Help with translation

I am enjoying an email conversation with a French woman, but neither of us is confident with the other's language (I am English, and I didn't listen properly when I was at school!) I often have to use the Google translate service, but it is a pretty blunt instrument and I often think I miss some of the finer points. For example:

Que penser de la réserve britannique qui pourrait "glisser à tout moment" serait-elle vraiment alors la fameuse réserve? D'évidence, la latine que je suis n'y a rien compris.

I think I can nearly grasp it, but...

Can anyone help?

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Permalink Reply by nonick on August 3, 2010 at 7:37pm

Actually it would be useful if you told the topic of your mail... because "réserve" may relate to different things :) though I think she refers to the famous British phlegm.
In that case, here is a translation :

What about the British phlegm which may go wrong quickly ? could it be that famous phlegm then ?
Evidently, I am too latin to get it.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cooke on August 5, 2010 at 12:35pm

Hi nonick

Thank you for your help. Yes 'réserve' does relate to British phlegm, or British reserve as I prefer to call it. (Although 'phlegm' is used correctly in this sense, it more commonly means that nasty stuff at the back of your throat when you have a cold.)

I was trying to tell her that this 'reserve' that we British have, can, under certain circumstances, slip, and a more passionate person be revealed (let's not pursue this idea here!)

Thank you again, Steve

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Permalink Reply by freebird on August 11, 2010 at 8:43am

D'évidence, la latine que je suis n'y a rien compris ,i guess it means that obviously i know something about Latin .