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REDUCTION
/ RÉDUCTION
Reduction is the opposite of lengthening out :
- "Elle" is a
weekly magazine : "Elle" est un hebdomadaire (instead of "Elle" est une revue hebdomadaire)
Reduction is far less frequent than lengthening out when translating from English into French.
More examples :
- his
fellow students (AM 87) : ses condisciples (instead of ses camarades d'études)
- Thunder
could be heard : On entendait le tonnerre (instead of On pouvait entendre le tonnerre)
- fourth place on the scale of
what matters (AM 83) : la quatrième place sur l'échelle des priorités (instead of ce qui importe)
- High-tech industries can't singlehandedly
lift the economy out of recession : Les industries de pointe ne peuvent, à elles seules, faire sortir l'économie de la crise (the English verb lift is not rendered in French, being unnecessary)
Reduction should not be mistaken for omission, a practice for which a heavy penalty may be inflicted.
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EXERCISE
Translate the following sentences using one or two words instead of several.
1/ the '90 will make the '60s pale into insignificance (AM 90) :
2/ windows in the houses are boarded up (AM 85) :
3/ I can still remember what he looked like
when he was a baby :
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ANSWERS
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