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serviteur de table
foi publique

Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

a nos quatre volontes

English translation:

caters to all our needs

Added to glossary by narasimha (X)
Nov 30, 2006 00:38
17 yrs ago
French term

a nos quatre volontes

French to English Marketing Food & Drink play on words
As far as I know this is an idiomatic phrase that can have a variety of meanings. I think they mean it here as a sort of play on words. They are going to sell a fruit-serving set that can be adapted to any need, so to speak. So they are using the following phrase to give consumers the idea that this platter set can be adapted to many uses. Here is the phrase in context:

"...ce nouvel objet se plie ***à nos quatre volontés***.

I have played with the phrase and translated it several ways but I am looking for a close English idiomatic match, if possible rather than use a more literal translation.

All ideas invited and many thanks!
Proposed translations (English)
4 to satisfy all our needs/requirements
3 +1 (it suits) our every need / (it can be used) any way we want / (it can be set) anyway we please
3 appeals to all our basic instincts
3 See.
3 in any direction you wish/care
3 [it's] everything you wished for [.... but wait there's more...]
3 meets your needs à la carte!
3 very/extremely versatile
3 every which way

Proposed translations

12 hrs
Selected

to satisfy all our needs/requirements

This new product molds itself to satisfy all our needs/requirements as though it has been made specially for us.It caters to all our needs.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "This was so hard! I cannot believe all the great ideas and every one of them would work. I had a hard time picking the best fit, but I love "caters to all our needs". I wish I had thought of that myself! Thank you everyone. Now this hard to translate phrase is immortalized here with excellent ideas for future translators."
4 mins

appeals to all our basic instincts

How about this for a start?
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4 mins

See.

Meaning: As we wish, in anyway we wish or want.
I don't think there is a English idiomatic match.
Good luck.
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44 mins

in any direction you wish/care

possibly implying the four main directions in a transferred sense
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+1
1 hr

(it suits) our every need / (it can be used) any way we want / (it can be set) anyway we please



Just a suggestion.

Peer comment(s):
agree Odette Grille (X) : suits our every need is perfect
9 hrs
Merci, Odette
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2 hrs

[it's] everything you wished for [.... but wait there's more...]

something for Christmas, maybe not quite Ramadam (no disrespect intended), but should do OK for the tourists..
Peace to all !
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6 hrs

meets your needs à la carte!

To keep the French touch (with the French bit in italics, of course). Or you can play around with the first bit.... I suppose my idea is to use "à la carte"!
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7 hrs

very/extremely versatile

Not sure why you need a close idiomatic match - it's not always possible! Seems to me English would express the idea in a more straightforward way. More idiomatic, but not a very close match, might be 'ticks all the right boxes', 'comes up trumps every time', but not sure how appropriate those might be without further context.
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14 hrs

every which way

can be used every which way
Just what came to mind, and may not fit the register...
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