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Puissance égale

Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

vous passez de la commande

English translation:

you're no longer in the driving seat/time to take a back seat

Added to glossary by MoiraB
Mar 25, 2015 20:38
9 yrs ago
1 viewer *
French term

vous passez de la commande

French to English Bus/Financial General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters Human resources/Corporate strategy
I'm not sure if I'm reading too much into this but feel confused. The text is talking about demographics in a company and how there is a divide between the young and old employees. Actually, the new young employees tend to look down on the older more experienced staff. The sentence is: "Ca a été un peu "pousser vous les vieux, *vous passez de la commande*, on n'a plus besoin de vous."
TIA.
Proposed translations (English)
4 +4 you're no longer in the driving seat/time to take a back seat
4 you're not in charge anymore/you're no longer in charge
3 You're past it
1 old (fashion) stock
Change log

Mar 26, 2015 08:22: writeaway changed "Field (specific)" from "Human Resources" to "General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters" , "Field (write-in)" from "Corporate strategy" to "Human resources/Corporate strategy"

Apr 8, 2015 05:57: MoiraB Created KOG entry

Discussion

Jean-Claude Gouin Mar 27, 2015:
IMHO ... "Ca a été un peu ... Ça ...
"pousser vous les vieux' ... Poussez-vous ...
vous passez de la commande = Nobody in my neck of the woods would say something like that ... They could say 'passer une commande' ...
tanglsus Mar 26, 2015:
If we talk about the shifting in the position/power within the company, there is an expression: turn the tables, the table has been turned on the old generation.
mchd Mar 25, 2015:
You're no longer in control me semble parfaitement adapté. "Vous passez DE la commande" signifie que ces personnes n'ont plus l'ascendant sur les jeunes employés, qu'ils n'ont plus à les commander, à leur donner des ordres.
HelenG (asker) Mar 25, 2015:
Hi Katherine, thanks for your input. Hi Simon, interesting you should say that because one of my possible translations was "you're past your sell-by date" but I then decided I was misinterpreting the meaning. What do you think Nikki and Katherine?
Katherine Rutter Mar 25, 2015:
I think I'd probably say "clear off oldies, we are in charge now, we don't need you any more" or something along those lines.
Katherine Rutter Mar 25, 2015:
might it be something like "pass the baton" (i.e. pass it to the younger generation)?
HelenG (asker) Mar 25, 2015:
Hi Nikki, thanks for answering. It is an industrial procurement department in a large French company. So yes, that would be one option. But then wouldn't it be: "Vous passez des commandes"? I have been wondering if it is something along the lines of "You're no longer in control"?
Nikki Scott-Despaigne Mar 25, 2015:
What is the nature of the company's business? It sound as though they are saying "You can just get on with ordering", suggesting that we (the young'uns) will take care of the serious stuff. I don't know how literal or figurative this is. Do you have further context?

Proposed translations

+4
11 hrs
Selected

you're no longer in the driving seat/time to take a back seat

I agree it's about 'passing over the reins of power' so here are a couple of driving ideas.
Peer comment(s):
agree Victoria Britten : Nice idea!
1 hr
thanks!
agree Yolanda Broad : ...in the driver's seat... / I wondered if there was a difference... :-)
18 hrs
thanks - same UK/US difference as with driving licence/driver's license?
agree AllegroTrans
1 day 2 hrs
agree Louise TAYLOR
3 days 22 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
45 mins

old (fashion) stock

To me it sound more like “old (fashion) stock”.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Lucy O'Shea : But I think there is a more idiomatic way of saying this, such as 'You're past it" (as in past your sell-by date).
15 hrs
It could be. Why are you not posting it?
neutral AllegroTrans : do you mean "old-fashioned"? I don't find this particularly idiomatic
1 day 13 hrs
Maybe, but I did put "fashion" in parenthesis.
Something went wrong...
12 hrs

you're not in charge anymore/you're no longer in charge

a more North American way of saying it, perhaps?
Something went wrong...
1 day 12 hrs

You're past it

An idiomatic way of saying that the oldies are no longer of any use:
Reference:

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/past-it

Something went wrong...
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