Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
cheminer son petit bonhomme de chemin
English translation:
put/set your little ones on the right path
Added to glossary by
B D Finch
Mar 23, 2017 07:47
7 yrs ago
2 viewers *
French term
United States
Legal / Contracts / Business / Technical
Native in: English (Variant: US) 
Works in: French to English
cheminer son petit bonhomme de chemin
French to English
Art/Literary
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Idiomatic expression
This phrase appears in a Québécois play that I am translating into American English. The play is about a couple who lost their children a long time ago, and the husband is reminiscing. It took me a while but I think I finally have a slippery grasp on what "aller son petit bonhomme de chemin" means, but what I keep coming up with is something like "going their merry way" which I don't really feel fits in this context, because the line is really referring to children growing up, going on their journey through life, so I don't think going their merry way works. I would really appreciate any ideas - I am brain fried from my two week crash course in translating literary Québécois!!
Some context:
"Les enfants y quémandaient des histoires de jujubes colorés en forme d’ours qui devenaient vivants pis qui partaient chercher leur vraie famille parmi les ours polaires dans l’Arctique
Sinon ça s’inventait tout seul des safaris dans des buissons que t’avais plantés
Le nez dehors tout le temps pour avoir le goût de sentir de loin les bonnes tartes pis la bonne soupe pis avoir le goût de rentrer
***Ça cheminait son ti-bonhomme de chemin***
C’tait parti pour grandir de huit centimètres par année T’en rappelles-tu ?"
Some context:
"Les enfants y quémandaient des histoires de jujubes colorés en forme d’ours qui devenaient vivants pis qui partaient chercher leur vraie famille parmi les ours polaires dans l’Arctique
Sinon ça s’inventait tout seul des safaris dans des buissons que t’avais plantés
Le nez dehors tout le temps pour avoir le goût de sentir de loin les bonnes tartes pis la bonne soupe pis avoir le goût de rentrer
***Ça cheminait son ti-bonhomme de chemin***
C’tait parti pour grandir de huit centimètres par année T’en rappelles-tu ?"
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +1 | put your little ones on the right path |
B D Finch
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Change log
Apr 15, 2017 08:59: B D Finch Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+1
4 hrs
Selected
put your little ones on the right path
Or: guide your little ones on their way.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
ph-b (X)
: Please see discussion box - my comment is too long for this box.
4 hrs
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You wrote that it's "more about the way they got on with their lives," which fits with them having been put on the right path - after which they were responsible for their own progress..
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| agree |
Yolanda Broad
11 hrs
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Thanks Yolanda
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Discussion
(Familier) Avancer doucement mais sûrement, sans se détourner de son projet.
It means the same but gets one off the idea of "merry/sweet way" as the only way round this. It immediately suggests to me "progressed slowly but surely". Amounts to the same thing, but a different slant and probably works in your context. Does this help?