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.
French to English translations [PRO] Social Sciences - Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc.
French term or phrase:embrayeur
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?
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. 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
From a limited amount of 'digging' it appears that this is Nicolas Ruwet's translation of Jakobson's 'shifter'.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 34 mins (2007-02-05 21:52:56 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
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.
Alain Pommet Local time: 23:43 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 20
2 hrs confidence:
incitation
Explanation: 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
Explanation: Or ignitors, although they aren't the same thing as "embrayeurs" the feeling is similar...
rousselures Local time: 17:43 Native speaker of: French, English PRO pts in category: 20
Grading 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.
The translation workplace 
