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mis au service d'un principe

English translation: foster the principle of uncertainty


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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:mis au service d\'un principe
English translation:foster the principle of uncertainty
Entered by: LaraBarnett
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00:47 Dec 25, 2011
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Cinema, Film, TV, Drama / Review on work of Visual film artist/photographer
French term or phrase: mis au service d'un principe
This is a phrase from a description of some of the work of a visual/photoographic artist who usually works from photographing film frames/images. This particular paragraph is talking about the narrative tension and suspense caused by the way he uses the frames he chooses. Context reads:

"Le principe de ces œuvres où tout ne se donne pas à voir en même temps génère une tension narrative. L’entrechoquement des images appartenant à des registres opposés (l’amour et la guerre) est porteur de mystère. La fiction (photogrammes de films) et la réalité (photographies prises par l’artiste) se confondent et SONT MIS AU SERVICE D'UN PRINCIPE d’incertitude. La multiplication des stimuli visuels perturbe le spectateur/lecteur qui ne sait plus où regarder, où se placer. "

I am confused here about "mis au service" (I think). Although my own translation of this section makes no sense, I provide below what I have attempted:

"The clashing of the images, belonging to opposing registers- namely love and war – convey mystery. Fiction, filmic photograms, and reality, photographs taken by the artist, blend, and are implemented by the notion of incertitude."
LaraBarnett
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:51
foster the principle of uncertainty
Explanation:
In this context, IMO.

Merry Christmas!
Selected response from:

cc in nyc
Local time: 01:51
Grading comment
Thank you.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +2foster the principle of uncertaintycc in nyc
3(The confusing of fiction (...) and reality (...)) feeds a principle of uncertainty
claude-andrew
3lose A to B
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
3(for the express purpose of) creating incertaintypolyglot45
3are dominated by a principle of uncertainty
Jeanie Eldon


  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
mis au service d'un principe d'incertitude
foster the principle of uncertainty


Explanation:
In this context, IMO.

Merry Christmas!

cc in nyc
Local time: 01:51
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16
Grading comment
Thank you.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Just Opera: 'foster a principle of general uncertainty'. i.e. I think here PRINCIPE d’incertitude relates to the mathematical theory of general uncertainty. i.e. when we know one variable we lose sight of the other.
8 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: This is a nice way of solving this one.
10 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  gallagy2
10 hrs
  -> Thank you.
disagree  rkillings: NO justification for the definite article here. You might get away with it if this were about Heisenberg's. But it says "a principle".
1 day16 hrs
  -> OK, "foster a principle of uncertainty" (already suggested by Just Opera). Thank you.
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
mis au service d\'un principe
are dominated by a principle of uncertainty


Explanation:
would fit in this context

Jeanie Eldon
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:51
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: This is certainly the right meaning as it conveys the idea of fiction and reality being in subordination to the principle of uncertainty.
6 hrs
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
(for the express purpose of) creating incertainty


Explanation:
fiction and reality become one/they intermingle/overlap

in the name of the principle of uncertainty

polyglot45
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
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9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
mettre A au service d'un principe de B
lose A to B


Explanation:
My header is deliberately way off the question as put. To my mind, the only ntaural possibilities here mean you have to move away from this construction if you are to stand a chance of remaining faithful to the idea.

This is a dreadful piece of writing! The original is overloaded. I am not surprised you are having trouble with it, even allowing for the fact that modern French can bear bittier sentences than English.

When I get pieces like this in a text, I get to grips with them by getting rid of the extra bits in parentheses.

La fiction (photogrammes de films) et la réalité (photographies prises par l’artiste) se confondent et SONT MIS AU SERVICE D'UN PRINCIPE d’incertitude.

Becomes :


La fiction et la réalité se confondent et SONT MIS AU SERVICE D'UN PRINCIPE d’incertitude.

You will probably agree that is eminently more understandable. (Have to be careful not to chop out those tiny essential words which change the meaning completely though!)

Fiction merges with reality to "be in subordination to the principle of uncertainty". (Yeuch. Gotta do something with that last bit!)

Suggestion :

"Fiction and reality merge into a lack of certainty."

It might seem a bit "sommaire" but to be honest, nothing is lost, in fact I think a great edal is gained. Just need to stick the other bits back in again, unless you find some other more natural way of doing it in English.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 hrs (2011-12-25 10:49:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"Fiction in the form of films and reality in the form of photographs merge into a lack of certainty."

Indeed, I reckon you need to do away with the parentheses in English otherwise it looks ridiculous. The idea is to be understood after all.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 hrs (2011-12-25 11:24:25 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

For my first suggestion, this gives :

"Fiction (photograms of the films) and reality (photographs taken by the artist) merge into a lack of certainty."

And my second suggestion remains as is, without the use of brackets :

"Fiction in the form of films and reality in the form of photographs merge into a lack of certainty."

I prefer the second version but that's just my point of view! There are a number of different possibilities.


Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Local time: 07:51
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Just Opera: if you remove the parentheses you lose the idea of meta narrative in the work of the subject i.e. fiction for the subject is represented by photographs taken of film stills (images of images) and reality by images they create solely.
16 mins
  -> I see what you mean but I noted that the parentheses may be removed to make the whole sentence flow. The ideas of coruse have to be expressed, but the actual brackets stilt reading in such a long snetence.
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14 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
(The confusing of fiction (...) and reality (...)) feeds a principle of uncertainty


Explanation:
A bit of twisting to get to a more English-sounding phrasing

claude-andrew
France
Local time: 07:51
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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