Talk:Comme des Garçons/Archives/2017

Translation

Correct translation in published books appears to be "like some boys". ManKnowsInfinity (talk) 14:40, 3 May 2017 (UTC)

But it isn't. That would be "comme quelques garçons". "Comme des garçons" just means "like boys". —Aɴɢʀ (talk) 15:56, 13 May 2017 (UTC)

@Angr: Thanks for getting back on this. Its a little more complicated from my experience reading a number of articles about this fashion company, and deals with common usage by reliable sources in the press instead of the correct literary translation. The common usage used by reliable sources here [1] and here [2] is the most common among published articles, including the latest book about this company by Andrew Bolton of the Metropolitan Museum in NY. Since this is the preference of reliable sources in journalism and in the press, it should be placed into the current article. The precise literary translation is not used in the press. ManKnowsInfinity (talk) 14:59, 15 May 2017 (UTC)

But there are also published sources using the correct translation, e.g. [3], [4], [5]. —Aɴɢʀ (talk) 15:56, 15 May 2017 (UTC)

@Angr: There is a difference between common usage among writers doing full-length articles and books on CDG, and sources that make a passing reference to CDG in a footnote or one-sentence summary. The three cites you listed above were on Post-colonial sociology, Industry and business commentary on Corporate Fashion, and French Psycho-analysis which mentioned CDG in passing, and only with the literary translation and not common usage. Here is the quote from Thurman [6] for the 2005 New Yorker full-length article on CDG stating: "Kawakubo works under the label Comme des Garçons ('like some boys'), though she has never wanted to be like anyone. There are few women who have exerted more influence on the history of modern fashion, and the most obvious, Chanel, is in some respects her perfect foil." In the new book-length study on CDG by Andrew Bolton just released this month, the opening sentence of his book states: "Since founding her label Comme des Garcons ('like some boys') in 1973, the Tokyo-born designer Rei Kawakubo has stubbornly refused to define and explain her clothes." When articles and books in English are dedicated to CDG as the main subject, then the usage is consistently "like some boys", and not the literary translation which might appear in passing references in Sociology studies and Psychology books. The Thurman cite above is the one most commonly referenced and used for CDG because its been around since 2005 and The New Yorker is a very high circulation weekly magazine. The Wikipedia article should include the common-usage translation used by leading writers in fashion journalism writing about fashion who are experts on CDG as reliable sources (WP:RS) for Wikipedia. ManKnowsInfinity (talk) 17:02, 15 May 2017 (UTC)