goutte d'eau de colibri

English translation: every little helps

17:48 Dec 2, 2020
French to English translations [PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / Company text promotion outreach work
French term or phrase: goutte d'eau de colibri
Hi all,

I'm translating an interview with two company representatives about their community outreach work. The troublesome phrase appears in its full sentence form below:

"Je me rends compte de l’ampleur de notre Groupe et de la portée de ses actions en matière de RSE. Pour moi, [...] est un excellent déclencheur, un moyen de promouvoir toutes les actions de cœur de l’entreprise. Je suis toujours ravie de voir émerger des petits projets portés par des collaborateurs tellement investis, pour moi ce sont autant de petites gouttes d’eau de colibris !"

Could anyone help please?

Many thanks in advance for your help!
Matt Valentine
Norway
Local time: 03:23
English translation:every little helps
Explanation:
positive + implication of solidarity but does lack the poetry of the original!
Selected response from:

Margaret Morrison
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:23
Grading comment
Thanks, Margaret! :)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +7little acorns
Michele Fauble
5 +4every little helps
Margaret Morrison
4 +2Every little bit helps
Bokani Hart
4 +1Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.
Shilpa Baliga
4everyone doing their part/their bit/what they can
Wolf Draeger
4 -1In this context I will say "precious drops of water"
Gloria Palubjakova
3(which offer) valuable (albeit modest) contributions
ormiston
2nothiing more than a drop in the bucket
Barbara Cochran, MFA
4 -4a useless action/activity
Francois Boye


Discussion entries: 9





  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -4
a useless action/activity


Explanation:
https://www.decopositive.com/product/la-goutte-et-le-colibri...

Francois Boye
United States
Local time: 22:23
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Gloria Palubjakova: This refers to a positive action not a negative one (in this context). Also, if one was to take your link into consideration, the hummingbird's action are little or may seem insignificant but they are useful at the end.
3 hrs
  -> Any action that does not solve a problem is useless: that's the objection to the hummingbird in the text!

disagree  Tony M: This is indeed here a positive action, as outlined by other answerers.
5 hrs
  -> Any action that does not solve a problem is useless: that's the objection to the hummingbird in the text!

disagree  Michele Fauble: Asker’s context requires a positive interpretation, not the original negative one.
5 hrs
  -> Any action that does not solve a problem is useless: that's the objection to the hummingbird in the text!

disagree  AllegroTrans: 100% agree with above 3 comments
18 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
nothiing more than a drop in the bucket


Explanation:
Maybe.

Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 22:23
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Francois Boye
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Francois.

neutral  Gloria Palubjakova: It's more positive
3 hrs
  -> Except that "nothing more" could refer to the ease of the situation.

disagree  Tony M: This is indeed here a positive action, as outlined by other answerers.
5 hrs
  -> But just like you just about always do (behavioral issue), you react as soon as you see my name, rather than actually read all of my comments.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

26 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +4
every little helps


Explanation:
positive + implication of solidarity but does lack the poetry of the original!

Margaret Morrison
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:23
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks, Margaret! :)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Suzie Withers
8 mins

agree  philgoddard
25 mins

neutral  Barbara Cochran, MFA: Would never say it this way in the US. A word seems to be missing.
3 hrs
  -> I had no idea that wasn't used in US English. Interesting. A paraphrase then for US I guess or acorns/drops of water

agree  Tony M: Cf. the old, old saying "'Every little helps!' said the old lady as she ...ed in the ocean"
4 hrs

neutral  Daryo: Morrison(s) plagiarizing Tesco's slogan? Qui l'eût cru ...
7 hrs
  -> ;-)

agree  Yvonne Gallagher: It was an expression long before Tesco used it
15 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

29 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Every little bit helps


Explanation:
For me, 'every little bit helps' encapsulates the idea of a little humming bird doing everything it can, however small it may be, to help the team.

Bokani Hart
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:23
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Gloria Palubjakova: I agree with this.
3 hrs
  -> Thanks Gloria

neutral  Tony M: Although the idea is right, I don't believe adding 'bit' contributes anything to what is in essence a set phrase. / How curious, perhaps it's a generational thing? Exactly the reverse for me!
4 hrs
  -> Thanks Tony, but I've only ever used the expression 'every little bit helps', which comes more naturally to me.

agree  Suzie Withers: I think this is a valid variation on "Every little helps" and takes away the direct "Tesco" association https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/every little bit helps
14 hrs
  -> Thanks Suzie
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

37 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +7
little acorns


Explanation:
Saying:
From little acorns come mighty oaks.



Michele Fauble
United States
Local time: 19:23
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Peter Field
8 mins
  -> thanks

agree  Suzie Withers
10 mins
  -> thanks

agree  philgoddard
15 mins
  -> thanks

agree  Tony M: Slightly skews the meaning, suggesting a temporal element that isn't really there in the original; but certainly along the right lines here.
4 hrs
  -> thanks

agree  Bokani Hart: I like it, it's very evocative
16 hrs
  -> thanks

agree  writeaway
18 hrs
  -> thanks

agree  Gloria Palubjakova
21 hrs
  -> thanks

neutral  ormiston: But how would this actually fit into the sentence?
21 hrs
  -> That’s for the translator to decide.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

55 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.


Explanation:
Not a homegrown English expression, but a quote from Ryunosuke Akutagawa.

Shilpa Baliga
Local time: 03:23
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M: A little cumbersome to actually use here, but I think best embodies the notion; it may SEEM as if our individual efforts are insignificant, but the end result can be colossal, and we must not be discouraged from doing whatever we can, however small.
4 hrs
  -> Thanks! I agree that it is rather cumbersome to use here :-)
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

59 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
In this context I will say "precious drops of water"


Explanation:
The little projects put forward... are precious and important to the author. The hummingbird carries water droplets but they are important and precious to it.

Gloria Palubjakova
Canada
Local time: 03:23
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Tony M: In a literal sense, perhaps... but that wouldn't really help very much to convey the wider figurative notion in Asker's context here.
4 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

16 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
(which offer) valuable (albeit modest) contributions


Explanation:
Why not ?

ormiston
Local time: 03:23
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: Right idea, though not totally sure about hos this would fit in the present text...
2 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

23 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
everyone doing their part/their bit/what they can


Explanation:
To the extent that InterWeb searches are reliable references, the hummingbird story behind the expression in this text seems to be around in both French and English.

It's hard to know whether and where the expression behind this question has gained some currency in French and why the speaker uses it here. Is it mentioned earlier, was the story part of a company workshop or CSR presentation, and so on. It may not be commonplace at all.

The meaning that stands out for me, which is made clear in the story itself, is that of doing what one can, whatever difference it makes. It's not so much that every little bit helps, but that everyone has a part to play. If everyone does their bit (and the actions of some will have a bigger impact than those of others), then a crisis can be dealt with or, indeed, a fire put out.

---

https://colibris-lemouvement.org/mouvement/legende-colibri
https://www.sapn05.org/la-legende-du-colibri/
https://michelduchaine.com/2013/07/25/legende-amerindiennele...

Example sentence(s):
  • It's so great to see employees putting so much time and effort into little ventures, everyone is doing what they can.
  • I'm always delighted to see small undertakings by employees who are so comitted to doing their bit.

    Reference: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7283337-the-little-hummin...
    Reference: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/review-t...
Wolf Draeger
South Africa
Local time: 04:23
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 7
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.


See also:
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search