Glossary of Terms

(Gabrielle)

When it comes to another language, it is common to find ourselves stuck in front of a word whose meaning we do not know and whose context makes it difficult for us to establish a clear translation. Often in these cases, reference can be made to a glossary of terms which includes all terms deemed to be particular or which could be a source of confusion. Thus, we selected 15 terms that we have found to be more difficult to understand, but also which have a meaning specific to the context of the novel. As our first language is French, the French translation of the term will also allow us to know when to use it and to add it to our vocabulary. Therefore, we recommend that you keep this list close to you while reading, it could be of great use to you.

(Mathis)

1. Zeyda: means "grand-père" in French. Came from the Yiddish language.                                                     Ex: How is Zeyda?

2. Business: means "enterprise" in French.                                                                                                         Ex: Hi business is booming!

3. Shiksa: means "fille non-juive" in French. It is a term used by Jews to refer to a girl who is not Jewish.     Ex: He’s got a new girl. It’s a shiksa.

4. Movie: means "film" in French.                                                                                                                         Ex: The actors in the movie are pretty good!

5. Handkerchief: means "mouchoir" in French.                                                                                                    Ex: He wiped his mouth with his handkerchief after eating.

(Elisabeth)

6. Land: "terre"

    Def: “the part of the earth's surface that is not covered by water, as opposed to the sea or the air.” 

    (Page 337): "Where's the land?"

7. Pimp (p.103): "proxénète"

    Def: a man who controls prostitutes and arranges clients for them, taking part of their earnings in return.

    (Page 103): "Go tell Irwin. Hurry. That ought to be good for a laugh. My old man's a lousy limp."

      

8. Prosperous: "prospère"

    Def: successful in material terms; flourishing financially.

    (Page 255): "Duddy's winter was exceptionally prosperous, and happy too."

      

9. Bankruptcy: "la faillite"

    Def: lack of success

    (Page 300): "His lawyer told him: "Declare bankruptcy"."

10. Synagogue: "Synagogue"

    Def: A building in which Jewish people worship and study their religion.

    (Page 163): "But this cream puff of a synagogue, this religious drugstore, you might as well spend your     life being against the Reader's Digest."

(Milie)

11. Rabbi: his French translation is "Rabbin", it is a person who’s a Jewish religious leader, especially one who studies and teaches Jewish law.

    Ex: I went to see the Rabi.

12. Hebe: can be translated in French by "youpin", it basically means Jew. But it is mostly viewed as an offensive slur for a Jewish person. As a slur, the translation isn’t really possible, but "youbin" is also an offensive and racist way to call a Jewish person but in French. 

Ex: This man is just a stupid Hebe!

13. Goy: could be translated as "non-juif" because it can’t really be translated. It is an informal name for a      non-Jewish person used by Jews. 

Ex: He’s goy, therefore, he’s not one of us. 

14. Circumcision:  his French translation is "circoncision". It is the act of circumcising, basically the cutting off of the foreskin of males, it’s a religious rite for Jews. 

Ex: Jewish and Muslim people practice circumcision as a religious rite.

15. Bar-mitzvah: "fils (bar) du commandemant (mitzvah)" for the French translation. It is a religious initiation ceremony of a Jewish boy who has reached the age of 13. 

Ex: My son recently reaches the age of 13, we’re donna do he’s bar-mitzvah soon. 

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