Lara Barnett (asker) Sep 11, 2016:

@ All Thank you for your help, interesting debate and detailed discussions. I have checked sense of term with client who has confirmed AllegroTrans' earlier posting of "side paths" - so now we know!

AllegroTrans Sep 10, 2016:

Exactly What KudoZ calls prior research

Daryo Sep 10, 2016:

Any chance ... of following it on Google Maps or Earth? Yes, already done:

38.036402, 12.582419 Erice 38.024348, 12.551218 Trapani

What's the point on obsessing on dictionaries when the most relevant information is just waiting to be picked up?

AllegroTrans Sep 10, 2016:

Any chance... ...of following it on Google Earth?

Peter LEGUIE Sep 10, 2016:

One more comment: a short cut is usually a "raccourci' in French. Does this fit in with the context here?

Peter LEGUIE Sep 10, 2016:

I do not see why "coupure" should stand for a shortcut or branches leading off... Should it not just mean that the main trail is sometimes damaged, not in a good state of repair, but something to be ignored?
Just carry straight on...i

Lara Barnett (asker) Sep 10, 2016:

Original text PS. I think this may have been written by a French person, not an Italian. This company seems to use a variety of writers who are not always Italian.

Lara Barnett (asker) Sep 10, 2016:

@ Daryo The rest of the text is quite simple. But this is not a "short cut", as it would have to describe where it is leading to in order to be one. I am sure this is some sort of "side branch" as Allegro Trans has put, only "branch" would not work in this context unless we said "paths branching off" or something. The rest of the text is very general, e.g.:

Allez à la station et dépassez-la en la laissant sur votre gauche.
Descendez les escaliers après la station de télécabines.
Au bout de l’escalier, prenez la route en descente vers la gauche.
Prenez le chemin à droite en suivant le panneau pour ‘Belvedere San Nicola’ (c'est un hôtel).
Dépassez l’hôtel en pierre sur votre droite et prenez à gauche le chemin évident.
Vous suivrez ce chemin pour la majeure partie du parcours.
Après quelques pas, le panorama en face de vous s’ouvre : Trapani est à vos pieds, légèrement sur la droite, vous voyez les Iles Egades, et sur la gauche les salines de Trapani.
Ignorez toutes les coupures du sentier principal que vous trouvez près d’un pylône des télécabines.
Ignorez le sentier à droite au niveau d’un grand pin.

Daryo Sep 10, 2016:

Can you get hold of the original text? This being in Italy, the original text would have been in Italian? Or written by an Italian, in "Italian French"?

Without any additional information "une coupure du sentier" would be a short missing section of the pathway, which does happen not so rarely when you follow a trail - some section is missing and you just try to recognise where is the continuation of the trail.

BUT in this case it simply makes no sense - when you check the whole route of this cable car between Trapani and Erice on Google Earth all there is around each pylon is one path winding down the slope and another one going straight downhill.

So presumably you are advised to ignore the shortcuts going straight downhill.

AllegroTrans Sep 9, 2016:

looks like side paths to me

polyglot45 Sep 9, 2016:

looks like short cuts to me