Dabize pointed me toward this site in another thread, and I just had a chance to look around. Firstly, some of those French guys and gals are getting good highway results! Secondly, back in 2006, Hobbit's articles became all the rage on their site in the fuel economy thread (they have one big one...). As it is, for most of us, these treatises are fairly incomprehensible in large chunks just due to the huge base of knowledge to understand the automotive terms used. Hard as it is in English, now imagine someone with a loose knowledge of the language translating for everyone else in the European community. The result: Degraded furtive mode. (mode furtif dégradé) This is the name one user assigned to "warp stealth" by way of what I imagine was internet translator. The thing was, he took warp to mean the characteristic of something that is physically bent out of shape, changed, manipulated in form. Thus he assumed the stealth above 42 mph was a twisted, bent, or deformed version of regular stealth mode (aka EV mode). And thus it became "degraded furtive mode", was passed down through the ages, and evidently is now used widely by Prius enthusiasts in Europe. Hobbit - to remedy, you could sell someone the rights and have them produce "Easy Hobbitting Prius Techniques". I envision a side-by-side text, original next to layman's version, akin to simplified Shakespeare plays in those cheap Barnes and Noble editions. We could translate it into tens of languages for maximum bite, and you could include an autographed link to technofandom.
My wife has a degraded furtive mode. It's when she thinks she's running late but can't find her glasses because they're on her head, and she's lost her watch that's right in front of her, but she can't see it because she's not wearing her glasses.
That's funny Mike. I wonder how many of them are also practicing "Legume and Glide" techniques. Pulse (legume) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This could backfire, by getting on the French Prius community's blacklist. I picture going to Paris for vacation and being denied the right to purchase a chocolate croissant in the neighborhood boulangerie. I will be verbally accosted, to which I'll crustily retort, "Ich spreche kein Französisch!!" That should all go over well.
I also am on The Prius Touring club forum in France and I could easily explain this to you : Mode furtif dégradé : It is designated as degraded because above 42Mph (70 km/h) the MG1 motor is used to rotate the engine without burning fuel, this behaviour uses more energy than the under 42 Mph stealth mode…this is why warp stealth mode is less efficient than the stealth mode… and why it is said to be a degraded stealth mode…
The neighborhood boulangerie will just deny you the purchase of a chocolate croissant because they don't make it, they either make croissant (baked with oil), croissant au beurre (baked with butter), croissant aux amandes (with almonds) or pain au chocolat, but chocolate croissant is not a french specialty, I only saw these in english speaking countries (south africa and scotland)… In my knowledge there is no such thing as a "French Prius community's blacklist" so you are safe here…
Thanks for clearing that up Tchou. So it actually makes more sense than "warp" stealth mode, not less. :thumb:
I believe the term "warp" is slang to indicate high speed stealth, in which case in the french translation it would be better to use mode furtive rapide, or something like that? What is the French term for warp speed from Star Trek?
Phew! "Chocolate croissant" est la traduction anglaise d'un pain au chocolat, même si (vous avez raison!) la description n'est pas exactement la bonne.
I can't think of anything as "degrade' " (need a Fr keyboard) as a chocolate croissant......... I'd hate to think that I started a Franco-American war by mentioning that very interesting site here - esp since I'm using it to brush up on my Fr before my visit to Paris this summer. Too bad the Prius is a hatchback, or I could make an unforgiveable but irresistable "double entendre" involving the Battle of Sedan..........
Don't confuse Parisians with the French people. In my travels around France, I've found the French outside Paris to be wonderful, friendly, and helpful. Just about all Parisians I've encountered were rude and arrogant.
