Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
embrayeur
English translation:
ignition
Added to glossary by
Raymonde Gagnier
Feb 5, 2007 21:18
17 yrs ago
4 viewers *
French term
embrayeur
French to English
Social Sciences
Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc.
In a scholarly essay on "micrological" approaches to understanding situations. In the following, "elles" refers to these approaches.
Elles filent très vite à l'essentiel – de véritables embrayeurs de sens. C'est certainement la meilleure image que nous pouvons donner d'une micrologie : une mise en mouvement vive et incisive qui transcende les emprises institutionnelles (fonctionnement établi, règles acquises de longue date, idées communément partagées...) pour mieux les affronter, qui les déborde ou qui les contourne.
Embrayeurs de sens - they shift into meaning? or they shift meaning? they jumpstart meaning? or none of the above?
Elles filent très vite à l'essentiel – de véritables embrayeurs de sens. C'est certainement la meilleure image que nous pouvons donner d'une micrologie : une mise en mouvement vive et incisive qui transcende les emprises institutionnelles (fonctionnement établi, règles acquises de longue date, idées communément partagées...) pour mieux les affronter, qui les déborde ou qui les contourne.
Embrayeurs de sens - they shift into meaning? or they shift meaning? they jumpstart meaning? or none of the above?
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
6 hrs
Raymonde Gagnier
Canada
Canada
Native in French
&
English
Canada
Also a narrator/je suis aussi narratrice
Native in: French (Variant: Canadian) 
, English
Works in: English to French
Related KudoZ points
:
20
Selected
ignition
Or ignitors, although they aren't the same thing as "embrayeurs" the feeling is similar...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "This was hard - so many answers and not a single "agree"! I like this the best because it maintains the automotive metaphor. Thanks very much to everyone."
26 mins
operating like switches,exciting
je traduirais volontiers dans le sens d'une excitation brusque,brutale soudaine.. des sens
24 mins
shifter
From a limited amount of 'digging' it appears that this is Nicolas Ruwet's translation of Jakobson's 'shifter'.
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Note added at 34 mins (2007-02-05 21:52:56 GMT)
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A bit more digging unearther this.
C’est aussi en 1963 que Ruwet traduit et préface, pour les Éditions de Minuit, les Essais
de linguistique générale de Roman Jakobson. J’insiste sur un point : c’est Ruwet qui est
l’auteur, au sens fort du terme, du concept d’embrayeur, que Jakobson, à la suite de
Jespersen, dénomme en anglais shifter. C’est que la métaphore est toute différente. Le shifter
se contente de changer de référent selon les circonstances de l’énonciation. Accédant au statut
d’embrayeur, il met en relation l’instance de l’énonciation et le discours : ainsi le mot je
désigne dans l’énoncé la personne qui le profère. En français, l’embrayeur s’est substitué à
toute autre désignation, par exemple le fugitif indicateur de Benveniste.
http://marg.lng.free.fr/documents/14_ml_nicolas_ruwet/hommag...
From this we can see that Ruwet elaborated on Jakobson's use of the term.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
jean pierre belliard (X)
: entre Deleuze et Foucault...?
9 mins
|
| neutral |
Bourth (X)
: I'd avoid "shifter" though since it could be interpreted to mean "change", "relocation", not "gear shift (US)" = "put in drive".
14 mins
|
|
You may well be right. I was only trying to shed some light on the origin of the expression. It could be a term borrowed from linguistics but used in a different sense (sorry!) here.
|
2 hrs
Marianna Staroselsky
United States
United States
Native in English
Specializes in field
United States
Creative, phd, resourceful, thorough
Native in: English 
Works in: French to English, Russian to English, English to Russian
incitation
Wiktionary.org: 1. The act of inciting or moving to action.
2. That which incites to action; that which rouses or prompts; incitement; motive; incentive.
Here are some other suggestions that might work:
incitement, stimulant, catalyst, spark plug, impetus, wave maker
2. That which incites to action; that which rouses or prompts; incitement; motive; incentive.
Here are some other suggestions that might work:
incitement, stimulant, catalyst, spark plug, impetus, wave maker
9 hrs
Diane de Cicco
France
France
Native in French
&
English
Works in field
France
Specialty: Biology, Chemistry, Medicine
Native in: English , French
Works in: English to French, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
16
they really get meaning into gear
Another possibility
corresponding to the following exact phrase:
"elles sont de véritables embrayeurs de sens"
corresponding to the following exact phrase:
"elles sont de véritables embrayeurs de sens"
12 hrs
Terry Richards
France
France
Native in English
France
30 years in IT, Engineering degree.
Native in: English (Variants: British, UK, US)
Works in: French to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Kick-start
Another option.
They really kick start your thinking. Or something like that.
They really kick start your thinking. Or something like that.
15 hrs
Conor McAuley
France
France
Native in English
France
Excellence, Expertise & Experience
Native in: English (Variants: Irish, British, Wales / Welsh, UK, Scottish)
Works in: French to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
18
reveal a lot of meaning / are very revalatory in terms of meaning
I don't think you can retain the image used in the French.
get straight to the point
strip away the non-relevant and get straight to the essential
get straight to the point
strip away the non-relevant and get straight to the essential
15 hrs
nicole GELISTER
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in French
Specializes in field
United Kingdom
Native in: French
Works in: English to French, Spanish to English, English to Spanish, and 2 more.
CATALYST ? IN THIS CONTEXT ..
SEE ABOVE
Discussion