alignant ses mots

English translation: in its arrangement/placement of words

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:alignant ses mots
English translation:in its arrangement/placement of words
Entered by: Helen Shiner

21:31 Mar 1, 2009
French to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - Photography/Imaging (& Graphic Arts)
French term or phrase: alignant ses mots
Hi,

I'm translating a book review about photo-novellas and am struggling with 'alignant ses mots' in the following sentence:

Le texte, alignant ses mots, élargit et enrichit le champ des significations qui se confrontent aux références culturelles et artistiques du « lecteur ».

My attempt of the paragraph is:

The text ***** widens and enhances the field of signification which
confronts the cultural and artistic referents of the
'reader'.

Thanks
LouC1482
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:57
in its arrangement/placement of words
Explanation:
Without further context, I think this is about how the written elements of the text are aligned with the imagery, how they are placed in relation to it. I would think this would be a key aspect of a photo-novella, like any other artist's book.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 mins (2009-03-01 21:45:35 GMT)
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For instance:

http://www.pageresource.com/html/image2.htm

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 25 mins (2009-03-01 21:57:09 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I think I would say 'in its placement of the wording'. It is all aligned left under each of the images, but that is so unremarkable that I would advise you to use something equally vague in your translation.

A tip: if you ever do translations of texts about visual imagery of any kind, please ask the client to provide you with images so you can do your best for them.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 31 mins (2009-03-01 22:03:04 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I wonder if what might be meant is that the text matches up to the imagery - I know that sounds obvious, but it is by no means always the case in such work. Sometimes dissonance is the point.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 37 mins (2009-03-01 22:08:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The final paragraph makes the point that author and photographer are trying to create poetic links between text and image. This won't be a straightforward narrative describing what is going on in the images. I think I would stick to 'in its placement of the text' or 'the wording' and let the rest of the text give it context. You could also flag it up with your client, because it is by no means obvious. Best of luck!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 58 mins (2009-03-01 22:29:54 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

All in all, ask the client - at least you can make a few suggestions now!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day14 hrs (2009-03-03 12:28:51 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

Thanks for the points, Louise
Selected response from:

Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:57
Grading comment
Thank you very much for your help Helen
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +1stringing its words together
Euqinimod (X)
3 +1with each of its words astutely placed
victorw
3 +1in its arrangement/placement of words
Helen Shiner
3organizing his words on paper
MatthewLaSon
3The meticulously crafted text
Martin Cassell
2word after word
Emma Paulay
Summary of reference entries provided
Littré
Martin Cassell

Discussion entries: 8





  

Answers


12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
stringing its words together


Explanation:
It may work.

Euqinimod (X)
Local time: 10:57
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  cjohnstone: bonne piste
10 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
organizing his words on paper


Explanation:
Hello,

aligner ses mots = to organize his words on paper

I hope this helps.

MatthewLaSon
Local time: 05:57
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
with each of its words astutely placed


Explanation:
I have had to infer a lot to get this sentence into English. Can't really know without weeing the text. The key for me was that it refers to photo-novella.

The text, with each of its words astutely placed, succeeds in broadening and enriching a field of signification that challenges the reader's cultural and artistic assumptions.

As for "with each of its words astutely placed", once you get the drift, there are many other ways to do it.

victorw
Local time: 18:57
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  MatthewLaSon: Hi. I said "organizing his words" (on paper). The idea is that the text organizes his thoughts/words onto paper.
1 day 7 hrs
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19 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Le texte, alignant ses mots
The meticulously crafted text


Explanation:
Emboldened by the comments on my reference entry, this is my suggestion for an English expression suited to the genre and register ...


    Reference: http://seocontentsolutions.com/blog/about
Martin Cassell
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:57
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16
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10 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
word after word


Explanation:
This might seem a strange interpretation, but I think this might be a reference to the way in which the text gradually builds up meaning as you read on and draws on the author's cultural influences etc. As I see it, the idea behind the sentence is gradual expansion: step by step or word by word.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 22 hrs (2009-03-02 20:26:02 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Obviously, you'd have to change the word order if you used this: Word after word, the text...

Emma Paulay
France
Local time: 10:57
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 15

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Helen Shiner: I like this interpretation, but feel as unsure as I did last night about which of all the possibilities is most likely./Yes, it is definitely that, but whether meant in terms of layout or metaphorically is not clear.
5 mins
  -> Thanks Helen. I've just read the whole thing in Louise's link and it backs up the idea of creating a web of meaning between text and image.
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11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
in its arrangement/placement of words


Explanation:
Without further context, I think this is about how the written elements of the text are aligned with the imagery, how they are placed in relation to it. I would think this would be a key aspect of a photo-novella, like any other artist's book.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 mins (2009-03-01 21:45:35 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

For instance:

http://www.pageresource.com/html/image2.htm

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 25 mins (2009-03-01 21:57:09 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I think I would say 'in its placement of the wording'. It is all aligned left under each of the images, but that is so unremarkable that I would advise you to use something equally vague in your translation.

A tip: if you ever do translations of texts about visual imagery of any kind, please ask the client to provide you with images so you can do your best for them.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 31 mins (2009-03-01 22:03:04 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I wonder if what might be meant is that the text matches up to the imagery - I know that sounds obvious, but it is by no means always the case in such work. Sometimes dissonance is the point.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 37 mins (2009-03-01 22:08:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The final paragraph makes the point that author and photographer are trying to create poetic links between text and image. This won't be a straightforward narrative describing what is going on in the images. I think I would stick to 'in its placement of the text' or 'the wording' and let the rest of the text give it context. You could also flag it up with your client, because it is by no means obvious. Best of luck!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 58 mins (2009-03-01 22:29:54 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

All in all, ask the client - at least you can make a few suggestions now!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day14 hrs (2009-03-03 12:28:51 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

Thanks for the points, Louise

Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:57
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 96
Grading comment
Thank you very much for your help Helen

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  B D Finch: I think that "in its arrangement of words" is nice and ambiguous and could refer to either the arrangement of words in relation to each other, or to their placement on the page.
12 hrs
  -> Thank you, B D Finch - it is not often that a text stumps us all!!
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Reference comments


40 mins peer agreement (net): +3
Reference: Littré

Reference information:
http://littre.reverso.net/dictionnaire-francais/definition/a...
see meaning 3

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Note added at 52 mins (2009-03-01 22:24:13 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

my reservation is that I've generally encountered this and related phrases in a rather dismissive/damning sense (cf. atilf s.v. aligner "Aligner des (les, ses) phrases. Les agencer selon les règles, mais sans art ou souci de la vérité")

Martin Cassell
United Kingdom
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  Helen Shiner: A distinct possibility.
2 mins
  -> thanks Helen
agree  Stéphanie Soudais: c'est exactement ça
14 hrs
  -> merci Stéphanie
agree  Emma Paulay: Painstakingly written?
15 hrs
  -> thanks Emma
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