le Larzac fait toujours les frais de bonnes potaches

English translation: Larzac is still the subject of much derision

17:20 Jan 30, 2020
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Environment & Ecology
French term or phrase: le Larzac fait toujours les frais de bonnes potaches
From an article about global warming:

"Si les scientifiques ont été peu écoutés, l’opinion publique et les élites conservatrices ou économiques se sont également détournées des mouvements « écolos », jugés trop hippies ou trop gauchistes.
Raillés donc, souvent réduits à une vision romantique ou au mouvement Trotskiste, ces « verts » font l’objet d’une critique acerbe et dédaigneuse (le Larzac fait toujours les frais de bonnes potaches) et sont considérés hors système, c’est-à-dire incapables de proposer des solutions efficaces, viables, business."
Mark Nathan
France
Local time: 09:57
English translation:Larzac is still the subject of much derision
Explanation:
In other words, the people referred to in your article still take the piss out of Larzac (a place symbolising civil disobedience because of protests there in the 1970s and a more recent anti-WTO gathering).

Or "the butt of plenty of snide jokes" depending on the tone you're going for.
Selected response from:

Philippa Smith
Local time: 09:57
Grading comment
Thanks everyone
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +5Larzac is still the subject of much derision
Philippa Smith
3 +2Larzac is still the butt of jokes
Jane F
4Larzac will always be a laughing stock
Francois Boye
4 -1the Larzac movement still gets dismissed with crudes jokes
Daryo
3jokes about Larzac are still doing the rounds
Sheila Wilson
2Greens behind the ears
SafeTex


Discussion entries: 17





  

Answers


17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
Larzac is still the subject of much derision


Explanation:
In other words, the people referred to in your article still take the piss out of Larzac (a place symbolising civil disobedience because of protests there in the 1970s and a more recent anti-WTO gathering).

Or "the butt of plenty of snide jokes" depending on the tone you're going for.

Philippa Smith
Local time: 09:57
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 32
Grading comment
Thanks everyone

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  philgoddard: This fits the context, but I haven't been able to find any references supporting it. Is the idea "schoolboy humour", do you think?
12 mins
  -> I'm not sure about references, it's more of a vibe I guess. And I think the tone of "potache" is a sort of snidiness.

agree  Carol Gullidge
38 mins
  -> Many thanks Carol!

agree  Ben Gaia: "Still paying the price among dutiful students". ref https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutte_du_Larzac
2 hrs
  -> Thanks Ben!

agree  ph-b (X)
14 hrs
  -> Thanks a lot!

agree  Philippe Barré
16 hrs
  -> Thanks Philippe!

agree  erwan-l
18 hrs
  -> Thanks Erwan!

neutral  ormiston: Should it not rather be OBJECT of derision?!
1 day 23 hrs
  -> Both are used.
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Larzac will always be a laughing stock


Explanation:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/laughing...

Francois Boye
United States
Local time: 04:57
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
Greens behind the ears


Explanation:
As in discussion, I'm suggesting a pun in English that is far from the French but perhaps gets the idea of "environmentalist naivety" across better from a business perspective (not expressing my personal opinions here) than the other more literal suggestions
"Ears" could also be taken as ears of wheat.


SafeTex
France
Local time: 09:57
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: This seems to me to convey further unwanted puns: greens = also 'légumes verts', sounds like 'wet behind the ears', and also the notion in EN of 'growing spuds behind your ears' — none of which really reinforces the writer's point.
9 hrs
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16 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Larzac is still the butt of jokes


Explanation:
I think there's a word missing, it should be 'bonnes blagues potaches', ie. schoolboy jokes

Jane F
France
Local time: 09:57
Native speaker of: English
Notes to answerer
Asker: Yes, but Larzac does not mean anything to a non-French audience, so I either have to add an explanatory note or say something that communicates the same idea.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M: I agree with Asker's objection; maybe simply 'the Larzac movement' would be enough to give people the idea, and go and look if they want to; if not, then it just needs re-writing in EN to mean something.
24 mins

agree  ormiston: Yes, add 'movement' to head readers in the right direction. As suggested by Daryo above.
1 day 7 hrs
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21 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
the Larzac movement still gets dismissed with crudes jokes


Explanation:
..

Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:57
Native speaker of: Native in SerbianSerbian, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Tony M: I can't agree with adding 'crude', which amounts to over-interpretation, as well as being fairly unlikely. I feel sure in this instance is that schoolboy humour is very basic and simple, often ridiculously so. / Yes, much better!
14 mins
  -> "juvenile jokes"?
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22 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
jokes about Larzac are still doing the rounds


Explanation:
On the basis that schoolkids rarely invent their humour - they just recycle it.

Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 08:57
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16
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