I can't find the proper translation anywhere!!

[Laura Baker]

Hello,

 

I am trying to translate the word 'outhouse' or 'pit privy' into french for work.  I have checked some of our camping literature which the word appears but am not liking any of what we are currently using.  Some translations I have found say 'edicule' while others 'fosse d'aisance'.  I am not sure which, if either, is correct. If anyone knows what the proper translation would be, that would be great!

 

Merci beaucoup pour l'assistance.

 

Laura

[stu harris]

This gave my French chat group quite a laugh and a good deal of ribaldry ensued. They're all too young to have had experience of these. They don't like édicule, which definitely has the connotation of public access but not necessarily a hole in the ground. I suggested Les OO, which I'd heard of, but they didn't like that either. They finally settled on toilettes sèches.

[Neil Coffey]

I think "latrine" would be fine-- see:

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latrine

Technically, if you really want to specify it's a "pit privy", you could use "latrine à fosse". Another, slightly more euphemistic, expression is "lieu d'aisances".

I'm not an expert in lavatorial matters, but I think technically "fosse d'aisance" refers to the actual pit, not the privy itself.

When translating terms like this, it's worth trying to find other camping literature written in French and seeing what they generally use.

[Laura Baker]

thank you both for your imput with this. I know it's a crappy subjet (pun intended) but this is part of camping and I needed the proper translation for the french community in Manitoba :)

Thanks again :)