English translation: personification or epitome (of evil)
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French to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - History
French term or phrase:figure noire
Context: Il était devenu la figure noire de la France collaboratrice, et l’homme à abattre.
In an article by a historian, describing a man who had once been on the left, a 'hero' for France, and by working with vichy, had become this figure noire. I understand what it means in French, just can't find a way to say it in english...
I think bête noire is completely wrong for this; it does not mean the epitome of evil; rather it means a personal dislike. Scapegoat is not appropriate; this person was evil, not made out to be evil to take the blame off someone else. a Black sheep isn't evil, just different or contrary.
Bete noire, to my knowledge is usually used as one of the dictionary definitions indicates, as a bug-a-boo, as "my bete noire," my personal hate, fear, etc.
I was thinking of epitome of evil, epitome of turncoat, epitome of the worst - something like that.
thanks for your answers so far...reflecting more on the text, it doesnt mean that he was a scapegoat or black sheep, more that he had become THE symbol of the Evil of france's collaboration...and Im not sure, if bete noire really gets at this meaning of THE symbol of all its evil...?
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Answers
13 mins confidence:
scapegoat
Explanation: kind of the same thing
Example sentence(s):
he had become the scapegoat for French Collaboration
Ben Gaia New Zealand Local time: 04:09 Native speaker of: English
Explanation: anti-hero
I think the image is more about how he casts a black shadow, as a turncoat in the eyes of many.
I don't think he's a scapegoat, ore the devil incarnate !
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 23 mins (2010-04-19 10:05:15 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
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-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 27 mins (2010-04-19 10:08:50 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
You could even say - he had become the sorry/pathetic "symbol" of collaborationist France, and leave out the "black".
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 33 mins (2010-04-19 10:15:28 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
something with "EVIL" - evil symbol
polyglot45 Native speaker of: English, French PRO pts in category: 8
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +3
