[smurfieduck]

Hi all you french speaking smurfers

I recently purchased this smurf from a french seller:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... :IT&ih=003

The problem is the seller sent me a different smurf - I was sent a smurf with 4 pockets painted brown and not the one shown in the picture. So, I sent a message to the seller, in english but I have had no reply. Therefore, I would like to send the same message to the seller but this time in french. Hilary (smurfingH) tried to translate it for me but she suggested that I ask someone on here if it is correct.... Can anyone help???

Hiya,

I think it would be:

"Bonjour. Je crois que le schtroumpf safari n'etait pas le schtroumpf dans le photo. J'est deja achete ce schtroumpf variant. Je voudrais le schtroumpf avec les 3 poches marron, pas lui avec les 4 poches marron que j'avais recu. Je voulais recevoir le vrai schtroumpf, s'il vous plait. Peut-etre que vous payer pour la poste si je vous retourner le faux schtroumpf? Merci bien, Sharon."
If I were you I'd ask someone on the forum to double check my French! I know it's bad grammatically but it should make some sort of sense, I hope.

Take care, H xx

----- Original Message -----
From: SHARON RALPH
To: Hilary Drake
Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2008 3:01 PM
Subject: Translation


Hi Hilary

This is the message that I sent Ludo. Good luck in trying to turn it into french - don't worry if you can't. It's nice of you to have a go for me. If you do manage it, could you email it back to me and I will then send that to Ludo. Cheers!!

"Hello, I'm afraid you have not sent me the smurf that was in the photograph, in your listing. I already have this variant and wanted the smurf with 3 pockets painted brown at the front of his shirt, and not 4! You have sent me a smurf with 4 pockets that have been painted. Can I please have the correct smurf and will you cover the cost of me returning the smurf I already have back to you? Regards Sharon"

[SmurfingH]

My written French is terrible!

[smurfieduck]

My written French is terrible!

At least you had a go at trying to translate my message for me.

I haven't studied french since I was at school and I was good at it - THEN!! I do wish I had continued with it because I might be able to speak it fluently now.

[FlamingO]

Hi Sharon,

The exact same thing happened for me I bought the safari smurf from this seller based upon this picture and got sent the normal one.

I tried e-mailing a couple of times and got no response. So now he is just another smurf seller on my 'wouldn't touch again with a barge pole' list

I thought at the time maybe they made a genuine error, but now....

Good Luck though Hope you get some success

[Smurfysmurf]

I wish I could help you, Sharon, but my French is probably worse than yours...I took it for a few years in school, too...but this is one school memory I would like to forget, as I just could not get a grip on it

[smurfieduck]

Hi Sue

It looks as though this seller is doing this deliberately then. Did you leave him negative feedback?

[SmurfingH]

I've bought loads from him and not had a problem. I hope you're not right about him.

Duckie, send my bad grammer French anyway and see if you get an answer.

[FlamingO]

Hi Sharon,

No I did not leave a negative feedback. I didn't think I had pursued it enough to warrant one - and I didn't think it worth my time to try more communication .

I gave him the benefit of the doubt because I had had no problems before. It as only after reading this topic that I started to be more unsure .

I hope things get sorted for you. He may just use the same photo each time and be oblivious to the fact it is a variant

[naish510]

Hi Sharon, i had the same problem with the seller, it was the tootbrush smurf and i wasn't the one on the picture. But he sended me money back and i could keep the smurf. So i didn't had problems. And i wrote in english because my french is terrible .

[attombomb7]

hi!

try a translation service, its free

http://www.freetranslation.com/

sometimes, if you log in to French Ebay and send a email it should convert
english to french..

but I usually translate something, cut and paste it, and send it via EBAY.

hope you get your smurf!

[smurfieduck]

Thanks, Guys!

I have had some help from another forum member, Smurfurious (Dan) and I think things will turn out ok.

[Cassiebsg]

The problem with those online traslations, is that they translate very literaly... thus ignoring grammar... I can always tell when someone translates an english sentence into portuguese wanting to pretend they learned/know portuguese...