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Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

un arbre d'eau

English translation:

a tree growing in water / standing in water

    The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2020-05-07 14:54:16 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)
May 4, 2020 07:33
4 yrs ago
53 viewers *
French term

un arbre d'eau

French to English Art/Literary Forestry / Wood / Timber Description of a painting
Ceci est une description d'un tableau / This is a description of a painting :

"Un arbre d’eau qui résiste aux tourments du fleuve grâce à ces profondes racines."

Le probleme est que "water tree" ne marche pas, car cela designe un arbre special, qui est rempli d'eau.
The thing is a "water tree" doesn't fit here, because that actually designates a special kind of tree, which is full of water.

Any idea how to translate "arbre d'eau", which here means a tree that lives in water?
Proposed translations (English)
3 +4 a tree growing in water / standing in water
3 +1 water-loving tree
4 tree growing in the water
3 mangrove (tree)
3 an aquatic tree
2 a partially submerged tree
Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (2): Yvonne Gallagher, Rachel Fell

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Discussion

Tomasso May 7, 2020:
ya no ya no voy contestar preguntas en frances ya no
Lyle Translations May 6, 2020:
If it's of interest to anyone, here's an example of 'arbre d'eau' being used to describe a tree that thrives in humid environments (see paragraph 'Le saule, un arbre d'eau'): https://www.herbiolys.fr/fr/blog/136_le-saule-blanc-aspirine...

"Le saule recherche avant tout l’humidité." Although this article is speaking of riverside trees, it seems that 'arbre d'eau' indicates a particular love of water.
Hugues Roumier (asker) May 6, 2020:
@ Yvonne Gallagher - Misunderstanding I know it's not yours, sorry. I'm just trying to find out what would be the best option...
As I feel your objections are relevant, I would like to know what formulation you would propose.
Yvonne Gallagher May 6, 2020:
@ Asker that's not my proposal!
Hugues Roumier (asker) May 6, 2020:
@ Yvonne Gallagher Thanks for your candor, but the best is still to propose your alternative proposal.

Is that ok?
"A deep-rooted tree able to resist the caprices of the river in which it stands"
Yvonne Gallagher May 6, 2020:
@ Tomasso Please don't misquote me. I never said any of that. No "alps, cottonwood, aspen, melting snow, granite boulders", all of which is over-translation. Nor "tortured waters" Yeuch! As for the word-for word "translation"!
Yvonne Gallagher May 6, 2020:
@ Asker my honest opinion? Worse than "ouch". It's awful.
Tomasso May 5, 2020:
Hermeneutishal Zirkel? Like Lisa and Yvonne have stated, this is a tree tortured by water, probably a cottonwood/aspen in the high alps, bent over after the melting snow among white granite boulders, maybe some one should put that as an answer,
(Ignore all words, translate only emotion may be a theory on Panpsychisme Koulye a, mwen vire sou imel mwen epi yo pa pral gade nan repons
Lisa Rosengard May 4, 2020:
a tree from water which resists river torrents thanks to its profound roots
Tony M May 4, 2020:
@ Asker Ouch! That sounds so horribly French! And it's not even grammatically correct: it isn't the 'water' 'which is...', it is the 'tree that is...' — hence to resolve that issue, it needs restructuring to suit EN grammar rules.
"A deep-rooted tree able to resist the caprices of the river in which it stands." might be a good starting point... at least it's EN!
Hugues Roumier (asker) May 4, 2020:
what do you think about A tree rooted in water which thanks to its deep anchoring, resists the whims of the current ?
Hugues Roumier (asker) May 4, 2020:
@ Yvonne Gallagher I was thinking "turbulences of the current"
Yvonne Gallagher May 4, 2020:
@ Asker contd Looks like they are trying to be poetic rather than factual anyway. May I point out that swampland trees that grow in water have SHALLOW (long lateral) roots, NOT deep ones. So it seems whoever wrote this is not too expert.
(Trees send deep tap roots in search of water, obviously not the case here.)

If you don't know the location or type of tree I suggest you just describe what you see. I agree you can't say "water tree". Just say what the tree is doing rather than what it is, since you don't seem to know what it is. How are you planning to translate "tourments du fleuve"? You need to rephrase the entire sentence to make it look like English
Yvonne Gallagher May 4, 2020:
@ Asker "water-loving" might seem OK to you and the client but not to me. A "water-loving tree" is a tree that likes to be watered, NOT necessarily one that stands in water or even wants to grow in water. There are only a few species of trees that are particularly suited to growing in the water of swamps and marshes, e.g the mangroves of the Everglades. However, we'd say these trees are water-tolerant or water-resistant rather than trees that "love" water!
Other trees such as alder, birch, cypress, can tolerate being flooded for various periods but don't want to GROW in water all the time and so are more suited to the riverbanks (getting flooded occasionally) rather than the river itself.
So, is this a painting of a river in flood? a swamp? A marsh? Where?

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/swamp/ or https://www.britannica.com/science/swamp
Tomasso May 4, 2020:
one more phrase? As Hugues said, the tree has resisted the storms, just an idea River channel tree growing against the flow, like mountain peak trees against the wind, twisted and bent.
Hugues Roumier (asker) May 4, 2020:
I checked All right, I eventually had the client on the phone. Water loving is what he wants. Thanks everyone
Lyle Translations May 4, 2020:
Happy to help! 'Water-loving' also has quite a poetic ring to it I find.
Hugues Roumier (asker) May 4, 2020:
Water-loving Thank you so much for your help. Up to now , water-loving perfectly matches with what i want to express
Hugues Roumier (asker) May 4, 2020:
Within the river It's a tree that grows within the flow of the river . I can't show the painting sorry
Lyle Translations May 4, 2020:
Agree with Tony, would be good to have context The intended meaning could just be 'a riverside tree' for example (simply a tree growing by the river).
writeaway May 4, 2020:
Agree with Tony Describing a painting one cannot see is basically impossible.
Tony M May 4, 2020:
@ Asker Have you seen the actual painting? I'm wondering if this is simply a tree right on the river bank, or actually something like a mangrove that grows directly in the water?

Proposed translations

+4
23 mins
Selected

a tree growing in water / standing in water

Peer comment(s):
agree EirTranslations
51 mins
agree liz askew
2 hrs
agree Tony M : 'Growing in', I'd agree with — less so 'standing'. But rather a clumsy solution!
3 hrs
agree philgoddard : Not clumsy at all.
4 hrs
neutral Lyle Translations : 'Water-growing tree' or 'water-dwelling tree' would be a bit more concise.
4 hrs
neutral Yvonne Gallagher : I think this is clumsy. But "standing in water" is what it's doing, far more factual than "growing" I would say.
5 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks. It has been far more polemic than I thought, but thank you :) "
+1
1 hr

water-loving tree

My first thought was 'water-loving' and indeed, it is found on a number of gardening websites. The first one I've linked to does not use a hyphen ('water loving') but I would use one.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2020-05-04 10:09:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

'A riverside tree' could be another option if the author just wants to describe a tree that thrives by the water. It is hard to say for sure without more context. You could add an adjective like 'tough' or 'sturdy' to express its resistant nature.
Example sentence:

Some water-loving trees have developed the ability to grow roots without needing air.

Reference:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/wet-soil-trees.htm

https://www.paramountplants.co.uk/blog/index.php/best-trees-for-wet-areas-and-planting-near-water/

Peer comment(s):
neutral philgoddard : Most trees love water. They can't survive without it.
2 hrs
Some love it more than others I guess. Same as people: everyone needs food, but some love to eat more than others.
neutral Yvonne Gallagher : no, we wouldn't say this.
3 hrs
agree Ben Gaia : As a tree grower for 30 years this is the best fit.
2 days 9 hrs
Thank you Ben! Good to get confirmation from a tree pro.
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

tree growing in the water

un arbre d'eau = tree growing in the water

amazing pictures

tree(s) growing in the water
https://de.depositphotos.com/38710539/stock-photo-tree-growi...
Peer comment(s):
neutral writeaway : answer already posted over 2 hours earlier
6 mins
"tree growing in the water" is different from "a tree growing in water" and points out the use of the article "the" - see reference
neutral SafeTex : I think it would have been nicer if you had agreed with the original answer and added a note discussing the use of "the".
1 hr
in this case I did not agree with the original answer - my reference is the title for amazing pictures: tree growing in the water, https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/photos/everglades-mangrove?pag...
neutral Yvonne Gallagher : the usual thing is to agree rather than give a duplicate answer
2 hrs
honestly, I dislike a duplicate answer - here I really wanted to point out the title for amazing pictures, https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/photos/everglades-mangrove?pag...
Something went wrong...
10 hrs

mangrove (tree)

Something went wrong...
15 hrs

an aquatic tree

Try "aquatic." (The problem, of course, is that "aquatic" doesn't have the same poetic ring.
Something went wrong...
1 day 2 hrs

a partially submerged tree

http

Landscape at the eastern coast of Atauro with boat and partially submerged trees://www.pinterest.de/pin/326792516692222688/

https://www.facebook.com/windows/photos/a-partially-submerge...
Something went wrong...
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