English translation: having fun putting names to the faces he meets on the way
Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.
You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.
GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:
s’amuse à nommer les passants saisis sur le vif
English translation:
having fun putting names to the faces he meets on the way
French to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - Cinema, Film, TV, Drama
French term or phrase:s’amuse à nommer les passants saisis sur le vif
Le héros traverse New York en rollers, s’amuse à nommer les passants saisis sur le vif.
could anyone explain to me what the second part of this sentence means. When I look up nommer - 'name', it doesn 't make sense in this context. Any thoughts?
Explanation: Not a very literal translation, and it could do with some refining, but that's what it means, IMO.
On the spot interviews with passers-by.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 20 mins (2009-11-10 22:34:50 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
rather than "meets", perhaps it would be better to say "encounters" or "comes across" to give an impression of chance meetings (even if we all know that these things are well rehearsed!)
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 25 mins (2009-11-10 22:39:22 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Or, even better, "bumps into" as Ségolène suggests
Tout ce que je sais, c'est que "saisis sur le vif" voudrait dire que la personne qui filme prend des photos/caméscope des passants "from real life" (unposed).
Well, Françoise helped me understand the context. (To be confirmed by the asker, though! She's not really helpful up to now!) I would understand that The character, in the film, is travelling on rollers and commenting on the persons he encounters on his way, persons which shortly appear on the image (saisis sur le vif)... I suppose he encounters people that he knows, so he can tell their names.
not the film-maker, I presume. And without context we are not able to figure out who the persons he names are, nor whether he is filming or taking photos. Just rolling...
I don't think it makes sense with "nommer", either. "Saisis" collated with "sur le vif" doesn't go with "nommer"? It does makes sense, though, if you got rid of "saisis" and just said "nommer sur le vif"
filmer des passants saisis sur le vif = people going by are filmed from life
What it means is that he gives names to the passers by
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
16 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +6
having fun putting names to the faces he meets on the way
Explanation: Not a very literal translation, and it could do with some refining, but that's what it means, IMO.
On the spot interviews with passers-by.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 20 mins (2009-11-10 22:34:50 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
rather than "meets", perhaps it would be better to say "encounters" or "comes across" to give an impression of chance meetings (even if we all know that these things are well rehearsed!)
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 25 mins (2009-11-10 22:39:22 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Or, even better, "bumps into" as Ségolène suggests
Sheila Wilson France Local time: 02:12 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 3
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +6