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amplificateur de bruit

English translation: sound amplifier

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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

French term or phrase:	amplificateur de bruit
English translation:	sound amplifier
Entered by:	Cervin

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07:06 Jul 17, 2008

French to English translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Electronics / Elect Eng

French term or phrase: amplificateur de bruit

This is in a newspaper article about equipment used to look for drugs. To translate it as 'noise amplifier' seems a bit excessive so I thought there might be a special term but cant find anything anywhere. At the moment I have just put 'amplifier' but would welcome any better suggestions!
Here is the whole phrase:
'le plan souhaite mettre à contribution les dernières évolutions technologiques (détection aérienne, appareils infrarouges, amplificateurs de bruit…)' .
Thanks!

Cervin KudoZ activity Questions: 23 (none open) Answers: 417 United Kingdom
Local time: 08:47

sound amplifier

Explanation:
Sounds too obvious to be true, but there are lots of sites selling 'sound amplifiers', translated as 'amplificateurs de bruit' in terms of surveillance techniques.

See, eg

http://stores.ebay.com/Seben-Europe_Other_W0QQcolZ2QQdirZ1QQ...

http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/sound-amplifier-systems.ht...

http://www.interwood.com/a/p/stealth/StealthDetails.shtml

Selected response from:

savtrad
Local time: 09:47

Grading comment

Thanks to everyone for your help.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +5

sound amplifier

savtrad

sound enhancer

Ysabel812

Interference amplifier

kashew

1 +1

background sound amplifier

Tony M

Discussion entries: 2

Answers

9 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +5

sound amplifier

savtrad
Local time: 09:47
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 8

Grading comment

Thanks to everyone for your help.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Radu DANAILA

10 mins

-> thanks radu!

agree

Lionel CHEVALIER: no doubt you are right!!!

22 mins

-> thanks lionel

agree

Victoria Burns:

41 mins

-> thanks victoria

agree

Robin Salmon: Nae bother!

59 mins

-> cheers robin - from a fellow Glasgow Uni alumnus!

agree

margaret caulfield

4 hrs

-> thank you margaret

neutral

Tony M: Just a note of caution: the problem with this solution is that 'sound amplifier' doesn't sound in any way 'special' from any ordinary audio amplifier; I believe 'bruit' is deliberately used here to indicate a specialist kind of amplifier.

1 day48 mins

-> I see you point, but think the context will make the specialist nature of the amplifier clear - this is the term used on EN sites selling this kind of equipment.

32 mins confidence:

sound enhancer

Explanation:
Could be a way to pick up background conversations and understand them through a clearer sound quality...

Ysabel812
Native speaker of:

English

1 hr confidence:

Interference amplifier

Explanation:
Brouillage

kashew
France
Local time: 09:47
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 60

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you! has your son been skiing in Cervinia???

9 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

background sound amplifier

Explanation:
It's a little hard to tell, with so little context to help us, but I suspect this might be in fact talking about the kind of audio amplifier used to listen-in to conversations, for example, from some distance away. If this is the case, perhaps 'bruit' is being used in its sense, not of 'noise', but of 'background sound'?

This is a pure hunch, and based mainly on the fact that I don't see how 'noise' could actually be used to help sniff out the drugs themselves?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day1 hr (2008-07-18 08:08:49 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

I think it's quite important to in some way make the distinction of this kind of special-purpose amplifier from any ordinary, bog-standard 'audio amplifier' — it's hard to know in exactly what way it is different, but I expect it is just very high gain (and therefore hopefully ultra low-noise!)

I think just using the term 'sound amplifier' on its own might be under-translating, and could sound a little 'homespun' — layman's language betraying its presence in a more technical context.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day1 hr (2008-07-18 08:31:05 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

I understand what irene is saying, but I think there is actually a world of difference between using the short-hand term 'sound amplifier' in a highly restricted covert technical surveillance context, and here, where it is just being used as one resource amongst many of different types. It's also of course important to analyse carefully the context in which the term is being used; for example, in Irene's last ref. for the 'stealth' sound amplifier, it is in fact nothing more nor less than a glorified deaf-aid! (even if the cunning use of the world 'stealth' makes it sounds like some hi-tech aircraft!)

I would actually support the use of 'sound amplifier' if it had 'stealth...' tacked onto it, I just feel that SOME additional qualification is needed here...

Tony M
France
Local time: 09:47
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 1427

Notes to answerer

Asker: The article is about the government plans to crack down on the use of drugs by adolescents and also on how they can detect those who grow cannabis....Aren't I a wally and why on earth didnt I think of 'sound amplifier' perhaps it was too early in the morning!' !!

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English translation: sound amplifier

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