Can "en attendant" be translated as "waiting" as well as "while waiting"?

P. T.C1Kwiziq community member

Can "en attendant" be translated as "waiting" as well as "while waiting"?

The title of the Samuel Beckett play "En Attendant Godot" is usually translated as "Waiting for Godot". Would it be closer to the French original if the title were to be translated as "While Waiting for Godot", or even "Whilst Waiting for Godot"?

(I note that in the examples, you never use the word "whilst", always using "while" instead. )

Asked 11 months ago
Maarten K.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

Peter, Samuel Beckett chose both titles as he translated from his original French play to the English work. 

There is more than one way in both French and English to express the ‘idea’ the title conveys. There is also more than one way to translate any idea between languages - presumably Beckett chose the titles that he felt were best suited to the work in each language ? He seems to have chosen "economical" word use in both languages.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_for_Godot

P. T. asked:View original

Can "en attendant" be translated as "waiting" as well as "while waiting"?

The title of the Samuel Beckett play "En Attendant Godot" is usually translated as "Waiting for Godot". Would it be closer to the French original if the title were to be translated as "While Waiting for Godot", or even "Whilst Waiting for Godot"?

(I note that in the examples, you never use the word "whilst", always using "while" instead. )

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