Changer le pansement

[MademoiselleMG]

Bonsoir,

Voilà, je voudrais trouver une traduction d'une expression idiomatique généralement utilisée par les partisans de la décroissance qui est la suivante:
"Changer le pansement plutôt que de penser le changement."
Je ne propose pas de traduction car je ne saurais faire qu'une traduction littérale dépourvue de sens.
Pouvez-vous m'aider?
Merci.

 

[Phantom-X]

Does it mean to "change your mind all the time"?

In the popular song "Hot-n-Cold" by Katy Perry, she said:

"You change your mind like a girl changes clothes".

Is that what it means?

EDIT: Now I'm starting to think it might mean "To do something more often than you think" --> Meaning that, in your mind, you rarely do something. In reality, you do it all the time.

Let's wait for people smarter than me!

 

[breagadoir]

Put your money where your mouth is.
Stop paying lip service to something.
A stitch in time saves nine.

 

[Phantom-X]

Put your money where your mouth is.
Stop paying lip service to something.
A stitch in time saves nine.

I was way off!

Such a weird way to say it in French!

 

[MademoiselleMG]

Hi guys!

I don't know if you really have understood the meaning of my sentence!!
I would like to say: To bring some short-term solutions (Changer le pansement) rather than to impose some structural and deep reforms (penser le changement = to think about change).
In that way, are your proposal rights?
Thank you!

 

[Phantom-X]

"Temporary fix"
"Temporary solution"
"Short-term fix"
"Short-term solution"

"To apply a short-term fix (band-aid) instead of fix the real underlying issues".

 

[breagadoir]

No my idiomatic expressions mean just the opposite.

A stitch in time saves nine = il vaut mieux coudre maintenant plutôt que d'attendre (le trou sera plus gand)

Stop paying lip service to something = Cesser la langue de bois.

Put your money where your mouth is = Agir au lieu de simplement en parler.

 

[breagadoir]

No my idiomatic expressions mean just the opposite.

A stitch in time saves nine = il vaut mieux coudre maintenant plutôt que d'attendre (le trou sera plus gand)

Stop paying lip service to something = Cesser la langue de bois.

Put your money where your mouth is = Agir au lieu de simplement en parler.

 

[MademoiselleMG]

Yes! It is rather that! Thank you!!

 

[Phantom-X]

Which one is right? I'm curious now.

 

[breagadoir]

I don't think any one of them is right, they're all just attempts at expressing the general idea of the French expression (which incidentally I'd never heard before; I'm more familiar with the idiomatic expression: "Il vaut miex prevenir que guerir")

 

[Phantom-X]

I don't think any one of them is right, they're all just attempts at expressing the general idea of the French expression (which incidentally I'd never heard before; I'm more familiar with the idiomatic expression: "Il vaut miex prevenir que guerir")

"Prevention is better than (the) cure".

"Prevention is the best medicine".

 

[coeurdenids]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

 

[Charlie Parker]

"To put a bandaid on it instead of addressing the underlying issues." I would need a little more context before I could be absolutely confident of my translation.

 

[Nicomon]

Hello,

As I found out googling there are few instances of this saying. It is usually the other way round : Penser le changement, plutôt que changer le pansement.

I found this on a bilingual site :

« Dans un monde qui bouge, il vaut mieux penser le changement, que changer le pansement. » Francis BLANCHE
« In a world constantly on the move it is better to address change than to change the dressing. » Francis BLANCHE

As for MademoiselleMG's context there is this document (I just did a search by words... the quote is at the bottom of page 11)


I think Phantom-X (#6) and Charlie's solutions are pretty close.

 

[Charlie Parker]

Merci Nico d'avoir partagé ta méthode de rechercher avec Google. I like the "address change" coupled with "change the dressing." It preserves the play on words.

 

[MademoiselleMG]

I have just red all your solutions!! That forum is excellent!! For Phantom-X I said that your translation "To apply a short-term fix (band-aid) instead of fix the real underlying issues" was right in the meaning. It express the general idea of the French expression. But, following the example of Charlie Parker, I would say that the Nicomon's translation is better (it is better to address change than to change the dressing) because it preserves indeed the play on words. Thank you to everybody, you are very nice!

 

[Nicomon]

Although I do like it, which is why I suggested it, I can't claim this translation. I just googled and was lucky to find it.