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Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

Le littoral représenté

English translation:

Images / Representations of the littoral / coast

Added to glossary by Helen Shiner
Jul 22, 2011 11:50
12 yrs ago
2 viewers *
French term

Le littoral représenté

French to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature History of Corsica
Title of a subsection under "La Découverte de l'Ile"

L’insularité c’est un vécu. Car tous les Corses, même au cœur de la montagne, ne sont jamais très loin de cette ligne d’horizon que représente la mer. Et le vécu de cette population c’est le départ, forcément par la mer jusqu’à ces dernières décennies. Tous les Corses ou presque ont pris le bateau, vécu le départ, la séparation, la disparition même, un souvenir ou un sentiment douloureux lié à la mer.

TIA
Proposed translations (English)
4 -1 Images / Representations of the littoral
4 +1 the significance of the coast
3 +1 the insular experience, the coastal spirit, island living, insularity
3 +1 Living and breathing the islander experience
3 The coast personified
2 +1 The Idea of Coast
Change log

Jul 31, 2011 08:01: Maria Constant (X) Created KOG entry

Jul 31, 2011 11:58: Helen Shiner changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/111686">Maria Constant (X)'s</a> old entry - "Le littoral représenté"" to ""Images / Representations of the coast""

Discussion

Maria Constant (X) (asker) Jul 23, 2011:
In reply to Rachel and Phil, I've reproduced the full paragraph. Underneath there's an "icono" of Falaises de Bonifacio by the photographer, Philippe Jambert and a photo by Patrick Bock "sans titre" and his biography.
Rachel Fell Jul 22, 2011:
I agree with quite a few of the ideas here, I think it's something like image, but it's a pity we can't see the paragraph as a whole.
Helen Shiner Jul 22, 2011:
@ phil I love beach reading, too, but littoral literature is something else - i.e. about the coast.
philgoddard Jul 22, 2011:
Helen I love "littoral literature", meaning beach reading!
Nikki Scott-Despaigne Jul 22, 2011:
@ Phil Take a look at my additional note. The dictioary definition, or one of them, of the word representation, in both French and English refers to a certain idea, a certain image. Helen has the right idea I'm sure.
Representation describes how that certain idea or image can be defined in the eyes of each individual.
philgoddard Jul 22, 2011:
I think there's something we're missing here. Is this the whole of the text underneath the heading, or is there more? My first thought was "Representations of the coastline", as in artistic or literary. I know it says that the sea represents the horizon for Corsicans, but I don't think that's what "représenté" refers to. Does it make any mention of art or literature?
Jocelyne Cuenin Jul 22, 2011:
imaginer, cartographier, représenter Je verrais une suite logique. Sous ce lien http://expositions.bnf.fr/coro_test/it/43/01.htm, on parle des enjeux de la cartographie avec des termes comme connaître, imaginer, représenter... On aurait donc peut-être "le littéral représenté" comme dans l'anglais de "to represent" qui peut aussi prendre beaucoup de significations. http://dictionnaire.sensagent.com/représent/en-en/. cf Helen's representation.
Maria Constant (X) (asker) Jul 22, 2011:
The other subtitles are:
Les premiers hommes,
L'Antiquité, des dieux et des hommes
La méditerranée occidentale du XVI au XVIII siècle
Des atlas pour imaginer le monde
Des ingénieurs pour cartographier le monde... et la Corse
Nikki Scott-Despaigne Jul 22, 2011:
If the rest of the paragraph continues in the same vein, then this is about the experience, feeling and spirit of living on an island. "Représentation" works for me, reading the text in that way. Any heading which conveys the idea of feeling, emotion, spirit, experience... will do well. Representation is not a zillion miles away acutally!
Jocelyne Cuenin Jul 22, 2011:
Quels sont les autres sous-titres ? En tant que francophone, je trouve ce sous-titre assez curieux. En le mettant face aux autres, on y verrait certainement plus clair.

Proposed translations

-1
13 mins
Selected

Images / Representations of the littoral

The littoral zone is that part of a sea, lake or river that is close to the shore. In coastal environments the littoral zone extends from the high water mark, which is rarely inundated, to shoreline areas that are permanently submerged. It always includes this intertidal zone and is often used to mean the same as the intertidal zone. However, the meaning of "littoral zone" can extend well beyond the intertidal zone.

The word "littoral" is used both as a noun and an adjective. It derives from the Latin noun litus, litoris, meaning "shore". (The doubled 't' is a late medieval innovation and the word is sometimes seen in the more classical-looking spelling 'litoral'.)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Littoral_zone



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Note added at 15 mins (2011-07-22 12:06:24 GMT)
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Coastlines and Littoral Zones

12-14 August 2011

Cape Town, South Africa
(The Grail Centre, Kleinmond)

Southern African and African literatures are rich in representations and explorations of our extensive coastlines, their associated waters and denizens. Yet this zone and its symbolisms are thus far almost entirely absent from our literary critical studies. This colloquium seeks to begin to fill this gap. While the emphasis is on the Southern African region, coastal studies of other regions, especially with African and comparative perspectives, are welcome. "Literature" is to be regarded as including all genres, including non-fiction. The colloquium also seeks to draw in the scientific community, to begin an environmentally fruitful conversation between ecology, literature, and related disciplines.
http://www.coetzeecollective.net/events.html

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Note added at 16 mins (2011-07-22 12:07:15 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

You might even want to translate it as 'Images of the littoral zone' though I have met it more often as 'the littoral' (noun).

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Note added at 19 mins (2011-07-22 12:10:07 GMT)
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We don’t know where you hang your hat, but out New York City way, it is hot. Surface of the sun hot. Hotter than Marilyn Monroe-reading-Ulysses hot. Such weather makes us long for balmier climes—and the books we would read were we there. And while we know “beach book” has a certain connotation (mindless thriller, mindless romance, mindless sci-fi, mindless chick lit), the Ape has a particular affinity for reading books set on or around the beach while reveling in a little supine sunbathing. [...]
(PS-We’re always looking for more great littoral literature, so drop us a hint in the comments if you’ve got a recommendation).
http://thereadingape.blogspot.com/2010/07/we-dont-know-where...
Peer comment(s):
disagree laenai : Just because the word "littoral" exists in English does not mean that it should be used to translate "littoral". This is usually translated as "coast" or "coastline" and there is nothing to suggest it should be different here. Not a technical text.
16 mins
Actually, laenai - as I have demonstrated, it is used frequently in literary and academic circles, so your disagree is just plain wrong.//We have little context but it reads to me like a literary review or analysis, so my suggestion is totally in keeping.
neutral philgoddard : Actually Laenai does have a point, though I wouldn't go as far as disagreeing with you.
3 hrs
Hi phil, we do not have sufficient context for laeni to be so absolute, actually. My links make its use quite clear in literary contexts, etc. So it is not correct to say it is wrong unless she wishes to claim all these links are also wrong.
neutral Nikki Scott-Despaigne : I have said in my additional note, that I like your idea of representation. As I do of "littoral" BTW, but I suspect that sadly, and without wishing to patronise potential readers, it may not be sufficiently widely known to be useable.//See further note!
4 hrs
Yes, representation is literally re-presentation as is an image, figurative or actual, but I am really not persuaded of the need to dumb down here given the tone of the source text.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks Helen. Representations worked very well here."
17 mins

The coast personified

It's a representation, but it's more than that - it's an allusion to how the coast is so important to Corsicans. That's why I would consider personified..
Peer comment(s):
neutral Helen Shiner : Where though is the personification? You would need a character which represented coast-like tendencies or a statue or some such - personification means 'in human form'.
3 mins
neutral Nikki Scott-Despaigne : personification cannot work here as there is none.
1 hr
Something went wrong...
+1
42 mins

The Idea of Coast

People living on a small island (or other suchlike 'habitats') must have a distinctive perception of their environment and boundaries.

That's why my immediate thoughts went to Glenn Gould's Idea of North (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MeTImOtqYc).

Hence my suggestion, or, as an alternative,
The Coast as a Sentiment/a Mindset

I might have been carried away by it all, though. And that is the reason for my low confidence level.
Peer comment(s):
agree philgoddard
4 hrs
Thank you, Phil.
Something went wrong...
+1
3 hrs

the significance of the coast

Just a suggestion - seems to fit in with the paragraph which follows.
Peer comment(s):
agree Rachel Fell
25 mins
thank you
neutral Helen Shiner : representation is not significance
54 mins
Something went wrong...
+1
1 hr

the insular experience, the coastal spirit, island living, insularity

With reference to my post in the discussion section, then perhaps "insularity" might work. It is all about emotion and feeling. The problem with this choice is that it is also the first word of the paragraph!



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Note added at 3 hrs (2011-07-22 15:36:12 GMT)
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"A certain idea of the coast" might be another way of phrasing it, although perhaps not as getting historically poitical might be best avoided. ;)

I quite like Helen's "representations" as it corresponds to the information we have, that there are emotions, ideas, images which come into play. I also like Helen's use of "littoral" but it might not mean that much to the average reader, although I am not meaning to sound patronising at all here!

Howabout, "on the inside looking out"??? The text does refer to views of the coast from inhabitants looking from the mountainous regions to the coast too. Yes, I qutie like that :

"On the inside looking out".

(C'est mon dernier mot, Jean-Pierre!)

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Note added at 4 hrs (2011-07-22 16:48:44 GMT)
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Love the expression "dumb down" Helen! Littoral is used in academic and literary circles, yes. However, it would not be used in the daily news programme in the UK, nor to describe what might be endangered from an ecological point of view. In France and average teenager knows what the word means. In the UK your average teenager does not. Cultural register has to be taken into account. Although I love your word and if meant to be read by folks who read a lot, have good general knowledge etc, then littoral would be spot on. It is an ordinary word in France; it is not an ordinary word in the UK.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Helen Shiner : Hi Nikki - I realise all of the above but I don't think this text is aimed at teenagers, FR or EN. I read it as a poetic, literary description of the coastal area and its people. But the Asker will have to confirm one way or another.
4 hrs
agree Yolanda Broad
1 day 8 hrs
Something went wrong...
+1
2 hrs

Living and breathing the islander experience

Rather a free rendering, seeking to convey the tone and flavour of the subsection text.

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Note added at 5 hrs (2011-07-22 17:48:47 GMT)
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Corsica is a relatively small island, so the coastal environment dominates and so do the experiences that come with it - and the feelings they generate in Corsicans. The sea influences all...
Peer comment(s):
agree Yolanda Broad
1 day 7 hrs
Thank you, Yolanda.
Something went wrong...
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