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sanglé de cuir
sert et dessert

Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

vitrines aux gourmandises

English translation:

from window displays to gourmet treats

Added to glossary by John Holland
Nov 27, 2012 15:24
11 yrs ago
2 viewers *
French term

vitrines aux gourmandises

French to English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
De Milan à Saint-Petersbourg, de Londres à Paris, de New-York à Moscou, des vitrines aux gourmandises, les show-rooms XX y mettent la forme: celle du cube en thème global superlatif et versions particulières uniques.
Proposed translations (English)
4 +2 from windows displays to gourmet treats
4 +2 eye-catching window displays
4 +1 mouth-watering window displays
4 delicacies displays
4 temples of desire
3 +1 from the showcases themselves to the delights they contain
3 goody displays/displays of goodies
3 speciality-food window displays
3 our stunning showrooms and dazzling designs
Change log

Nov 27, 2012 17:09: philgoddard changed "Field" from "Tech/Engineering" to "Other" , "Field (specific)" from "Materials (Plastics, Ceramics, etc.)" to "General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters"

Dec 18, 2012 08:57: John Holland Created KOG entry

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (1): cc in nyc

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Discussion

Jenny Cowd (asker) Dec 3, 2012:
Hi Phil. Because, as John suggested, I think it may have been referring to an overall global theme and general trend, therefore the gourmet treats could be another example of where this theme is reflected, even if the company actually produces furniture. But, I repeat, it's just the conclusion I reached based on my impression... even if I specifically asked the client for some feedback I still haven't heard a thing.... so perhaps we'll never know!
philgoddard Dec 1, 2012:
Jenny Please clarify one thing. You led us to understand this was not about food, and yet you've chosen an answer containing "gourmet treats". Why?
kashew Dec 1, 2012:
A late idea! "Confection, Confectionery sweetmeats, pastry, etc.; a composition of a light nature, either musical or literary."
It might have worked? Window display confections? ;-)
Jenny Cowd (asker) Nov 28, 2012:
I've asked the client for explanations but so far nothing, so we're still in suspense! Thanks all for the ideas so far!
Catherine De Crignis Nov 28, 2012:
Ambiguous Ideally Jenny needs to ask her client since we all have strong gut feelings and valid arguments (see Victoria's comment), but none of us knows for sure.
Kate Collyer Nov 27, 2012:
My interpretation I think the French ought to read as follows:-

De Milan à Saint-Petersbourg, de Londres à Paris, de New-York à Moscou, les show-rooms XX, des vitrines aux gourmandises, y mettent la forme du cube en...

i.e. "From Milan to St Petersburg, from London to Paris, from New York to Moscow, the stylish, eye-catching displays of the XX showrooms bring the shape of the cube to the city, both as..."
Kate Collyer Nov 27, 2012:
@ phil Good point re window/showcase. Totally agree that, at the very least, the translation should not be misleading about the product being sold!
philgoddard Nov 27, 2012:
I don't think it refers specifically to windows - it means vitrine in the sense of showcase. I also think you should mention the product they're selling, which is furniture.

Proposed translations

+2
2 hrs
Selected

from windows displays to gourmet treats

I think the structure of the sentence indicates that what is being discussed is a series of different comparisons: "From A to B, from X to Y, from P to Q..."

So, for me, the portion to translate is in fact "des vitrines aux gourmandises":

"From Milan to Saint Petersburg, from London to Paris, from New York to Moscow, from window displays to gourmet treats, the XX showrooms...."

The idea is that the cube is the hot shape of the season in all of those different locations and contexts.

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Note added at 2 hrs (2012-11-27 17:59:04 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In response to the note, I think the idea is that the cube shape, both as an overall global theme and in particular objects (such as items of furniture or cube-shaped chocolates, I guess, etc.), is part of a worldwide trend, and XX company is positioning itself on the forefront of this trend.

Something like that...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2012-11-27 18:02:53 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

BTW, my answer should read "window displays" and not "windows displays." Sorry for the typo.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2012-11-27 18:17:20 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

See #13 on the following list of trends for 2011, at http://www.trendhunter.com/tv/trends-in-2011-forecast :

"13. Modern Cubism - Cubed lighting, architecture, seating and technology are the perfect match for those valuing clean lines and an uncluttered aesthetic. The simplistic geometric shape of the cube lends itself well to modern minimalist homes as the quest for visual clarity saturates interior design and bleeds into product design, branding and many other industries."

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2012-11-27 18:29:15 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

For a foodie example, see the recipe for "balsamic cubes" in the following article on "Quirky and fun food trends": http://www.lfpress.com/life/eat/2010/01/19/12531396.html
Note from asker:
I had the same idea John. Only that here, talking about furniture, what have gourmet treats or food in general got to do with anything? What a nightmare of a text!
Thanks, that makes sense. Thanks for the comment Katsy too as I was a bit worried about losing the grammatical structure of the comparison.
Peer comment(s):
neutral katsy : you posted just as I was 'composing'! I'm glad I'm therefore not the only one to read the text as you do! i.e the FROM ...TO
7 mins
Thanks, katsy!
neutral writeaway : where you see 'aux'. this would be nice if that's what it said. it's not like vitrines aux gourmandises is the end of the sentence
42 mins
Thanks, writeaway! I'm not sure how else to read or understand the sentence, though...
agree Jocelyne Cuenin : J'ai répondu à l'appel au secours de Katsy au sujet de A to B avant de voir votre contribution. Autrement, c'est vrai qu'on est dans les meubles ...alors treats tout seul? little treats? But not too sure about window display.
2 hrs
Merci beaucoup, Petitavoine ! Je pense qu'ils veulent dire que les show-rooms XX s'associent à la tendance "cube" qu'on trouve partout, même dans les vitrines et les gourmandises. Mais ce n'est qu'une interprétation parmi d'autres...
disagree Catherine De Crignis : Already replied to Katsy. I'd say we're barking up the wrong tree here. I'm not adamant, but quite sure. If this meaning was meant to be conveyed by the French, then the French would be disastrous.
2 hrs
Thanks, CatherineDC! It is an ambigugous construction, and I agree with your discussion entry about checking with the client.
agree Victoria Britten : I think the French is possibly a bit heavy-handed, but I think it would be even more so to use the same grammatical construction a fourth time immediately after the first three, but with a different meaning.
4 hrs
Thanks, Victoria! The grammatical repetition does seem a crucial element to me, as well.
agree Daryo
14 hrs
Thanks. Daryo!
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "The client never got back to me, but my personal view is that the comparison structure was necessary so I'm going for this answer. Thanks everyone for all the ideas."
26 mins

goody displays/displays of goodies

That's what came to mind
Something went wrong...
+1
41 mins

mouth-watering window displays

my suggestion
Reference:

http://www.bettys.co.uk/bettys_harrogate.aspx

Peer comment(s):
agree GILLES MEUNIER
31 mins
thanks Gilou!
neutral Kate Collyer : Mouthwatering is not the reaction I'd anticipate from looking at furniture!
53 mins
disagree Josephine Cassar : because "mouth-watering" refers only to delicacies, but in txet, it refers o all goods on display
1 hr
neutral writeaway : tempting which works with more than just food. mouthwatering doesn't work with furniture unless one is a termite
1 hr
I must be a termite then!
agree SafeTex : To answer Cassar' remark, you could also say that not all the food is 'eye-catching'. It might look plain but your mouth waters cos you know what it tastes like. For me, 'mouthwatering is the principal idea
6 hrs
Something went wrong...
1 hr

delicacies displays

gourmandises = apprécié par les gourmets = delicacies
Peer comment(s):
neutral Kate Collyer : That suggests food, whereas this is furniture. / Yes, "gourmandises" is food, but it's being used metophorically here, in a way not covered by "delicacies" in English.
24 mins
"gourmandises" IS food
neutral writeaway : also delicacy displays in any case. like picture displays, not pictures displays.
54 mins
thanks for the correction, but it doesn't matter much now; the question was based on incorrect parsing.
Something went wrong...
+2
1 hr

eye-catching window displays

The emphasis here has to be on the visual.

Alternatively: opulent, luxurious, lavish, sumptuous.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2012-11-27 17:21:37 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Second thought:

Stylish, eye-catching displays
Peer comment(s):
agree Davina Hepworth : 'show-rooms' implies furniture or fixtures/fittings so this is the best suggestion.
8 mins
Thanks Davina!
agree Josephine Cassar : Best answer
13 mins
Thanks :)
agree Catherine De Crignis : Sounds good to me. Btw you're right in repeating it's not food ! I do find the French quite bizarre (in this question but also the others). A lot of blah-blah I wouldn't swear I get 100%.
3 hrs
Thanks Catherine!
disagree Victoria Britten : I think the phrase is picking up from the previous three occurrences of "de ... à ...", which this answer doesn't.
4 hrs
I think the opposite, as explained in my comment to katsy's answer.
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

speciality-food window displays

*
Peer comment(s):
neutral Kate Collyer : At the peril of repeating myself for the umpteenth time, this is NOT food-related! / There were several answers posted a good while previous to yours - reading them and their comments should have given you a clue!
1 hr
Keep your hair on, lady!
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

temples of desire

"Vitrine" means "showcase" here - not literally a glass box, but a place where objects are placed on display. The stores are selling furniture, and "gourmandises" means that you covet everything you see. So here's my suggestion.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2012-11-27 18:49:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"The previous class had nicknamed MBK [a shopping mall] as the temple of desire."
http://jenny4peace.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/temple-of-desire...

"The store is a temple of desire, mixing the best of high fashion with cherry-picked CDs and beauty products"
http://www.burdastyle.com/blog/friday-playlist--2
Peer comment(s):
neutral Trudy Peters : You sure you're not thinking of certain sections of A'dam? :-)
1 hr
neutral Daryo : It’s really catchy, but too much "poetic licence" included.
1 hr
It NEEDS poetic licence. It's a punchy piece of (presumably marketing) copy in French, and it needs to be rendered similarly in English. I feel many of the answers here are too literal and pedestrian.
Something went wrong...
+1
2 hrs

from the showcases themselves to the delights they contain

Am I the only person who reads this as "from A to B" (echoing the beginnig of the sentence)?
It seems to me that the sentence doesn't make sense other wise :
"From Milan to St P, from London to Paris etc., from the showcases themselves to the delights they contain, XXX showrooms go about things the right way (respect form - if we want to keep that play on words!)
I would be very happy to have the opinion of a native French speaker on my understanding of the sentence!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2012-11-27 20:54:14 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Well, interesting to see the contrasting views my parsing has received!
I stand by my interpretation. First, because the sentence does not make sense otherwise imo, because:
1.that would make two subjects very clumsily juxtaposed: 'des vitirines aux gourmandises', plus "les showrooms XXX"
2. I do not agree that "des vitrines aux gourmandises" MUST mean "containing" (and will go and find some example phrases of this type of structure in a minute). However, I am grateful to all for having given their opinions!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2012-11-27 21:07:49 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Surtout,
cette campagne est très présente dans les magasins
de l’enseigne, des vitrines aux rayons.
http://www.lexpressiontopcom.fr/images/k2coms/resources/pdf/...
Dans son ascension sur la scène mode, le bijou s’est fait accessoire
de prédilection. Des vitrines aux magazines, des poignets
aux podiums, il est partout.
http://head.hesge.ch/IMG/pdf/Profil_-_Des_Bijoux_Partout_dec...
Je vous explique : des vitrines aux étages, des trottoirs aux décorations intérieures, des centaines que dis-je, deux centaines de lapins géants ont pris possession du Printemps.
http://www.sortiraparis.com/loisirs/shopping-mode/articles/1...
Couldn't resist that last one!
If you google "des vitrines aux" you will of course ALSO find "des vtrines aux mille saveurs", des vitrines aux couleurs d'automne" etc.
Now I will let others, the Asker in particular, decide what is the best translation.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2012-11-27 21:30:28 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I did not mean to sound so arrogant! Apologies.
Peer comment(s):
neutral writeaway : nice idea if that's what it said
34 mins
thanks writeaway :-) - That's how I read it - can't make sense of it otherwise... awaiting opinion of a native FR speaker, that would be nice!
agree Daryo : you're right, that's the correct parsing! I usually start by checking the question itself, didn't do it this time.
57 mins
thanks Daryo :-)
disagree philgoddard : It's not the correct parsing. "Aux" means "containing", as in "coq au vin", not "to". And "vitrine" doesn't literally mean a glass case - it's a furniture store.
1 hr
thanks Phil :-) I have added a note above
neutral Kate Collyer : I did consider this, but my gut instinct says that the phrasing would be "DE vitrines aux gourmandises", not DES
2 hrs
well we must agree to disagree on the de/des. thanks for your input Kate :-)
agree Jocelyne Cuenin : vous avez peut-être raison : on peut penser que le cube=thème global superlatif =A = vitrines du showroom ET le cube = versions particulières uniques = B (par ex. le meuble marqueterie Bauhaus). L'apposition viendrait p-ê après le sujet 'les showrooms xx'
2 hrs
Merci Petitavoine :-) En effet, je vois les deux expressions comme en apposition.
disagree Catherine De Crignis : Good to have considered it, but I think this interpretation is unlikely to be correct. I think Phil is right. I would describe the French as rather obscure, though...
2 hrs
Thanks Catherine for your input :-)
neutral Victoria Britten : This, for me, has to be the right construction: I like your poetic answer but find that it goes away from the style of the French.
4 hrs
Thanks for your comment, Victoria :-)
agree Wolf Draeger : Think you have the right idea. Maybe find a way to simplify it a bit (the FR is rather OTT, imo).
16 hrs
Thanks Wolf :-)
Something went wrong...
18 hrs

our stunning showrooms and dazzling designs

I think katsy's and John's interpretations of the syntax are correct; but the construction is awkward enough in French; an English transposition risks being a bit messy. So this is my effort at circumventing it altogether and opting for a more natural wording.

Judging from Asker's related question (http://www.proz.com/kudoz/french_to_english/idioms_maxims_sa... I would say that both the showrooms and the products carry a "cube" theme (hence the awkward construction), and the French is deliberately comparing the products to sweet food, which is unfortunately lost in my translation.
Example sentence:

From Milan to St Petersburg, London to Paris and New York to Moscow, X's stunning showrooms and dazzling designs are crafted in style...

From Milan to St Petersburg, London to Paris and New York to Moscow, our stunning showrooms and gorgeous designs are crafted in style...

Something went wrong...
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