contemporain

[tr123]

Hi how does this translate in to English, the articles is about plans to cut down the plan trees along the Midi canal, the sentence is:

"ses contemporains le considèrent alors comme le plus grand chantier du XIVlle siècle"

Merci!

 

[misterk]

"His contemporaries," no?

 

[joaopaolo]

"His contemporaries," no?

I agree, or "peers"

 

[Mauricet]

Les contemporains d'un canal ne sont pas ses peers, methinks. Il faudrait savoir à quoi ou à qui se rapporte le ses du début.

 

[tr123]

Ok, sorry i didnt give context, the sentence which comes before is:

"D'abord nommé Canal royal en Languedoc, il est rebaptisté, par les revolutionnaires canal du Midi en 1789"

So yes, peers wouldn't work here. What else could i use?

Merci

 

[moustic]

Why not use the passive :
"At the time, it was considered ..."

 

[tr123]

oh is it talking about back when it was built?

 

[moustic]

oh is it talking about back when it was built?

In a word: yes!

 

[tr123]

oh that makes a lot more sense now! thank you

 

[Mauricet]

So, would its contemporaries correctly translate ses contemporains, meaning the persons who lived when the canal was built?

 

[Nicklondon]

People/residents at the time saw it as ...