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Glossary entry

Dutch term or phrase:

pikante geruchten

English translation:

juicy gossip

Added to glossary by Verginia Ophof
Feb 4, 2011 13:00
13 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Dutch term

pikante geruchten

Dutch to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
Scandalous? Lurid? Simply: mad? Would welcome some outside input on this.
Proposed translations (English)
4 +2 juicy gossip
4 +1 saucy rumours
4 +1 scandalous rumours
3 +1 suggestive rumours
3 silly gossip
Change log

Feb 18, 2011 17:17: Verginia Ophof Created KOG entry

Discussion

Lianne van de Ven Feb 4, 2011:
pikante details I wanted to remark that 'pikant' is usually used in combination with 'details' as in 'geruchten met pikante details'. It means noteworthy, interesting, striking. Pikant (spicy) is also used to have sexual connotations, as Jack says, for example 'pikante jurk' - meaning it stirs the senses (as spicy food would do literally). I see the use in your text as a contraction of both.
Jack den Haan Feb 4, 2011:
Sexually tinted? To my mind, 'pikant' in this context (thank you, writeaway...) could be translated as 'sexually tinted'.
writeaway Feb 4, 2011:
Thanks! That makes it clear
Emma Rault (X) (asker) Feb 4, 2011:
Meneer [X], nu in de tachtig, was ook door [Y] uit Sint Petersburg meegenomen, nadat hij daar, nog voor de revolutie, ambassadeur was geweest. Er waren allerlei pikante geruchten over de diplomaat en zijn jonge Rus; maar na de dood van zijn meester was de knecht getrouwd met een Hollandse, die er veel Russischer uitzag dan hij.
writeaway Feb 4, 2011:
please post the actual Dutch text it's the only way to see the context
Emma Rault (X) (asker) Feb 4, 2011:
It's a literary text, the narrator says this somewhat scathingly (even if one gets the sense her curiosity is piqued by these rumours as well).

We're referring to a rumour from the fifties or thereabouts about an employer and his protegé potentially having a homosexual relationship.

In the original, I feel there is a half-mocking tone which partly relates to the fact that that was even considered to be that scandalous at the time to begin with.
writeaway Feb 4, 2011:
any context? without context, a dictionary and/or thesaurus is all that's needed.

Proposed translations

+2
7 hrs
Selected

juicy gossip

I see "pikante' as Hot, decadent gossip
Peer comment(s):
agree KimvanLent : The perfectly equal colloquialism Verginia.
3 days 7 hrs
Thank you Kimvanlent !!!!
agree DJ Raats
7 days
Thank you dj raats !!!
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
+1
2 mins

saucy rumours

An English friend of mine always calls me to tell me the latest saucy rumours....

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Note added at 16 mins (2011-02-04 13:17:49 GMT)
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In that case you might want to go for the literal translation 'spicy rumours'(also commonly used)?

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Note added at 30 mins (2011-02-04 13:31:01 GMT)
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Ok, tricky one I see....just shooting from the hip but what about either indecent, suggestive, unseemly, racy, salty, risqué or naughty....?

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Note added at 46 mins (2011-02-04 13:47:51 GMT)
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I will mull it over a bit more, if I come up with any other good ones I will let you know....

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Note added at 1 hr (2011-02-04 14:16:46 GMT)
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How do you feel about using piquant?
Note from asker:
Not convinced this is the right register. It's a literary text, the narrator says this somewhat scathingly (even if one gets the sense her curiosity is piqued by these rumours as well). To me, "saucy" just has this eager, "heh heh let's hear it then" vibe to it. . .
I don't like spicy either. Same register problem. And we're referring (sorry I'm dripfeeding the context to you here, I never realise other people don't have as much background info on the phrase at hand as I do!) to a rumour from the fifties or thereabouts about an employer and his protegé potentially having a homosexual relationship. "Spicy" seems inappropriate for something that refers to that era, not "literary" enough a word for my text, and it doesn't convey that half-mocking tone that I feel is there in the original, that partly relates to the fact that that was even considered to be that scandalous at the time to begin with.
Hi again, thanks for the continued input. :) Naughty, racy and salty - same problem; risqué - hate the alliteration; indecent - overly litera; suggestive. . .not sure; unseemly, perhaps. . .
Peer comment(s):
agree Toiny Van der Putte-Rademakers
0 min
Something went wrong...
+1
1 hr

suggestive rumours

Having read all the comments, and even though I'm not a native, 'suggestive' seems like an acceptable translation bearing in mind that this story takes place in the 50'ies and language register of that era needs to be reflected in the translation.
Note from asker:
Thanks for your contribution, Jan. Just to be clear, though - it's not the story itself that is set in the fifties, just the rumours that are being referred to. . .
Peer comment(s):
agree Oliver Pekelharing : 'Suggestive rumours abounded etc etc."
1 hr
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

silly gossip

all kinds of silly gossip

just a suggestion

perhaps this is more in line with:

'that half-mocking tone that I feel is there in the original'

what the gossip is about the reader will understand anyway
Something went wrong...
+1
7 days

scandalous rumours

Just another suggestion :-), I hope this can help.
Example sentence:

Official sources state their relationship was platonic, but scandalous rumours of the time and his reputation scream differently.

Peer comment(s):
agree DJ Raats
1 day 1 hr
Something went wrong...
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