Directing in French

[Zappa]

I would Really like to learn how to direct an entire bout in french. I have searched the internet for a link that list all the needed terms, but have come up short. A list of fencing terms is one thing, but could anyone give me a link or a list of helpful french words to use during a bout? I want to be able to impress all my fenicng buddies with my new vocabulary. :-)

[attila]

Careful there Zap man. You are bordering on "poser" mentality. It will cost you many bouts.

[Zappa]

Atila,

Who are you and why do you insult other fencers on the board? It was a simple question. If you have a response other than some worthless insult, I would a appreciate
your input. If you dont have a clue, don't say anything at all. thanks

[space_cadet]

En garde.
Prêt? (ready)
Allez. (go)
Arrêt. (stop)
# á #. (giving score like "un á deux" is "one to two")
Attaque. Riposte. Remise. Coupé. Prise de fer.

Those are the only French words I know used in directing a bout.

I think it's great to be able to direct in French. It's not a poser mentality. However, if the fencers don't know French and are constantly asking you for the English translation, it's just efficient to direct in English.

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Cadet à Space

[Purple Fencer]

Zappa;

Chill, man. He was being silly...even I saw that.

I've been competing 5 years and have only once had a director reconstruct an entire phrase in French. Yes, it's the official language of the sport, and it SHOULD be used at international events. However, if you just fling it out there, it's probably going to make you look too stuck up to direct in a language the fencers can understand.

That being said, if you're going to try it, let the fencer's know first. That way, if you totally botch the language, you can all laugh about it.

On the other hand, if you nail it, you may get the same response Carlos Fuertes got from Greg Schiller at our Div II/III sabre quals this year. Carlos rattled off a long reconstruction in perfrct French. Greg looked at him and said "Translation, M'seiur?" in a perfect accent. After the laughter died down, Carlos did it in English and did so the entuire remainder of the bout.

Just keep in mind that your job isn't to confuse the fencer. if they can't understand the reconstruction, you'll slow things down.

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Sam Signorelli -- Boldly going forward...'cause I can't find reverse!

[d8m2k]

Originally posted by Purple Fencer:
Zappa;
Yes, it's the official language of the sport, and it SHOULD be used at international events.

The official language of the USFA is English. The rules state that all USFA tournaments be conducted in English.

At least there used to be a rule about it. Don't know if it got changed...
Doesn't really matter since it's never enforced...


[This message has been edited by d8m2k (edited 06-01-2001).]

[veeco]

Originally posted by space_cadet:
En garde.
Prêt? (ready)
Allez. (go)
Arrêt. (stop)
# á #. (giving score like "un á deux" is "one to two")
Attaque. Riposte. Remise. Coupé. Prise de fer.

La touche a gauche (touch left)
La touche a droite (touch right)
Pas de touche (No touch)
Carton Jaune (Yellow card)
Carton Rouge (read card)
Carton Noir (black card)
L'arret touche (the stop hit touches)
La pointe en ligne (the point in ligne)
Contre-attaque (counter attack)
Contre-riposte (counter riposte)

etc, etc.

[damianip]

Let's not forget the most important call for foilists:

"Non valable": "Off Target"

Zappa, I'm sure "Monsieur" Attila was just kidding you. I mean, check out his pants on the "Post your picture" thread. How serious is he going to be???????

However, while we sometimes direct in French at our club (just to make our bad decisions sound more authoritative), if one tried it at a competition, one would find themselves the target of whispers and snickers.

An anecdote:

My son was at fencing camp a couple of years back and there was someone who insisted on directing in French, even after being asked to switch to English (English was his native tongue). Since he was a middling fencer and completely obstinate in his choice of directing language, he was soon ostracized by the rest of the camp.

Remember, manners and protocol still matter in fencing. If one is directing a bout of unfamiliar people in the US, one should stick to English. If one or both of your participants doesn't understand English and everyone is agreeable, then try French. Otherwise, save it for your familiar fencers in informal settings.

Just a suggestion.

A bientôt,

Paolo

[aussie]

Hi Zappa,

i recall my coach having a list of all fencing terms in english, french and german.

i will chase it up and post it in asap.

but in the mean time isnt there some books that explain the french traslation, please correct me if im wrong.

anyone know of any books?

hope this helps

[Dame d'escrime]

Just tonight, I directed a couple of 7 year olds in French. I told them what the words meant and kept it simple. They had a ball and began to learn a new language.

No, French is not my native tongue, though I am of French descent and have been learning the language myself of and on since Junior High.

Why do I do it? Trust me, its not a stuck up thing, I just enjoy learning new things and teaching is my vocation. And it never hurts to broaden on's horizons.

C'est la vive.

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You CAN teach old dogs new tricks.

[attila]

Hi Zap man,

Sorry you didnn't catch the humor. It just reminded me of a circuit event where a ref ( a rather pompous dork ) asked me if I wanted my bout reffed in FIE. I told him that if he wanted to impress me he had better ref in Russian ( there was a Russian coach at strip side), The Russky got the joke and laughed, The ref didn't and I lost every iffy touch, I still won but i learned a lesson. Never piss off your ref....

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"Kill the men, save the women, and by the gods, do not spill the wine"

[Crash55]

teh only problem I have with people directing in French is the score. SO long as you tell me my score in English, use whatever language you want. If I am confused I will ask for clarification in English but having to constantly ask for the score in English gets old fast. We have one guy around here that loves ot direct in French and actually gets annoyed when you ask for things in English.

[attila]

Hey Purple Fencer

It was C. Fuertes who wanted to direct my foil bout in French.He is such a hoot, in a strage way that is....

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"Kill the men, save the women, and by the gods, do not spill the wine"

[Gajuith]

At oru club we direct in German just to have fun because a good number of us are... well...German speakers. We do it to have fun but have never really done it in a tournament for reasons stated previously. There are people who know French enough to follow a bout, but even fewer know German.

[attila]

Gajuith

Do you fence at Halberstadt is SF.? Just a thought. I have fenced against some from their club and have heard German thrown about....

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"Kill the men, save the women, and by the gods, do not spill the wine"

[sabreur]

Just one point. You don't say "arret," you say "halt." Even in French.

These days, in sabre, about the only things that most referees say is "Attaque, contre-attaque" and "Attaque-parade-riposte." Maybe, "l'attaque dans la marche."

Regards, MR

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Why sabre? Because you don't take heads with the point.

[The Bayer Hunter]

Presiding in French shows your respect for the sport. I'm not saying you need to, just that you should if you care. BTW, if you ever want to get good, you're going to have to watch FIE videos (this is the plug for Fencing Footage) which are of course in French. Bonne chance!

[Purple Fencer]

Originally posted by attila:
Hey Purple Fencer

It was C. Fuertes who wanted to direct my foil bout in French.He is such a hoot, in a strage way that is....

Oh yes...whenever Carlos enters the gym during a tourney, I think "well...there goes our nice quiet event." (this, even if it's the middle of sabre DE) The man can certainly fill a room.

I just got a mental picture of the two of you standing next to each other. OY!

Makes me think of your prior screen name, Fat Boy Ed.

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Sam Signorelli -- Boldly going forward...'cause I can't find reverse!

[Stryder]

I direct in french because I have some teammates that compete in World Cups.
When i started doing it they were very annoyed. But when they came back and told me that they had been comfortable with ref's who did't speak english we decided it was a good idea after all.

With regard to the score, that is one thing that you really should learn. It is easy and it will keep you from getting confused should you ever get a pompous (or French) referee.

Yes, you say "Halt" never "Arret"
Some other terms are "advertisment" or warning, instead of "carton" or card.

Since touches are no longer counted against. We do not say "Touche'" /too' shay/
We say "Touche" /toosh/

Touche' means "Touched" as in "you have been touched."
Touche means "touch" as in "a touch has occurred."

No one ever says "pointe en ligne"
They just say "La ligne" /la leen/



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www.geocities.com/strydermike

[SpaceCowboy]

When I visited DragonEye's salle in Vancouver, BC earlier this year, her club called the bouts in french. It was my first experience with it, but I rather enjoyed expanding my horizons. When I returned home to Texas, I called the bouts in French (or perhaps it was cajun with my drawl! LOL!), or at least as much of the French I could remember... My local club mates were definitely intrigued by the new words I brought home.