Translating "What-if" into French

[Tophe]

My publisher will self-publish a book he wrote about the T-tail inventor (Charles de Rougé, 1932) and sending 3 drawings of mine he requested, I suggested to include a picture of JHM's F-16T as a nice joke adding a smile to a serious historical subject. For newcomers, enjoy http://www.whatifmodelers.com/forum//index...?showtopic=2713 & http://www.whatifmodelers.com/forum//index...?showtopic=3147
I think the text with this photograph could be <<Several modellers have played the game "what-if this famous plane had a T-tail?" – for instance the light fighter F-16 looking like its forefather F-104, getting a very pleasant silhouette, so harmonious... (model of B. "John Howling Mouse" S., Alberta, Canada, 1/48)>>

BUT this will be a French book and I will have to help translating this, I fear. Archibald, JCC, PD7, Ollie, can you help me translating in French "WHAT-IF this famous plane had a T-tail?"?
1- "Et que se passerait-il si cet avion célèbre avait un empennage en T?" (what would happen if...)
2- "A quoi ressemblerait cet avion célèbre avec un empennage en T?" (what would... look like)
3- "Imaginons cet avion célèbre avec un empennage en T..." (let us imagine...)
4- "Quid si cet avion célèbre avait eu un empennage en T?" (?? if...)
5- (other)...?

[Jeffry Fontaine]

What if?  -- Ce qui si ?

What could have been.  -- Ce qui pourrait avoir été.

What might have been.  -- Ce qui pourrait avoir été.

[mrdj]

I'm sure someone can clean up my French, but here's a suggestion:

Une autre possibilte       -One other possibilty
Une autre histoire          -Another past

As I said, feel freel to fix my grammer and spelling. I don't practice near enough. I was mainly going for something short and catchy.

DJM

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

Well, I'm myself writing something about what-if for the university...

In fact, I translate it differently depending on the context. For your sentence, I'll use:

"Et si ce célèbre avion avait été équipé d'un empennage en T?"
("what if" is often translate by "Et si" in the comics/novels/short stories translated in French)

In other contexts, I use "réalité alternative" ("What could hapen in a what-if world..." became "ce qui pourrait arriver dans une réalité alternative..."), "anticipation" (pour les "what-if" futuristes).

And most of time, I keep the world "what-if"... In fact, the expression "what if" is already slowly entering the French language, particulary in the world of the "bande-dessinée" and in the world of the science-fiction (on le retrouve tel quel dans pas mal de recueils de nouvelles SF/Fantastique, dans des fanzine etc..) and of course in the world of the modelers.
It could be cool if you ould use it like that, contributing in its integration on the French language!



So, here is my conclusion: you can't find a single expression to translate "what-if":

-when you talk about the activity, the phenomenon, when you want to show this way of thought, you use "what-if", in English
(ex: "L'univers des what-if", "Qu'est-ce que le what-if?", "voici une nouvelle what-if trés intéressante" etc...)

-when you want to precize the what-if you're talking about, when you ask "the" question, use "Et si..."
(ex: "Et si la Chine envahissait les USA?", "Et si la France avait acheter des F-18?", "Et si le F-16 avait une dérive en T??" etc...)

-Sometimes, we use the expression "what if" as an adjective... just translate it by a similar word:
(ex: "In my what-if world", use the French translation for "In my alternate world"...)

[Jennings]

As I said, feel freel to fix my grammer and spelling.

Okay, if you insist: "grammar"

J

[Jennings]

-when you talk about the activity, the phenomenon, when you want to show this way of thought, you use "what-if", in English
(ex: "L'univers des what-if", "Qu'est-ce que le what-if?", "voici une nouvelle what-if trés intéressante" etc...)

Mon dieu!  What would l'Académie françasie say??  FRANGLAIS!!  Comme "le weekend" and "faire du parking"  Ce sera la mort de la langue française!

J

[Tophe]

AltaVista, suggested by JeffryFontaine, gave me bad things...
"what-if this famous plane had a T-tail?" --> "ce qui-si cet avion célèbre avait une T-queue ?" (this what-if this airplane had a tail-T)
and as well "what-if this airplane was twin-boom?" --> "ce qui-si cet avion était jumeau-perche ?" (this what-if this airplane was twin-brother pole?...)

The other possibilities, from you friends, are more interesting, thanks!
At last I consider this Frenglish translation: <<Plusieurs "what-if modellers" (maquettistes irréalistes) ont joué à imaginer "et si cet avion célèbre avait été équipé d'un empennage en T?"  – par exemple le chasseur léger F-16 aurait ressemblé à son ancêtre le F-104, gagnant une silhouette agréable, si harmonieuse... (maquette de B. "John Howling Mouse" S., Alberta, Canada, 1/48)>>

[mrdj]

Okay, if you insist: "grammar"

Ask and ye shall recieve.

Good call.

DJM

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

At last I consider this Frenglish translation: <<Plusieurs "what-if modellers" (maquettistes irréalistes) ont joué à imaginer "et si cet avion célèbre avait été équipé d'un empennage en T?" – par exemple le chasseur léger F-16 aurait ressemblé à son ancêtre le F-104, gagnant une silhouette agréable, si harmonieuse... (maquette de B. "John Howling Mouse" S., Alberta, Canada, 1/48)>>

Yep! Sounds good for me!!
Maybe "ce célèbre avion" sounds better than "cet avion célèbre", but that's just a personal view

[B777LR]

Will the book come out in english?

[Tophe]

PD7: thanks for your improvement, adopted!
B777LR: I & JHM will know when we get our free copies - will there be an English translation included? I don't know yet, maybe I will ask the publisher?  

[John Howling Mouse]

Please, please, simply refer to me by my Riboflavin IV Birthname:
"John Howling Mouse"

Tophe, I can get your friend a high-rez electronic file via e-mail but not a hardcopy printed photograph.    

[Tophe]

1/ For the name, it seems you are joking but I do not understand the joke. Your birthname is not John so what is "my birthname John"...?  And what is the relation to Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)? Well, don't explain with further jokes and grins, simply say "B.S." or else "J.H.M", and I will transmit...
2/ For the paper/file, I am not the one saying I prefer paper to scan rather than direct file, it seems absurd to me. But this is what requires my publisher, that had printing problems in the past with the printing company. So: send me the file by Email and I will print it and I will send it. All right?
3/ Thinking about it, I am rather surprised that the T-tail could be considered as invented in 1932. We will read the book, you and I dear JHM, but what to do with the FB.5 of 1914, with the HB W-12 of 1917? Well both were T but had no free fin holding tailplanes above the fuselage. Has none ever been met before 1932? Is the Westland Whirlwind the first mass-produced one? JHM, as Worldwide T-tail expert, tell us, please...  

[B777LR]

Please, please, simply refer to me by my Riboflavin IV Birthname:
"John Howling Mouse"

Ok baz  

[Ollie]

Moi j'utiliserais "Et si" pour traduire "What if".

"Voyons voir ce qui arriverait si on intallait un radial sur un P-51."

^_^