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la signification et la portée d'une petite maladie de famille
cercle de réunion

Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

bon éleve (de classe)

English translation:

teacher\'s pet

Added to glossary by Andrew Bruch
Jun 6, 2013 02:12
10 yrs ago
6 viewers *
French term

bon éleve (de classe)

French to English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
One party from among a list of wrongdoers is described as the "bon éleve" .... in not going along with the others: conceivably, star pupil *might* work. Has anyone ever seen this used to describe a "goody two shoes" (which seems to make sense, if only I could find some corroboration).
Proposed translations (English)
4 teacher's pet
3 +2 good guy (of the group)
3 +1 exemplary
2 ass-kisser / goody-goody
Change log

Jun 6, 2013 05:21: philgoddard changed "Field" from "Bus/Financial" to "Other" , "Field (specific)" from "Slang" to "General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters" , "Field (write-in)" from "court proceedings" to "(none)"

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (2): Nikki Scott-Despaigne, Jane Proctor (X)

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Discussion

Terry Richards Jun 6, 2013:
You NEED more context You may have to go back to the author to get it.

Depending on the context this could mean any one of a number of things:

- He could be the "top of the class" at being bad - i.e. the worst of the bunch
- He could be a "good guy" who didn't go along with the bad guys (but then why is he in the list of wrong-doers?)
- He could be a "goody two shoes" which is nearly always used ironically. In other words, the author approves of what the wrong-doers were doing and is annoyed because this guy blew the whistle.

So, there you have 3 radically different and contradictory possibilities depending on the author's point of view. If I can come up with 3 in a few seconds, there's almost certainly more.
Jane Proctor (X) Jun 6, 2013:
Not star pupil IMO you need a positive comment but don't go overboard. eg. "switched-on guy", "clever guy" "useful team member"...
Andrew Bruch (asker) Jun 6, 2013:
Thanks Nikki for the input Nikki, trust me, if there were any context beyond what I provided, I would have incorporated it there: I've got a name, a scribble (like an arrow), and then the phrase. Sometimes ya just gots ta work with wot dey give yous and hope for da best.
Nikki Scott-Despaigne Jun 6, 2013:
Current usage in my experience I understand this term is being used beyond the confines of the classroom. However, "star pupil" would probably be more accurate for "premier de la classe", as the top of the class. I currently work in a lycée and any one group, any one class can have several "bon[s] élève[s]". Further, you can be a "bon élève" and be a real pain in the neck in class, and not at all the "goody two shoes"!
As always, it would be nice to see the term in an extract of the original text.
Andrew Bruch (asker) Jun 6, 2013:
The thing is: it's from a note, jotted down during a meeting or telephone conversation, one guy talking about others in his field. The note will probably be transformed into some form of formal report, but for the moment, it's just his thoughts. The guys in question are all bad actors, they're finance guys to a certain degree, so you have to imagine someone like a Wall-street trader writing nasty little snippets about his colleagues. Unless, of course, he *really* means that this party is toeing the line in an exemplary fashion...
Catharine Cellier-Smart Jun 6, 2013:
Model student as Sheri says. The fact that you're a «bon "élève» doesn't necessarily mean you're a/the "star pupil", and IMO "goody two shoes" is far too familiar and not necessarily a technically correct translation of «bon élève» (which would be more «modèle de vertu» in French).
Sheri P Jun 6, 2013:
Agree with Yolanda; maybe also "model student" or "good apple" or "white sheep"? I recently translated an article about Burma in which the military junta was described as a "mauvais élève de la scène internationale." I translated it as "bad actor on the international stage." I think the precise term you choose will have to depend on the tone and register of your document, but I'd say you have the right idea overall.
Jean-Claude Gouin Jun 6, 2013:
ARGOT? Bus/Financial - Argot/court proceedings
Does this mean that you're looking for a slang (argot) word?
Yolanda Broad Jun 6, 2013:
Looks like you already have your answer Star pupil looks like a fine solution to me. (And "goody two shoes" immediately leaped to mind as soon as I saw your sample sentence!)

Proposed translations

8 hrs
Selected

teacher's pet

If you're looking for a term that's similar to "goody two shoes" but with a school context, this might be a good option. It implies a good student, but the teacher's favourite and therefore has slightly negative connotations and might be used by another pupil to mock etc. Not sure if this is quite the context you're looking for, but if a more general or formal term is required perhaps the more neutral "good student" or "well-behaved pupil" might be options. Hope that helps.
Reference:

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/teacher-s-pet

Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks, this pretty much captures it, near as I can tell."
+1
1 hr
French term (edited): bon élève (de la classe)

exemplary

as in "exemplary behaviour" for example.

My suggestion, following on from the extra context you've given us.
Peer comment(s):
agree Nikki Scott-Despaigne : Original language context would be helpful.
1 hr
I agree. Thank you Nikki.
neutral Jane Proctor (X) : Too strong.. "un bon élève" is rarely perfect /// oh as good as and certainly gives an impression of excellence
2 hrs
exemplary doesn't mean perfect!
Something went wrong...
+2
3 hrs

good guy (of the group)

Low confidence level as without original language context, it is difficult to know what level of vocabulary the register permits.
"Good guy" of the group could apply to a girl or a boy; "good guy" could even be put in inverted commas. Perhaps "bon élève" is in good commas too, as it is being used outside of a school context.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Jane Proctor (X) : I don't read this as a character ref; it may simply mean a "fast learner" or similar. This "guy" may not be pleasant atall, which "good guy" suggests.
39 mins
neutral Animus : In my opinion this is a bit too general for this context, so doesn't really convey the original idea.
4 hrs
agree katsy : with inverted commas, I think this could really work!
6 hrs
agree Wolf Draeger : With katsy.
1 day 10 hrs
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1 day 13 hrs

ass-kisser / goody-goody

Ass-or-Arse-kisser may be coarser than you would like, especially if it will eventually end up in a formal report, but that might be the ironic or sarcastic meaning behind the Fr.

Goody-goody, or just plain goody ('the goodies and the baddies') might or might not be too childish.
Reference:

http://www.wordnik.com/words/ass-kisser

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