# You knew it was coming: Can someone translate the French swearing in Matrix Reloaded? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 16, 2003, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-knew-it-was-coming-can-someone-translate-the-french-swearing-in-matrix-reloaded/175774 "2003-05-16T21:45:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-knew-it-was-coming-can-someone-translate-the-french-swearing-in-matrix-reloaded/175774/21 "2003-05-25T21:27:10Z")
I agree with tracer (I think). Only one word can mean “fuck”. I mean every culture has dozens or more words for sex, but there’s only one “fuck”. So either another language has an equivalent for “fuck” or they don’t. “Fuck” is “fuck”. There it stands. It can do no other. “Salope” means (possibly) bastard, bitch, AND slut? I think I’ve found my pen name for when I start writing porn. ---
**Author:** ![Powers106](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@Powers106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers106)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-knew-it-was-coming-can-someone-translate-the-french-swearing-in-matrix-reloaded/175774/22 "2003-05-25T22:00:09Z")
I saw Reloaded in a cinema in Paris (in English) and the part with the French guy had me in tears. Me, because as an American I couldn’t stop laughing at the stereotype and how there really are people that act like that (several other expats were laughing, too) and then the whole place EXPLODED with laughter when the swearing started. That was funny! I couldn’t remember exactly how it went but like the text above it didn’t seem to be a ‘sentence’ rather a string of profanity. I can’t add much to the already translated text as Zazie hit a few nuances and the other translations generally got there. Great scene though! ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-knew-it-was-coming-can-someone-translate-the-french-swearing-in-matrix-reloaded/175774/23 "2003-05-25T22:07:10Z")
I thought “enculer” was [sub]_ahem_[/sub] “to fuck, specifically in the ass”. ---
**Author:** ![Powers106](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@Powers106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers106)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-knew-it-was-coming-can-someone-translate-the-french-swearing-in-matrix-reloaded/175774/24 "2003-05-25T22:24:40Z")
I would agree with Mojo… ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-knew-it-was-coming-can-someone-translate-the-french-swearing-in-matrix-reloaded/175774/25 "2003-05-26T03:43:02Z")
What I liked about Merovingian’s character is that he is so up-front about his affectation-- It transforms a shallow, cardboard-cutout character, which would ordinarily be kind of irritating, into something quite clever. You _know_ if he had decided to be “The Manchurian,” he’d gleefully omit the ability to pronounce the letter “R” at all, and what’s more, his silk brocades would smell really nasty. What? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-knew-it-was-coming-can-someone-translate-the-french-swearing-in-matrix-reloaded/175774/26 "2003-05-26T04:34:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rapunzel \* > \*\*I agree with you. > About 20 years ago there was a wonderful book by Erin Pizzey called ‘The Slut’s Cookbook’ which was all about short cuts in the kitchen. You could never get away with calling it that now. \*\* Well, you could, but it would probably have a lot of recipes that called for, you know, cucumbers, bananas, watermelons, that kind of thing. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-knew-it-was-coming-can-someone-translate-the-french-swearing-in-matrix-reloaded/175774/27 "2003-05-26T05:16:58Z")
Okay, this has nothing to do with the swearing…but when I first heard the word “Merivingian” mentioned in the movie, I thought they were saying “Merrill-Lynchian.” Honestly. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-knew-it-was-coming-can-someone-translate-the-french-swearing-in-matrix-reloaded/175774/28 "2003-05-26T05:17:07Z")
Okay, this has nothing to do with the swearing…but when I first heard the word “Merivingian” mentioned in the movie, I thought they were saying “Merrill-Lynchian.” Honestly. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-knew-it-was-coming-can-someone-translate-the-french-swearing-in-matrix-reloaded/175774/29 "2003-05-26T05:20:43Z")
I think someone I saw the movie with said that, too. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![moi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@moi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moi)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-knew-it-was-coming-can-someone-translate-the-french-swearing-in-matrix-reloaded/175774/30 "2003-05-26T18:40:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LeprechaunPaul \* > Sure it wasn’t canard? That would be much funnier. Ha! Glad I wasn’t alone in this. I heard a few French swear words and then **canard** …which did make me burst out laughing. I’m kind of disappointed now. So, basically, it was just a string of profanities, similar to shouting out “Shit-Fuck-Wank!”? ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-knew-it-was-coming-can-someone-translate-the-french-swearing-in-matrix-reloaded/175774/31 "2003-05-26T19:30:29Z")
\ _Salaud_ means bastard, not salope. Carry on. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![KarmaComa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e36b37/32.png) [@KarmaComa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarmaComa)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-knew-it-was-coming-can-someone-translate-the-french-swearing-in-matrix-reloaded/175774/32 "2003-05-26T19:31:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by featherlou \* > \*\*Well, you could, but it would probably have a lot of recipes that called for, you know, cucumbers, bananas, watermelons, that kind of thing. \*\* Watermelons? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-knew-it-was-coming-can-someone-translate-the-french-swearing-in-matrix-reloaded/175774/33 "2003-05-27T01:00:08Z")
Well, we have to cover the bases - it could be for girl sluts or boy sluts. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-knew-it-was-coming-can-someone-translate-the-french-swearing-in-matrix-reloaded/175774/34 "2003-05-27T01:43:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Barbarian \* > \*\*\ _Salaud_ means bastard, not salope. > > Carry on. 😉 \*\* You mean I have to choose between being a bastard or a slut? Damn. I wanted to be both. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-knew-it-was-coming-can-someone-translate-the-french-swearing-in-matrix-reloaded/175774/35 "2003-05-27T01:57:13Z")
Well, thank you. Due to this thread have just discovered French porn. Ya know it’s even more amusing in a foreign language (or better yet, an automatic translation). “Vous voulez enculer des salope?”. That sounds so classy :). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-knew-it-was-coming-can-someone-translate-the-french-swearing-in-matrix-reloaded/175774.md?page=1)