to describe what is going on there.
The word ''hirak'' is alien to Algerian Arabic

Saeed Najmi
Morocco
Local time: 00:30
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Arabic,

French

5 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

it even sounds like it comes from somewhere else.

Explanation:
This means the same as the other suggestions, but the tone is different. I'm looking at the absence of "ne" in the first clause of that sentence.

Marge Hogarty
United States
Local time: 19:30
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English

Grading comment

Thanks Marge, I like the natural sound to this, and that it still carries the essential meaning behind "import"!

10 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

it sounds like a borrowed/loan word

Explanation:
Hello
I have not read all the discussion so maybe someone said this but we do have two expressions in English for such words that should be considered

https://www.ruf.rice.edu/~kemmer/Words04/structure/borrowed.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loanword

SafeTex
France
Local time: 01:30
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 16

23 hrs confidence:

It even smells import(s)

Explanation:
Just an alternate approach to "it sounds" and the like.
Just to diversify.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 23 hrs (2021-04-28 11:00:54 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Or maybe better but too late now It even smells like import.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 0 min (2021-04-28 11:04:53 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

a bit colloquial though.

Example sentence(s):

It smells like import to me.

Sanjin Grandić
Croatia
Local time: 01:30
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Croatian

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ça sonne même l’import

English translation: it even sounds like it comes from somewhere else.

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English translation: it even sounds like it comes from somewhere else.

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