“Okay. How do you translate ‘seduire’? In English, ‘to be seduced’ has a connotation of corruption, an inkling of something against one’s will or good intentions; ‘etre seduit’ is closer to being beguiled. ‘Elle a un grand besoin de seduire’ doesn’t mean she needs to seduce people but rather that she needs to be liked- and yet, while there is a notion of seduction that isn’t sexual, it isn’t nonsexual either. ‘Legerete’ means lightness, but in some contexts, it seems to describe an almost Zen-like state of serenity. How do you say ‘lame’ or ‘rude’ or ‘confused’ in French? Why is ‘violence’ in English so physical, whereas the French use it for emotions as well? Why do French people believe in love at first sight, and we think it’s adolescent?”
—Foreign Tongue, Vanina Marsot
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Your turn. Thoughts?