closet actor

French translation: et nourrit une passion secrète pour le théâtre/la scène

14:17 May 5, 2017
English to French translations [PRO]
Marketing - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
English term or phrase: closet actor
I have no real context : just this sentence "He is also an avid runner, competitive cyclist and closet actor."

j'ai pensé à acteur non professionnel. Merci de votre aide.
Celine Reau
France
Local time: 16:55
French translation:et nourrit une passion secrète pour le théâtre/la scène
Explanation:
compte tenu du texte suivant:

"He is also an avid runner, competitive cyclist and closet actor. If he is not working or spending time with his family, you might find him [...] sitting quietly in a corner of the Drama Book Shop reading scenes from his favorite plays."
Selected response from:

Françoise Vogel
Local time: 16:55
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4et nourrit une passion secrète pour le théâtre/la scène
Françoise Vogel
3 +3acteur en secret
Alain Boulé
4un acteur qui ne s'affiche pas
Francois Boye
3 +1ayant des velléités de comédien
polyglot45
3acteur qui s'ignore
Bernard Moret
4 -1acteur inconnu
Jasmine LAURENT
2comédien refoulé
Tony M
Summary of reference entries provided
meaning (in this context)
writeaway

Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


15 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
acteur qui s'ignore


Explanation:
Une suggestion...sans plus de contexte.

Bernard Moret
France
Local time: 16:55
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 37

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  writeaway: it's more that he is aware but doesn't let others know
4 mins

neutral  Tony M: As W/A says, it's more about not owning up to it than being unaware of it (like some hidden talent, for example)
42 mins
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
un acteur qui ne s'affiche pas


Explanation:
my take

Francois Boye
United States
Local time: 11:55
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 84
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
ayant des velléités de comédien


Explanation:
ou bien

polyglot45
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 547

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jocelyne Cuenin
15 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
acteur en secret


Explanation:
Suggestion

Alain Boulé
Local time: 16:55
Works in field
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 200

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: Perhaps even 'cachette'?
6 mins
  -> Pourquoi pas.

agree  GILOU
12 hrs
  -> Merci

agree  ph-b (X): avec l'idée
14 hrs
  -> Merci

agree  Jocelyne Cuenin: puisque c'est l'idée... peut-être 'in petto' ?
15 hrs
  -> Merci, peut être oui
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
acteur inconnu


Explanation:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/closet

: a state or condition of secrecy, privacy, or obscurity


    https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/closet
Jasmine LAURENT
Canada
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Tony M: That would have a quite different meaning, as an 'unknown actor' — and while that might incidentally be true, it isn't what the source text actually means
8 mins
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
et nourrit une passion secrète pour le théâtre/la scène


Explanation:
compte tenu du texte suivant:

"He is also an avid runner, competitive cyclist and closet actor. If he is not working or spending time with his family, you might find him [...] sitting quietly in a corner of the Drama Book Shop reading scenes from his favorite plays."

Françoise Vogel
Local time: 16:55
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 193
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  ph-b (X): C'est certainement l'idée.
8 hrs
  -> on devrait pouvoir faire plus synthétique en renonçant à une traduction pointilleuse.

agree  Tony M: Ah yes, as I said, context makes all the difference: would LIKE to be an actor... / Oui, tout à fait !
8 hrs
  -> peut-être juste une touche d'humour pour ajouter un détail personnel à son CV

agree  Jocelyne Cuenin
9 hrs
  -> merci et bon dimanche

agree  Annie Rigler
1 day 14 hrs
  -> merci Annie

neutral  Francois Boye: N'est-ce pas trop long ?
1 day 22 hrs
  -> ah, c'est une copie de mon premier commentaire ;-))
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

55 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
comédien refoulé


Explanation:
I think you need to keep the ironically humorous tone of the original; it depends in what WAY he is 'closet' of course — I suspect he probably DOES act, but say in an amateur drama group, but keeps pretty quiet about it...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 57 minutes (2017-05-05 15:14:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

R+C:

closet figurative use = secret honteux , qui n'ose pas s'avouer

a closet homosexual  : un homosexuel refoulé or qui ne s'assume pas

he's a closet fascist  : c'est un fasciste refoulé / un crypto-fasciste


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 heures (2017-05-05 17:17:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

It possibly means he has done some minor stuff, but is not known for it, as he is more famous for something else...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 heures (2017-05-06 07:26:02 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In the light of the additional context provided for us by Françoise, this clearly wouldn't be appropriate, even leaving aside other considerations.

A pity, inasmuch as the contrast between the introvert 'refoulé' and the extrovert 'comédien' could have been delicious! A bit like a 'closet sky-diver'!!

Tony M
France
Local time: 16:55
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 288

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  ormiston: but he may be indulging himself 'off the record', performing privately rather than publicly, no? / point taken but I meant private events maybe for friends & family
50 mins
  -> I don't see that as likely; after all, you can't really act in private — it's not quite the same as singing in the shower, say ;-) And I think that would hardly be considered worthy of a mention...

neutral  GILOU: c'est un terme freudien un peu trop fort ici
14 hrs
  -> Merci, Gilles ! Je le voyais humoristique, tout comme le texte source, et ainsi que je le lis souvent en français.

neutral  ph-b (X): Surtraduction/« refoulé » n'a rien d'humoristique en français et la connotation est plutôt aventureuse ici : on devine du contexte tel que nous le connaissons qu'li s'agit d'une appréciation plutôt positive de la personne et « refoulé » ne convient pas.
16 hrs
  -> Merci, ph-b ! Je le voyais humoristique, tout comme le texte source, et ainsi que je le lis souvent en français. / Merci pour cette précision ; pourtant, je le vois souvent utilisé dans ce sens-là, bien que souvent avec un côté critique.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)




Reference comments


16 mins peer agreement (net): +2
Reference: meaning (in this context)

Reference information:
closet
adjective US ​ /ˈklɑz·ɪt/

kept secret from others:
a closet liberal
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/closet

writeaway
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  Tony M
1 hr
agree  Françoise Vogel: ici c'est un clin d'oeil ds le cadre d'un CV technique (un doc plus récent indique simplement une passion pour la littérature).
2 days 19 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



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.

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.


See also:
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search