Balance ton porc !

[jontxuBCN]

How would you say 'balance ton porc' in English ?

It's all in the news about Harvey Weinstein and this website and hashtag:
Balance Ton Porc
#BalanceTonPorc

 

[atcheque]

Bonjour,

Dictionary

balancer vtr familier (dénoncer)
(UK, slang) grass up vtr phrasal sep
(US, slang) rat out vtr phrasal sep
(slang) snitch on vi + prep
Son complice l'a balancé à la police.
His accomplice grassed him up to the police.

porc nm figuré, péjoratif (personne mal élevée)
(figurative, pejorative) pig, swine n
Note: Pas de féminin.
Ce mec m'a mis la main aux fesses : quel porc !
That guy put his hand on my butt: what a pig!

 

[jontxuBCN]

Thanks, at first I thought it meant 'swing you pig' but that didn't sound right in the context. So I see it means 'don't keep quiet, i.e. report it, about sexual harassment'.

Thanks a lot.

 

[Keith Bradford]

As the title of a website, I guess "Spill the beans" might do it, or "Call him out".

 

[Kecha]

A number of journalists have tried different translations of it: "rat on your dirty old man" (BBC news), "expose your pig" (the Guardian), "squeal on your pig" (the Guardian and CNN), "grass up your pig"...

 

[Carcassonnaise]

Squeal on your pig has to be the best, surely...

 

[ostreologist]

Squeal on your pig has to be the best, surely...

I think ’rat on your pig’ sounds quite apt! And funny!

 

[Tandis_que]

Porc n'est pas de tout un reference aux parties, alors? Moi, j'aurais pensé, du context, que ca se traduit comme "keep it in your pants".

 

[Kecha]

While there are many colourful ways to qualify the nether regions, "porc" is not one of them to the best of my knowledge.
And if it was the case, "balance" would then seem to intimate to swing it around, rather than keep it in.

 

[Pendrick Arrow]

I think the closest slang/colloquial translation in English would be “to rat him out” or “to call him out”, especially for a guy’s crude behaviour towards women.

I prefer the formerly over the latter. However, there is a negative connotation to the person being called “a rat” when the onus should be squarely placed on “le porc” as it is clearly shown in the French expression.

 

[Grop]

Report your swein.

 

[pointvirgule]

For my part, I still think that Squeal on your pig (quoted by Kecha, #5) is brilliant.

 

[LART01]

Porc n'est pas de tout un reference aux parties, alors? Moi, j'aurais pensé, du context, que ca se traduit comme "keep it in your pants".

Bonsoir

Non pas du tout. Se conduire comme un porc/ Etre un vrai avec les femmes = avoir un comportement inacceptable ( understatement)

 

[Language Hound]

A little looser translation, but one I think could work:
Expose the pig!
N.B. I would not use "your" here in place of "the."

 

[tomy1]

balance ton porc is the french equivalent of me too in the usa but instead of being first oriented towards the victim it is ment to denounce the agressor.
balancer quelqu'un is the slang for dénoncer quelqu'un and porc means a person acting as a pig (un cochon)

 

[Language Hound]

balance ton porc is the french equivalent of me too in the usa but instead of being first oriented towards the victim it is ment to denounce the agressor...

If you add two hashtags and/or the word "movement," I would agree with you 100%.
#balancetonporc is the French equivalent of #MeToo in the USA but, instead of primarily focusing on the victim, it is meant to denounce the aggressor.
(Not sure if caps are used in the French hashtag)

 

[wildan1]

"Call him out".

But that misses the important description of ton porc

Maybe Call the letch out!

(The problem with pig in English is that it often refers to gluttony more than sexual perversion.)

 

[ForeverHis]

Hi Wildan. Actually, we women often refer to men as pigs in the context of sexual harassment.

 

[tomy1]

In french also we have the two meanings manger comme un cochon (bad manners) et se comporter comme un porc (sexual behaviour toward women)
tomy1

 

[wildan1]

Hi Wildan. Actually, we women often refer to men as pigs in the context of sexual harassment.

Of course, but my point, as was also made by tomy1 above, is that French has two words that both translate into pig--porc and cochon, and that disambiguates the meaning more clearly than calling someone a "pig", which can have two meanings. You can also use "hog" for gluttony or avarice, but that still doesn't make "pig" just as clear.

 

[Pedro y La Torre]

But that misses the important description of ton porc

Maybe Call the letch out!

(The problem with pig in English is that it often refers to gluttony more than sexual perversion.)

Right. The English "pig" is not a good translation for "porc" in this context. A porc is an aggressive pervert/sexual assailant. Why not just use the English-language equivalent "Me Too"?

 

[pointvirgule]

(The problem with pig in English is that it often refers to gluttony more than sexual perversion.)

Apparently, these people in the media didn't get your memo:

Marriage Is Declining Because Men Are Pigs (Mother Jones)
Our sex-obsessed culture is turning men into pigs (NY Post)

As well as the women who coined the phrase male chauvinist pig.

Context makes it clear that pig is meant as "disgusting person" rather than "glutton."

Anyway.

 

[Soleil_Couchant]

I agree with ForeverHis and pointvirgule... I was thinking of the chauvinist thing, too. I obviously can't say what the nuance of "porc" is in French, but in English (in America anyway) "pig" is definitely commonly used to describe a chauvinist type of guy who just sees women as objects and lusts after them... that kind of thing. Like, he'd see a women and only ever look at her boobs, or commonly comments on female strangers' physical body parts... He'd get the reaction "what a pig"...type of thing. So if porc means an "aggressive pervert"...okay, I guess that's not exactly a "pig" in English, lol, but... close enough. I think of male pigs as crass, lusty, immature, only caring about the sexual aspect of women.

 

[ForeverHis]

Beautifully said Soleil Couchant! I've had reason to use that epithet many times in my life in order to call out an out-of-control lecher.

Context makes it clear that pig is meant as "disgusting person" rather than "glutton."

Exactly! As we've all said before, context is everything.

 

[Pedro y La Torre]

The sexual perversion aspect in the English 'pig' doesn't pack the same punch as the French 'porc'. It can be used, obviously, but it's not ideal.

 

[Blougouz]

So basically:
Porc=pig
And
Pork=(gros) cochon

?!
And depending on the context, either bad manners in eating or towards women?

 

[Azarosa]

“Squeal on your pig” (loosely translated).

 

[janpol]

En français il me semble que "porc" est le terme le plus neutre pour désigner cet animal même s'il peut être riche de certaines connotations.
En argot, "balancer" signifie aussi "jeter", se débarrasser de"

 

[wildan1]

As well as the women who coined the phrase male chauvinist pig.

This now outdated expression was popular at the same time many people called the police pigs, too.

Hence my suggestion that while "pig" can refer to someone with crude sexual behavior, but also to a glutton or, in the 1960s, a cop. Hence my suggestion of an alternative, unambiguous term like letch.

balance ton porc is the french equivalent of me too in the usa but instead of being first oriented towards the victim it is ment to denounce the agressor.

Quite true. Two different cultures reacting to a similar social situation with different approaches and emphases.

 

[Soleil_Couchant]

But wildan1, I'm not sure about your insistence that "pig" can't (or ideally shouldn't) be used in this instance. While, yes, it can mean other things, apparently so can "porc." Both porc in French and pig in English have to do with men being gross letches, so what's the problem?

 

[wildan1]

No quibble that pig can mean letch. But colloquially pig can mean several other things but letch is only, well... a lecherous person.

That gives an unequivocal sense of the intended meaning to someone who doesn't have any other context.

 

[Soleil_Couchant]

True. And, in this case, there certainly is context.

 

[ain'ttranslationfun?]

I'm not sure "letch" is commonly used in the US, although it'd be understood. I too like "Squeal on the pig". Given the atmosphere since Weinstein et al., I'd think it's clear what kind of pig or porc we're talking about - an "MCP".

 

[Gérard Napalinex]

As it's been mentioned earlier, "balance" also means "swing".
Now "balance ton corps" (swing your body) happens to be a pretty common sexual harrasment sentence.

"Balance ton porc" is hence a wonderful pun, as well as a powerful catchword.

Now I'm not saying this will make translation easier

 

[ForeverHis]

No quibble that pig can mean letch. But colloquially pig can mean several other things but letch is only, well... a lecherous person.

There's a difference between a lecher and a pig, at least sometimes.

According to Dictionary.com the definiton of "lecher" is:
a man given to excessive sexual indulgence; a lascivious or licentious man.

Now, a lecher is not necessarily an overt pig. A pig, in this context, is a man who crosses the line and engages in an overtly offensive sexual manner. A guy who likes to ogle women but isn't too creepy about it probably wouldn't be called out as a pig by many women. A lecherous guy who makes unwelcome sexual comments or advances is a pig. But an otherwise decent guy who momentarily loses self-control and kisses me on the mouth without permission would be neither a lecher or a pig in my opinion.

"Squeal on the pig" gets my vote.

 

[Nicomon]

I agree with pv, S_C, ain'tt and FH. If I were to translate letch / lecher to French, it would be vicieux / pervers... not porc.

Add my vote to Squeal on the pig. I prefer the even if the French says your.

The rise, described as “exceptional” is believed to have been prompted by victims feeling empowered to come forward after the #MeToo and #BalanceTonPorc
(squeal on the pig) campaigns on social media.

Extrait de l'article Dénonce ton cochon (je suis plus portée à dire « cochon » que « porc ») :

De manière on ne peut plus prévisible, le chœur des néo-cons(ervateurs) s’est déchaîné contre le hashtag «balancetonporc». «Délation» dit Alain Finkielkraut, «dégueulis» dit Christine Boutin, «délathon» dit Elisabeth Lévy, etc. C’est un fait que l’intitulé de la rubrique Twitter n’est pas d’une extrême élégance. Que fallait-il dire ? «Cochon» ? Ce n’est guère plus flatteur. «Vieux dégueulasse» ? Mais il y en a de jeunes. «Violeur» ? Tous ne le sont pas, loin de là. «Gros beauf» ? Certains sont maigres. «Satyre» ? Encore faut-il connaître ce mot un peu désuet. Aux dires de l’auteure du hashtag, il s’agissait de provoquer une libération de la parole par un sarcasme volontairement vulgaire. Sur ce point, la réussite est totale. «Harceleur», plus clinique, aurait été moins efficace.

 

[JClaudeK]

Aux dires de l’auteure du hashtag, il s’agissait de provoquer une libération de la parole par un sarcasme volontairement vulgaire.

C'est sans doute pour ça qu'elle n'a pas choisi "Dénonce ton cochon", beaucoup trop "soft".

#balancetonporc is the French equivalent of #MeToo in the USA

Je ne dirais pas ça. Ce sont deux appels à agir contre le harcèlement sexuel consécutifs (en France en tout cas), n'ayant pas tout à fait les mêmes visées:

Après #BalanceTonPorc, # MeToo fait le tour du monde pour dénoncer le harcèlement sexuel
"Si toutes les femmes harcelées ou agressées sexuellement écrivaient “moi aussi” dans leur statut, on pourrait donner aux gens une idée de l’ampleur du problème" a-t-elle publié sur Twitter.

 

[Nicomon]

C'est sans doute pour ça qu'elle n'a pas choisi "Dénonce ton cochon", beaucoup trop "soft".

C'est bien ce que j'avais compris.

Mais je n'y peux rien si « cochon » - que je ne trouve pas "soft" - me vient plus naturellement que « porc » dans ce sens extrait du CNRTL sous B 2. b) :

Personne à la sensualité grossière. Ce bon vivant, ce goinfre, ce cochon d'Anthelme (Bernanos, Monsieur Ouine,1943, p. 1358):
4. Avouez-le! ... Que c'est du nouveau qu'il vous faut! ... De la partouze! ... Pourquoi pas de la pucelle? Bande de dépravés! Bande de cochons! ...
Céline, Voyage au bout de la nuit,1932, p. 609.
− Le cochon qui sommeille. [P. allus. au vers attribué à l'écrivain Ch. Monselet (1825-1888). Tout homme a dans son cœur un cochon qui sommeille]
Vice latent en tout homme

Ou celui-ci, du Petit Robert :

Individu qui a le goût des obscénités. ➙ vicieux. C'est un vieux cochon.

 

[wendyredredrobin]

Unless I'm mistaken, nobody has mentioned the equivalent hashtag for English speakers: #MeToo where women (and some men), including me, flooded Twitter with their experiences of various levels of harassment from verbal remarks to serious sexual assault women-worldwide-use-hashtag-metoo-against-sexual-harassment

 

[Nicomon]

Actually, the hahstag #MeToo has been mentioned several times. You may have missed/skipped a few posts.

But a translation to French would be : #MoiAussi.

La vague du mot-clic #MoiAussi — #MeToo en anglais — a déferlé lundi partout dans le monde après que, dans la foulée de l'affaire Harvey Weinstein, l'actrice Alyssa Milano eut invité les femmes à dénoncer sur Twitter le harcèlement sexuel dont elles ont été victimes.

Avec son équivalent francophone #MoiAussi, le mouvement #MeToo a aussi gagné le Québec. Le fondateur de Juste pour rire, Gilbert Rozon, l'animateur Éric Salvail et l'éditeur Michel Brûlé sont au nombre de ceux qui ont été dénoncés pour leurs agissements à caractère sexuel condamnables.

 

[wendyredredrobin]

Oops, I did skim through, I have to say, and I am capable of translating "me too" into French, believe it or not!

 

[Nicomon]

I am capable of translating "me too" into French, believe it or not!

I never thought otherwise.I just meant to add - with sample sentences - that this exact French equivalent does exist, at least in Quebec.

Whereas balance ton porc seems to be mostly in France.

 

[justAthought]

the game’s up

 

[ain'ttranslationfun?]

Welcome to the forums, justAthought! I think, though, that "the game's up" may be too general.

 

[Soleil_Couchant]

Was "game's up" a spin on the new "time's up!" thing emerging in Hollywood lol? (about not allowing a system that permits sexual abusers or silences victims)

 

[justAthought]

The sexual perversion aspect in the English 'pig' doesn't pack the same punch as the French 'porc'. It can be used, obviously, but it's not ideal.

9o7

Welcome to the forums, justAthought! I think, though, that "the game's up" may be too general.

I agree also that in such situations Brave is A VERB

 

[ain'ttranslationfun?]

Come to think of it, though, an MCP can refer to a man who thinks that women are inferior. Although it is usually associated with thinking of women as sex objects, it can be said of a man who only speaks about or treats (non-physically) women in this way. It's when he harasses women that a "pig" is a molester. But that's the context in the hashtag and the particular aspect of sexual behavior that it addresses.

By the way, speaking of political correctness, we thankfully have not yet seen "gender offender" and "gender crime" coined.

 

[Pedro y La Torre]

9o7

What is this supposed to mean exactly?

 

[janpol]

Si nous tournons un peu en rond autour des termes porc, pig, cochon, pork appelons-le "gros verrat"d'autant que, n'ayant pas été castré, celui-ci devrait être encore plus crédible.

 

[ain'ttranslationfun?]

'verrat' means 'hog', and 'hog' in EN is associated with greed, not sexual behavior. Maybe 'goret', to belittle the oinker? And "Expose the pig!" does relate to the fact that some of the men discussed expose their genitals to women.