# Stand in your power



## Bridge27

Hello everybody,

Does someone have an idea of how to translate the expression "to stand in your power" in French? 
I'm trying to translate this sentence: "This is what gives me the strength to stand in my own power".

Thank you!


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## Hildy1

Hello Bridge27,
Could you please explain what you mean by "stand in my own power"?


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## Bridge27

Hildy1 said:


> Hello Bridge27,
> Could you please explain what you mean by "stand in my own power"?



"To stand in ones power" is, I believe, an American expression that means to "connect with your power", it refers to organizing your life and attitude in a way that makes you feel powerful and in control of your life.
Perhaps in French one could say, "connecter avec ses forces" but it doesn't sound smooth...


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## Itisi

Bienvenue au forum, Bridge !

de reconnaître ma force intérieure ?
de puiser dans ma force intérieure ?


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## FleurMarlowe

Je crois que plusieurs formules pourraient convenir, en plus de celles de Itisi. A quoi fait référence _This is_, dans la phrase ?


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## Bridge27

Merci beaucoup pour toutes vos suggestions!
La phrase est tirée d'un document sur le développement personnel. "This is" fait référence à une attitude, à des habitudes qu'on peut développer dans la vie qui nous permettent de "stand in ones own power", de se sentir fort(e).
Itisi, merci pour les propositions. Je pense que les verbes _"reconnaître" ou "puiser dans" sa force_ n'expriment pas encore assez l'idée de vraiment ÊTRE fort. J'aime beaucoup cette expression en anglais parce qu'elle exprime très bien l'idée de se placer _dans_ sa force, comme si on se positionnait de manière à être fort. Littéralement, ça évoque l'idée de se placer dans une zone ou on ne peut que se sentir fort (En réfléchissant avec vous, je suis en train de trouver quelques pistes..., mais je n'ai pas encore la solution.)


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## Itisi

*Bridge*, je comprends bien le sens, et en français, je ne pense pas qu'on puisse s'en tirer sans une périphrase.

de m'ancrer/trouver mon ancrage dans ma force intérieure ?


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## FleurMarlowe

Je sais que ce n'est pas exactement l'idée de départ, mais pourquoi pas: C'est ce qui me donne la force d'être qui je suis.

Etre soi-même, c'est un concept largement répandu pour tout ce qui touche au bonheur et à l'équilibre personnel, en tous cas en France. C'est donc peut-être pertinent pour une traduction ?


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## Language Hound

Welcome to the Forum, Bridge!
I think "stand in your power" is one of those uniquely coined American expressions
which you'll be hard pressed to translate concisely in any language.
I would add that, like many other expressions used in a "New Age" or motivational context,
it sounds pretty ridiculous to many native AE speakers.
That said, I think Itisi's suggestions pretty much convey the meaning.

More on the meaning of this jargon/babble:


> standing in your power is standing in your essence, the natural you, your truth…
> Standing in your power is surrendering and letting your soul ray shine,
> being fully connected to source (you) and walking this earth in the integrity of you with love and compassion for self and others.


Source


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## petit1

être fidèle à soi-même


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## Bridge27

Merci beaucoup à tous pour vos suggestions. Pour l'instant je pense mettre quelque chose comme
"exploiter son potentiel à fond", "être dans uneposition de force".

Je pense qu'il est important de rendre l'idée de force, de potentiel. Même si "être fidèle à soi-même" traduit une partie de l'idée, l'expression n'implique pas forcément se sentir fort.

Mais je ne suis pas encore complètement satisfaite de ma propre traduction, donc n'hésitez pas à poster d'autres idées si vous en avez.
Encore merci!


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## FleurMarlowe

Certes, mais c'est toujours utile de considérer la phrase en entier, et ici le mot force est déjà dit en première partie donc probablement inutile dans la deuxième (à mon avis):

Avec l'exemple fidèle à soi-même: C'est ce qui me donne la force d'être fidèle à moi-même.

Avec ta suggestion: C'est ce qui me donne la force d'exploiter mon potentiel à fond/ d'être dans une position de force.

Si on traduit mot-à-mot l'expression en anglais on a: "C'est ce qui me donne la force de rester dans mon propre pouvoir". Peut-être qu'il faut faire simple ?


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## Bridge27

Merci beaucoup FleurMarlowe! Je crois que ces formules sont les plus appropriées, effectivement:
C'est ce qui me donne la force d'être fidèle à moi-même.
C'est ce qui me donne la force d'exploiter mon potentiel à fond/ d'être dans une position de force.


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## petit1

puiser au fond de moi la force nécessaire(à ....)


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## Itisi

Si on a 'force' dans la seconde partie de la phrase, on peut avoir 'ce qui me permet de' dans la première.

''exploiter mon potention à fond' ou 'être dans une position de force' (la force d'être dans une position de force), ne sont pas la même chose que 'stand in your power'...

Quant à traduire l'expession mot-à-mot, ça fait un jargon qui ne me plaît pas, personnellement...


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## nodnol

(cross posted with everyone)

Having written a response, then done a web search, I'll say: I think we need more context. The correct translation depends on a number of factors; is it a text written by women for women? Is it about finding balance in all aspects of your life, or is it about having a very sucessful career?


(I'd very much agree with post #9. I think a translator should look more to how it 'feels' to its original audience than what it appears to mean to educated but non native English speakers.

I can't say that I know the text's original audience very well, but to me it suggests being 'independant', 'self-suifficient', and, frankly, (these sort of literature contains notions that cultured people may find positive, but also, notions that a cultured person would find less positive,) 'solipisistic'; it sounds close to 'bask' in your own power. 'Feeling powerful' (post #3) is not necessarily something that leads to many virtues.

Post #6 ''Littéralement, ça évoque l'idée de se placer dans une zone ou on ne peut que se sentir fort'' is that an interpretation, or is that explained elsewhere?)


Ps
The more I think about it, the more I like ''m'ancrer/trouver mon ancrage dans ma force intérieure'' I would prefer the word for word translation, --the readership would surely accept a calque, as the ideas in the text are so foreign -- if only French had an satisfactory equivalent to the verb 'to stand'.  But you could soften it if you wish, although for me, ''puiser au fond de moi la force nécessaire'' 14, C'est ce qui me donne la force d'être fidèle à moi-même. (13) are too soft, and C'est ce qui me donne la force d'exploiter mon potentiel à fond/ d'être dans une position de force. 				(13) are only partial translations.

(My understanding of French is probably not good enough for me to comment on force, pouvoir and puissance.)


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## Itisi

de trouver en moi-même les ressources nécessaires


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## EmmanuelM

"croire en sa force intérieure" est la traduction choisie par les adaptateurs de Star Wars lors des discours de Maitre Yoda à Luke sur des idées très similaires  "Force intérieure" est plus généralement vraiment teinté New Age et Psychologie de magazines, à mon avis.


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## Bridge27

Merci beaucoup à tous, thank you everybody for all the suggestions. I must now think about it and take a decision eventually...


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## Bridge27

Star Wars est une bonne référence ;-)


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## FleurMarlowe

Itisi said:


> Quant à traduire l'expession mot-à-mot, ça fait un jargon qui ne me plaît pas, personnellement...





> Si on traduit mot-à-mot l'expression en anglais on a: "C'est ce qui me donne la force de rester dans mon propre pouvoir". Peut-être qu'il faut faire simple ?




Bien que la question de la traduction ait été quasi élucidée, je précise juste que ma traduction mot-à-mot avait seulement pour intention de réduire les mots anglais à leur simple expression, mais pas de la proposer comme traduction.


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## bing181

Language Hound said:


> it sounds pretty ridiculous to many native AE speakers.



Not just AE speakers ...

Another one of those situations where the translator is somewhat at a loss, due to cultural differences. You can hack English around to end up with nonsensical catchphrases like this, but doing so in French doesn't work either culturally or linguistically. A literal, word-for-word translation seems the most propitious solution.


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## Language Hound

bing181 said:


> Another one of those situations where the translator is somewhat at a loss, due to cultural differences. You can hack English around to end up with nonsensical catchphrases like this, but doing so in French doesn't work either culturally or linguistically. A literal, word-for-word translation seems the most propitious solution.


  I couldn't agree with you more.
I also think that the American obsession with power or, perhaps more relevant here, empowerment of the individual
leads to many uniquely distinct catchphrases which, as you so rightly point out, do not really "translate" culturally or
linguistically in other countries/languages.

If the eventual translation of this phrase results in a sort of "jargon" that sounds somewhat ridiculous in French,
it will, in my humble opinion, be a translation that rightly captures the original English.
(I have always believed that a _translation _should not improve upon the original--
you have to be the original author--or coiner of the phrase--to do that.)


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## Itisi

Well I think it isn't that difficult to understand what that expression means, even if you don't approve of it, for whatever reason, and that it is a cop-out to translate it word for word instead of trying to find a wording in French that conveys the same meaning.  If you feel you don't understand what it means, then you don't have to contribute!  I think several acceptable translations have already been suggested.

Love and Peace


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## Language Hound

I fully understand what the expression means but feel it is important for non-native speakers to
understand how many native AE speakers "feel" this phrase.
And if you'll recall, I wrote back in my post #9:


> That said, I think Itisi's suggestions pretty much convey the meaning.


Perhaps my mistake was saying I _fully_ agree with Bing181's post,
which referred to _stand in your power_ as a "nonsensical catchphrase."
Change "nonsensical" to "pretty ridiculous-sounding" and I fully agree.


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## nodnol

''Well I think it isn't that difficult to understand what that expression means,''(#24)
''I fully understand what the expression means''(#25)

 Really? I thought that half the point of it is that it can mean whatever the person reading it wants it to mean; they find in it whatever most relates to how they view their situation, what they want to become etc. It is vague. _I probably understand the French translations others have suggested better than I understand the original._It really makes little sense; it is more about how it 'feels'.

--I think this is partly an issue of translation technique. It is definitely what I was taught too, that you should not try to 'improve' on the original. One of my guides in matters of translation technique is the book 'Thinking French Translation'. I think whatever you choose -- something that is close to the original but foreign sounding, or something that is more removed from the original but sounds more natural to a French audience -- it should be based on a 'strategic' choice; it shouldn't be about choosing the French phrase which the translator likes most.

(#24) ''...find a wording in French that conveys the same meaning.''
What the book I mention would say is that it is never about producing a text which conveys the same meaning, but producing a text which has an effect on its new audience which is similar to the effect that the original has on its audience, so it is key to realise how various English-speaking audiences would respond to the original text; the original poster has not yet mentioned who the intended audience of the English text is, which seems rather important.

But that said, I think that there have been several viable suggestions so far.


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## bing181

i'm happy to stay with nonsensical. If anyone can indicate to me where I could find some power - my own or anyone else's - that I can stand in, I'd be interested to see it.

Once again, this is the kind of discussion that comes up these boards comparatively often. I just don't see that it is the translators job to bail out poorly written or formulated language/ideas. There's a decent percentage of threads on this board which are not so much about translation per se, but are from contributors trying to make sense of a text where sense is lacking or non-existant.

To put it another way, if I had to translate the non-sensical language of a young child, I don't see that it would be appropriate to correct or improve it. Yes, we would get the meaning, but the context and the language of the original would be lost.

For the original here, I'd be looking at phrases like "se tenir dans mon propre pouvoir" or ... "se positionner dans mon propre pouvoir". Ridiculous? Perhaps. Moreso than the original? Not sure. When this original text appears, it's invariably preceded or followed by an explanation or clarification, which is perhaps a good indication of just how ill-defined (or even non-defined) its meaning actually is.


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## Uncle Bob

I wonder if the "stand in" means something like "stand up (straight) in" - representing self-confidence - and _se tenir debout_ gives, I think, the same impression.

I admit my first image was of someone standing up to their ankles in a puddle of power  and _patauger_ was the word that sprang to mind, since I share Language Hound's opinion of such phrases.


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## petit1

If Uncle Bob is right, we have the French expression: 'se tenir droit dans ses bottes",which means to stick to one's opinions.


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## Uncle Bob

You are right petit1, my writing _debout_ instead of _droit_ was a silly mistake.


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## nodnol

(So I would go for 'se tenir droit dans sa force.' It is evocative but nonsensical, so it seems to be perfect.)


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## Itisi

*Language Hound*, my post at #24 was not specifically aimed at you. ( If it had been I would have addressed it to you.

 This poor expression 'standing in your power is taking such a lot of criticism that I feel it needs someone to defend it!  I wouldn't use it myself, but I don't find it reprehensible!   So I hope you can bear with me...Here goes: I understand '*standing*' to be related to 'grounding', which means being rooted in reality.  The word 'standing' designs something physical, while 'power' is something abstract.  That is because grounding happens through the 'body-mind' which is considered to be one – a recent concept. When you have that grounding ('ancrage'), you feel 'empowered', that is, in touch with your inner strength. *This is not about having power over others*, but about feeling you can deal with what comes your way and act rather than react, etc.  These are *concepts that are* at the same time *new *(well, 1960s onwards), a*nd so some way of expressing them had to be found*; and very old, as they can be found, for example, in ancient Chinese teachings and philosophy. (T'ai Chi and Chi Kung, for example, help people to 'ground themselves'.) I hope you can feel a little better disposed towards that phrase now, even if that kind of thing is not your cup of tea! 

*nodnol,* I am not advocating improving on the original. I try to imagine what would sound most natural for a French person expressing the same meaning. That would be my strategic choice.


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## bing181

I don't necessarily disagree with what you're saying Itisi, but none of that (or your suggestions) conveys the element of pseudo-science and psychobabble of the original which surely, if we're doing our jobs, has to be present in any translation.

The original author could easily have said "if you feel grounded, you'll feel empowered". But they chose not to.

To perhaps put it another way, I don't see that any of the suggested translations, if translated back into English, would get you anywhere near "standing in your own power".

Post #26 covers it for me.


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## nodnol

Well that's well argued (#32); it seems useful Itisi that you've  highlighted that I'm not familiar with the contexts in which this  lanuage may be used (is this new age philosophy?), that I'm only going  on my general ideas. But I do believe that they are sound; so far I'd  tend to agree with (#33) ''pseudo-science and psychobabble'' and earlier comments by myself and others. But  most of all I'd say more context could help.

''..expressing  the same meaning.'' (#32) There could be a whole load of suppositions  there. 'Effect' takes into account 'register, context' more than the  word 'meaning' does. --But this is not intended to discourage, nor to suggest that there is not -- or has not already been on this thread-- a better translation than my near calque. -- Also, I had read #18 closely, I'd just lost track of it, otherwise my suggestions would have been worded '*force intérieure*'

PS. this is stiil only based on my general notions about what the phrase means, not any specific documents discussing it _beyond what is quoted by language hound, post #9_-- (so far I don't have enough curiosity/ I'm not being paid enough to actually read that stuff) I'd say, following the fine example of Itisi, my attempt to find meaning in the phrase would be 'having an awareness of your own native, irreductable 'spiritual force' or 'potential', and drawing on that experience to have the strength to follow your convictions in everyday life'
I derive this from 'standing' meaning 'being strong' , 'in' being 'in the awareness of, through the awareness of' hence 'being strong (in everyday life) through awareness of your power (awareness which derives from a spiritual experience) But I think that interpretation would be quite charitable, and I'm certainly not charitable enough to believe that people have such experiences as often as people use this sort of language... hence I expect it is near meaningless. _The experiences are real, I've had at least one, they leave a trace, but they pass; you either keep working on it, or you then buy some book that convinces you that you don't need too keep searching, you have already arrived, ''follow these simple steps and you can 'stand in your power''' etc. -_I M H O_._

But that is an argument as to why it would be wrong to write something which would strike the French reader as particularly genuine; people know where to find genuine spiritual or moral literature, _without more context, _I'd have to say this text sounds like it is not written for that audience.

pps not what I would call 'new Age,' but perhaps 'new': I have read a number of books and articles by 90's/ 2000's 'feminist' authors that discuss spiritual matters from a new viewpoint, but none of them contain phrases like this, which ''accidentally'' sound like the very seductive 'stand in your own glory'  or 'bask in your own power'. (People need to make money, and this stuff clearly sells, imho.)


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## Itisi

Seems to me a lot of surmise in what some of us are saying since, as has been rightly pointed out, we don't have context.  In the sentence given us, someone is speaking about their own experience, at any rate.

 Pseudo-scientific psychobabble: Sorry, but what a cliché!  'Psychobabble', ok, fair enough.  But 'pseudo-scientific'!  I can't see that there is anything in that sentence that is trying in the slightest to be scientific, so how can it be 'speudo-scientific'?

 On reflection, I think it's true that my suggestions are not in the right register.  So I suggest something a bit more spychobabbly: 

  'Ça me permet de me sentir ancré et fort.' (Bof!)


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## nodnol

I thought I would leave it there, but I feel the need to make explicit something I'd already mentioned, and that I'm uncertain anyone had overtly picked up on. I'm just 'tying up (my) loose ends'; I'm certainly not wishing to say that this should be 'the last word' on the subject.

None of the suggestions sound as solipsistic as the original. It is common to say 'my own inner strength'; it is common to say 'God's power'; 'my power' sounds utterly strange. In Chinese meditation traditions, there is your energy, there is increasing your energy, there is improving the flow of your energy, making the flow of your energy smoother, stronger or more powerful and more comfortable; there is also the danger of addiction to feelings of power, which is described as something which can be more harmful and more addictive that crack cocaine or heroin; even making your energy flow much more powerfully in a short space of time is likely to have very harmful side effects. They certainly do not try to attract people by promising to make them more 'powerful'; stronger, perhaps, certainly more balanced, but surely not 'more powerful'! Hence, _ancré and fort_ could be missing the seductive, solipsistic and flattering aspects that _I believe_ are in the original, _although only more context would allow you to tell for certain_.

And then I'll give an example to restate a general comment I'd said before about translation technique, (again, not a direct response to any particular comment, although I borrow a quote from #32) : if you were translating a text whose original audience is the most thoughtless and violent of English racists, and whose objectionable language reflects this, for your translation, it would be a mistake to search for ''what would sound most natural for a (typical) French person expressing the same meaning''.
*
"This is what gives me the strength to stand in my own power"*
Any comments on the following four suggestions? (the third would be written with the '/' included)
C'est ce qui me permet d'etre fort dans ma force.
C'est ce qui me permet d'etre fort de ma force intérieure, 
C'est ce qui me permet d'etre fort dans/de ma force (intérieure,) 
C'est ce qui me permet d'avoir la force de ma force intérieure.

(pps I refered before to 'Thinking French Translation', Ian Higgins and Sandor Hervey  ; it is actually the only book of its kind that I have looked at, so I don't know how it compares to others, but I have been impressed with it and found it useful. Pm me to hear more )


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## Itisi

I see what you mean, *nodnol*.  There is a side to the New Age approach that is questionable, no doubt about it.  But people in the society we live in can feel  very disempowered – people who are bullied at work, for example (I'm not saying anything new, I know!), and perhaps that is what s/he is getting at – trying to overcome those feelings and have a handle on one's life.  There is the concept of 'empowerment', and it's not a dirty word, so talking of one's 'power' in that sense would be 'clean'.  That's giving the writer the benefit of the doubt – as we keep saying, we don't have the context, and the book  (Anyway, I don't have a vested interest either way...

PS - Look what I've found!  I don't know if it is the source of our phrase, but you can 'look inside' the book here:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Standing-Yo...041327&sr=1-2&keywords=standing+in+your+power


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## EmmanuelM

Just a comment : I wrote that "Croire en sa force intérieure" were the words used by the authors of the Star Wars French version. It turns out I was fooled by titles on the Internet , it's how the scene was described by a French uploader who uploaded two versions. However, the idiom "Croire en sa force intérieure" is really a common New Age / Psychology of magazines idiom : "le secret de la force intérieure", "la clé pour trouver la force intérieure", " etc. I really thought Yoda indeed said that in the French version !


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