Laura Occasionally Blogs

It's interesting comparing Baby-sitters Club #4, "Mary Anne Saves the Day," against the Quebecois translation, "Bien Joué, Anne-Marie!" It's the earliest book I have from the "Héritage Jeunesse" editions and I think here, more so in the later ones, they really cut a lot of text: a lot of the colloquialisms, unusual turns of phrase, and interesting detail are dropped in favor of very simple French which is actually pretty much fine by me as my skills are elementary level. But it means if you try to read it straight through in French without comparing it to the English, the events can be somewhat... abrupt.

The plot centers around a big fight the baby-sitters have during a club meeting, estranging them for most of the book, so that Mary-Anne/Anne-Marie has to grow some backbone and learn to stand on her own. The fight escalates quickly enough in the English version, but in the French, with half the lines cut, it's just ridiculous.

For example, here's a passage from the English, just after Claudia warns Stacey not to get too uppity if she wants to keep her newfound friends.

"Is that a threat?" exclaimed Stacey. "Because if it is, I don't need you guys. Don't forget where I'm from."

"We know, we know--New York. It's all you ever talk about."

"I was going to say," Stacey went on haughtily, "before I was interrupted, that I'm tough. I'm a fighter, and I don't need anybody. Not stuck-up job-hogs"--she looked at Claudia--"bossy know-it-alls"--Kristy--"or shy little babies." Me.

"I am not a shy little baby!" I said, but as soon as I said it, my chin began to tremble and my eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, shut up," Kristy said crossly. Sometimes she has very little patience with me.

But I'd had it. I jumped to my feet. "No, you shut up," I shouted at Kristy. "And you, too," I said to Stacey. "I don't care how tough you are or how special you think you are because of your dumb diabetes, you have no right--"

"Don't call Stacey's diabetes dumb!" Claudia cut in.

I mean, okay, maybe low blow going after the diabetes, but it's pretty clear what she meant by it: she's annoyed at Stacey's grandstanding about how she's a New Yorker and a Survivor. Here's my translation of the French:

"Is that a threat?" said Sophie. "I can fend for myself. I don't need an egotist," she said to Claudia, "or a little-boss-who-knows-everything," she added to Christine, "or a shy baby."

That was for me.

"I am not a shy baby!"

But my chin trembled and I had tears in my eyes.

"Oh, shut up," Christine told me moodily.

"Shut up yourself," I cried. "And you too," I said to Sophie. "If you think yourself so interesting, you stupid species of diabetic..."

"Don't talk like that about Sophie," Claudia cut in.

You stupid species of diabetic! Man, Anne-Marie is much meaner than Mary Anne.