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.
French to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - Philosophy
French term or phrase:en filigrane
Context, excerpt:
"Vers quoi pointe ce doigt tendu, qu’en filigrane chaque paysage, chaque visage, semble porter ?"
The author wonders about the presence of the Divine in all things, and sees this as a finger pointing to the direction of God, and which he guesses in every element. I'm particularly looking for an elegant way to render " en filigrane"... - between the lines? - implicitly?
Explanation: (If you're okay with a dangling preposition): "what does the outstretched finger, faintly perceptible in each landscape, each face, point towards?"
Or part of me wants to make this very simple: "what is hinted at in each landscape, each face?"
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 3 hrs (2020-08-18 08:58:28 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
You mention "trace" - "faintly traced" was my first thought, and if you want to get into "clues", perhaps "faintly detectable"
Sorry if I comment too much. Here is my last proposition. "The finger that appears to be embedded (deep) within every landscape, within every face, what is it pointing to?"
@SafeTex Literally it says "Every landscape, every face seems to hide a pointing finger underneath, but what is this finger pointing to?" The inversion of the subject within the inherent inversion of the question form makes it a bit hard to read and harder to translate.
I've read some of the comments again and I don't read it as "le doigt... en filigrane, (the finger that indicates signs of the Divine) but the "le quoi...qu'en filigrane" (this something that is a sign of the divine)
Sounds like the finger might not be a literal finger, nor God's or anyone's in particular, just a proxy for the fact that every landscape and face holds a clue to something bigger underneath the first level of perceived reality. So maybe try something like this : "The clues to something else that every landscape, every face seems to hide underneath, where are they pointing to?" Or replacing the finger metaphor completely: "Every landscape, every face seems to hide a breadcrumb trail underneath, but where does it lead us?"
after reading your answers and suggestions that have helped me so much, I came to think that the closest to the source would be "sketched"... What do you think?
I just spoke with the author: the pointing finger is not the finger of God. The shape of things, their color, the sounds etc, carry within them the trace of the Divine and are seen here like clues that put us on the trace of God, or like a finger pointing to the direction of God.
Based on the asker's explanation, it is other things pointing to God rather than God's finger pointing - can you elaborate, Hugues? Perhaps a little more text?
I don't agree with your analysis. "En filigrane" means that it is under the surface, not immediately apparent but there when you look - also offering proof of authenticity.
You could perhaps talk about "the subtle presence of God's finger"
which seems to hover in the background of ? The idea is indeed that of the watermark (as on bank notes), which is a barely visible mark lurking in the background
Explanation: (If you're okay with a dangling preposition): "what does the outstretched finger, faintly perceptible in each landscape, each face, point towards?"
Or part of me wants to make this very simple: "what is hinted at in each landscape, each face?"
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 3 hrs (2020-08-18 08:58:28 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
You mention "trace" - "faintly traced" was my first thought, and if you want to get into "clues", perhaps "faintly detectable"
Melissa McMahon Australia Local time: 14:21 Specializes in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 86
peer agreement (net): -1
