jam tomorrow

French translation: Lendemain qui chante

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15:57 Mar 2, 2020
English to French translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
Additional field(s): General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters, Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
English term or phrase: jam tomorrow
Definition from Macmillan Dictionary:
Something good that is promised but never happens. The phrase "jam tomorrow" was coined by Lewis Carroll in his children's story "Through the Looking Glass". The White Queen tells Alice, "The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday – but never jam to-day."

Example sentence(s):
  • An innovation pessimist could dismiss [current innovations being fueled by cheap processing power] as "jam tomorrow". But the idea that technology-led growth must either continue unabated or steadily decline, rather than ebbing and flowing, is at odds with history. The Economist
  • Even though work on the eastern bypass will start very shortly, I am not sure I will truly believe it until I see cars driving up and down it, so talk of a southern link going to Winsford will seem even more like more jam tomorrow. Winsford and Middlewich Guardian
  • In the coming year, many other high-profile tech unicorns will face similar challenges. They’ll will do well to focus on being smaller, profitable companies than larger ones promising jam tomorrow. Wired
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French translation:Lendemain qui chante
Definition:
Le mythe d’un avenir radieux.
Selected response from:

Pierre Souchar
France
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of translations provided
4 +3Lendemain qui chante
Pierre Souchar
4 +1demain on rase gratis
Sandra Mouton
5Des promesses en l'air
Gladis Audi, DipTrans
4promesses de Gascon
Sandra Mouton
3Ce sont des paroles en l'air
Marilyne Gour


Discussion entries: 4





  

Translations offered


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Lendemain qui chante


Definition from Wiktionary:
Le mythe d’un avenir radieux.

Example sentence(s):
  • Nous sommes la jeunesse ardente Qui vient escalader le ciel Dans un cortège fraternel Unissons nos mains frémissantes Sachons protéger notre pain Nous bâtirons un lendemain qui chante. — (Paul Vaillant-Couturier, Jeunesse, 1937) - Jeunesse  

Explanation:


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Note added at 1 hr (2020-03-02 17:09:53 GMT)
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Cela fonctionne également au pluriel "des lendemains qui chantent".
Pierre Souchar
France
Local time: 09:24
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench, Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 4

Votes in favor of/against selecting this as the best translation of the term asked
Yes  saidbelabed
1 hr

Yes  Claire Mendes Real
2 hrs

Yes  Lorraine Dubuc
4 hrs
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1 day 17 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
demain on rase gratis


Definition from own experience or research:
Promesse d'actions avantageuses ou attrayantes, toujours repoussées au lendemain mais jamais réalisées le jour même.

Example sentence(s):
  • Le gouvernement refuse la politique du "demain on rase gratis", a affirmé le ministre de l'Action et des Comptes publics Gérald Darmanin... - Lepoint.fr  
Sandra Mouton
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:24
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 10

Votes in favor of/against selecting this as the best translation of the term asked
Yes  katsy
8 hrs
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1 day 17 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
promesses de Gascon


Definition from own experience or research:
Belles promesses jamais réalisées

Example sentence(s):
  • Pourtant, Macron s'affiche en président qui ne fait pas de « promesses de Gascon ». - Le Parisien  
Sandra Mouton
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:24
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 10
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20 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Ce sont des paroles en l'air


Definition from own experience or research:
Depending on the context, "jam tomorrow" could also refer to "empty words" announcing something that probably won't happen, "des paroles en l'air".

Example sentence(s):
  • "Ce doit être un réel engagement et non des paroles en l'air". - Glosbe  
  • "Vous n'êtes pas obligés de me croire, et puis ce n'est pas de mon ressort... mais je veux prouver que ce ne sont pas des paroles en l'air." - Glosbe  
  • "Trois ans plus tard, force est de constater que tous ces engagements étaient des paroles en l'air et qu'aucun acte digne de ce nom n'a été posé jusqu'ici." - Glosbe  
Marilyne Gour
Canada
Native speaker of: French
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24 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Des promesses en l'air


Definition from Dictionnaire des proverbes anglais-fran�:
Le Dictionnaire des proverbes anglais-français, français-anglais de Françoise Bulman propose comme traduction : Ce n'est jamais le bon moment, qui me parait assez idiomatique.

Mais le Larousse en propose une meilleure: des promesses en l'air
https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/anglais-francais/jam/5...

Example sentence(s):
  • it's a case of jam tomorrow (UK & informal) ce sont des promesses en l'air - Larousse  
Gladis Audi, DipTrans
Netherlands
Local time: 09:24
Native speaker of: French
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