This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
peinture type d'un bureau
éviers de travail

Glossary entry

français term or phrase:

mis au service d\'un principe

anglais translation:

foster the principle of uncertainty

Added to glossary by Lara Barnett
Dec 25, 2011 00:47
12 yrs ago
2 viewers *
français term

mis au service d'un principe

français vers anglais Art / Littérature Cinéma, film, TV, théâtre Review on work of Visual film artist/photographer
This is a phrase from a description of some of the work of a visual/photoographic artist who usually works from photographing film frames/images. This particular paragraph is talking about the narrative tension and suspense caused by the way he uses the frames he chooses. Context reads:

"Le principe de ces œuvres où tout ne se donne pas à voir en même temps génère une tension narrative. L’entrechoquement des images appartenant à des registres opposés (l’amour et la guerre) est porteur de mystère. La fiction (photogrammes de films) et la réalité (photographies prises par l’artiste) se confondent et SONT MIS AU SERVICE D'UN PRINCIPE d’incertitude. La multiplication des stimuli visuels perturbe le spectateur/lecteur qui ne sait plus où regarder, où se placer. "

I am confused here about "mis au service" (I think). Although my own translation of this section makes no sense, I provide below what I have attempted:

"The clashing of the images, belonging to opposing registers- namely love and war – convey mystery. Fiction, filmic photograms, and reality, photographs taken by the artist, blend, and are implemented by the notion of incertitude."
Proposed translations (anglais)
3 +2 foster the principle of uncertainty
3 are dominated by a principle of uncertainty
3 (for the express purpose of) creating incertainty
3 lose A to B
3 (The confusing of fiction (...) and reality (...)) feeds a principle of uncertainty

Proposed translations

+2
1 heure
français term (edited): mis au service d'un principe d'incertitude
Selected

foster the principle of uncertainty

In this context, IMO.

Merry Christmas!
Peer comment(s):
agree Just Opera : 'foster a principle of general uncertainty'. i.e. I think here PRINCIPE d’incertitude relates to the mathematical theory of general uncertainty. i.e. when we know one variable we lose sight of the other.
8 heures
Thank you.
agree Nikki Scott-Despaigne : This is a nice way of solving this one.
10 heures
Thank you.
agree Yvonne Gallagher
10 heures
Thank you.
disagree rkillings : NO justification for the definite article here. You might get away with it if this were about Heisenberg's. But it says "a principle".
1 jour 16 heures
OK, "foster a principle of uncertainty" (already suggested by Just Opera). Thank you.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you."
3 heures
français term (edited): mis au service d\'un principe

are dominated by a principle of uncertainty

would fit in this context
Peer comment(s):
neutral Nikki Scott-Despaigne : This is certainly the right meaning as it conveys the idea of fiction and reality being in subordination to the principle of uncertainty.
6 heures
Something went wrong...
8 heures

(for the express purpose of) creating incertainty

fiction and reality become one/they intermingle/overlap

in the name of the principle of uncertainty
Something went wrong...
9 heures
français term (edited): mettre A au service d'un principe de B

lose A to B

My header is deliberately way off the question as put. To my mind, the only ntaural possibilities here mean you have to move away from this construction if you are to stand a chance of remaining faithful to the idea.

This is a dreadful piece of writing! The original is overloaded. I am not surprised you are having trouble with it, even allowing for the fact that modern French can bear bittier sentences than English.

When I get pieces like this in a text, I get to grips with them by getting rid of the extra bits in parentheses.

La fiction (photogrammes de films) et la réalité (photographies prises par l’artiste) se confondent et SONT MIS AU SERVICE D'UN PRINCIPE d’incertitude.

Becomes :


La fiction et la réalité se confondent et SONT MIS AU SERVICE D'UN PRINCIPE d’incertitude.

You will probably agree that is eminently more understandable. (Have to be careful not to chop out those tiny essential words which change the meaning completely though!)

Fiction merges with reality to "be in subordination to the principle of uncertainty". (Yeuch. Gotta do something with that last bit!)

Suggestion :

"Fiction and reality merge into a lack of certainty."

It might seem a bit "sommaire" but to be honest, nothing is lost, in fact I think a great edal is gained. Just need to stick the other bits back in again, unless you find some other more natural way of doing it in English.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 hrs (2011-12-25 10:49:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"Fiction in the form of films and reality in the form of photographs merge into a lack of certainty."

Indeed, I reckon you need to do away with the parentheses in English otherwise it looks ridiculous. The idea is to be understood after all.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 hrs (2011-12-25 11:24:25 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

For my first suggestion, this gives :

"Fiction (photograms of the films) and reality (photographs taken by the artist) merge into a lack of certainty."

And my second suggestion remains as is, without the use of brackets :

"Fiction in the form of films and reality in the form of photographs merge into a lack of certainty."

I prefer the second version but that's just my point of view! There are a number of different possibilities.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Just Opera : if you remove the parentheses you lose the idea of meta narrative in the work of the subject i.e. fiction for the subject is represented by photographs taken of film stills (images of images) and reality by images they create solely.
16 minutes
I see what you mean but I noted that the parentheses may be removed to make the whole sentence flow. The ideas of coruse have to be expressed, but the actual brackets stilt reading in such a long snetence.
Something went wrong...
14 heures

(The confusing of fiction (...) and reality (...)) feeds a principle of uncertainty

A bit of twisting to get to a more English-sounding phrasing
Something went wrong...
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Recherche par terme
  • Travaux
  • Forums
  • Multiple search