Talk:Petit-Montrouge

Translation issues

The article is a translation of fr:Petit-Montrouge (quartier parisien), but my French is not great and I had trouble with the following passages:

• Les façades en plâtres, sont plus nombreuses, et témoignent du passé populaire du quartier.

Façades in plaster are more common, testifying to the popular past of the quartier. [Needs a better translation of the word "populaire".]

• Une des caractéristiques du quartier est l'importance de l'habitat individuel. Beaucoup terrains n'ont été bâtis qu'en façade, laissant la place pour des maisons de ville ou des ateliers d'artistes, souvent agrémentés de jardins privatifs, invisibles de la rue. On trouve également ce type de construction dans des impasses (les "villas"), avec parfois de véritables trésors architecturaux.

One of the characteristics of the quartier is the importance of the individual home. Many plots were built only in façade, leaving the place for city houses or artists' workshops, often adorned with private gardens, invisible from the street. This type of construction is also found in the dead ends (the "villas"), occasionally with real architectural treasures. [Not sure whether "built only in façade" is correct. Also is there an English translation of the word "villa" in this sense?]

• Resté jusqu'aux années 60 un quartier populaire, composé essentiellement d'ouvriers, d'employés, de commerçants et de membres de la classe moyenne, le quartier a connu depuis une élévation de son niveau de vie, à l'image de Paris dans son ensemble.

Until the 1960s it was a popular quartier, composed primarily of workmen, employees, merchants and members of the middle class. Since then the quartier has seen a rise in its standard of living, like Paris as a whole. [Need better translation of "populaire".]

• Le quartier est aussi connu pour les stocks de la rue d'Alésia, magasins de mode aux tarifs plus ou moins attractifs, concentrés en grand nombre entre le carrefour Alésia et la rue des Plantes.

The quartier is also known for the stocks of Rue d'Alésia, fashion stores with prices more or less attractive, concentrated in great number between Carrefour Alésia and Rue des Plantes. [Need better translation of "stocks".]

--Mathew5000 18:02, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Nice job, Mathew 5000. "Populaire" in this case means "of the people", i.e. "working class". The expression "villa" in these working class neighborhoods refers to the tiny streets (sometimes dead-ends) that have tiny detached houses (depending on how rural they look, you might try "cottages"); i.e. instead of "rue de la..." it's "ville da la...". "En façade" might be rendered "on or along the street-side" or something similar. "Stocks" in this context refers to discount fashion retailers or wholesalers.--NYArtsnWords 15:49, 22 August 2006 (UTC)