I think I'd stick with the French phrase, although it might sound less ironic in an English sentence than in German one. Or, how about "What a coincidence!" Can't think of anything better, I'm afraid.

related discussion: http://tinyurl.com/c8tvu

I'd avoid using this foreign expression, unless you can be sure most of your readers are high-brow enough to know it, ironical or not. Say it straight out in English - this comes as no surprise - and you will be understood for sure.

I agree, stick to the direct quotation as this is the motto of the Order of the Garter.

However it translates into English as "Dishonour unto him who evils thinks it". "Evil unto him who evils thinks it" is a common error as "Honi" and "Mal" are not the same.

da gibts nebenan im Französisch-Dico Hilfe...

Thanks for all the help. I am not going to leave the French, as I have seen no evidence that it is used ironically in English and the largely non-native-speaking readership will have to rely on their dictionaries for the French expression, which will leavce them baffled at the relevance of the Order of the Garter. I think Alan's suggestion is good, if perhaps a little too direct. SOmething along those lines will do it. Thanks again.

Ähm, is, graeme sucht aber keine Übersetzung ins Deutsche (die korrekte Übersetzung wäre eigentlich auch "Ehrlos sei...", wenn ich richtig informiert bin), sondern entweder die Bestätigung, daß man den Satz im Englischen stehen lassen kann, ohne den Sinn zu verfälschen, oder eben eine geeignete englische Formulierung.
@Alan(US) To me, "this foreign expression" is not at all highbrow, but a phrase most people in Britain will know as the motto of the Order of the Garter. So I suppose the question is whether the translation is directed towards a mainly British audience, in which case I see no problem at all in leaving it as it is, or towards English-speaking people in general, in which case it might be better to translate it.

"This comes as no surprise" is completely off the mark. The German translation is definitely "Ehrlos sei, wer Schlechtes dabei denkt", was nebenbei gesagt, im zitierten dt. Text herzlich wenig Sinn macht. King Edward III (der dann den Hosenband-Orden stiftete) soll die Worte gesagt haben, als die Gräfin Salisbury beim Tanz das Strumpfband verlor und er es aufhob. Also auf Englisch etwa: Dishonourable is he who thinks ill of it.

Das Auftauchen mehrerer bewaffneter Gruppen im Laufe des Jahres 2003, die sich zum Teil als der Albanischen Nationalarmee (AKSh ) angehörig bezeichneten, und mehrere Terrorakte, die auch Menschenleben forderten, unterstreichen die anfängliche Identitätskrise der DUI. In wessen Auftrag diese Gruppen agierten, ist bislang ungeklärt. Klar ist jedoch, dass eines ihrer Ziele die Infragestellung des Führungsanspruchs der DUI hinsichtlich der Anliegen der ehemaligen Kämpfer der UÇK war. Ein weiteres dürfte das Abstecken ihres Machtbereichs gewesen sein; mit anderen Worten: ein Zeichen an die Führung der DUI, dass sie bestimmte Gebiete nicht kontrollieren kann. Bezeichnend ist, dass diese Regionen gleichzeitig einerseits Hochburgen einiger der Warlords sind, andererseits an altbekannten Schmuggelrouten liegen, an denen schon lange nicht mehr „nur“ Schmuggel betrieben wird, sondern sich organisierte Kriminalität in ihrer modernsten Form entfalten konnte. Honi soit, qui mal y pense.

@Ferenczi, it makes sense if I give the whole context, see above (and sorry). THe problem is that the expression is used in English without irony. This is not the case in German, I am led to believe, hence the problem.

@Graeme: thanks for giving the whole context. I'm not so sure about the alleged ironic connotation in German. If it is really used ironically in the text you quoted, I confess the irony is completely lost on me. Naturally, like many other phrases, it can take on an ironical twist, but the main and original meaning is somewhere along the lines of: not he, who (with honourable intentions) does sth. that might look dubious, is dishonourable, but who who has a dirty mind. That's the sense in which I've heard it being used numerous times in whatever country.

"is" gave the german proverb and Ferenczi interpreted it the right way. the quoted english equivalent "dishonorable....bla" translates it,but the funny context is lost.

I disagree that the French version in an English context would lose out on irony. I think that the phrase being in a foreign language would make it very ironic!