billet d'humeur
English translation: short opinionated column
| 19:16 Mar 21, 2002 |
| French to English translations [PRO] Journalism / newspapers | |||||||
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|  Selected response from: VBaby Local time: 08:00 | ||||||
Grading comment
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Answers
6 mins confidence: 
Opinion Explanation: That's what it is. |
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6 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
peer agreement (net): +1mood piece Explanation: They are all over the Internet and so is billet d'humeur... |
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8 mins confidence:
written as you feel article Explanation: just a suggestion. |
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26 mins confidence:
short opinionated column Explanation: Le billet, ou billet d'humeur, is a very short opinionated column by a senior columnist, usually published on the front page of a newspaper and dealing with any subject under the sun in a witty or acerbic manner. It's the written equivalent of a cartoon. This genre is now rapidly going out of fashion in French newspapers. To me, a "mood piece" means something looser, not necessarily concise and controversial as a billet. Reference: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859... |
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1 hr confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
peer agreement (net): +1squib Explanation: The closest I can come, in English, to what this particular kind of writing is, is a *squib*--a very short newspaper piece used as filler. I realize that the "billet d'humeur" isn't really filler, but I don't think English has anything closer. Here are a couple of instances where "squib" is used in the sense of short opinion piece: Letters to the editor ... As for the other opinion piece, the author does not write with the approbation of the ... But reading the squib on Nov. 15 opinion page enabled me to resolve the ... web.centredaily.com/content/centredaily/2000/11/22/opinion/ letters.htm Assign#5 ... opinion piece," or empty exercise in sarcasm: in other words, if we find ourselves sounding even remotely like a talking head on MSNBC, a "Vox Populi" squib in ... www.nt.armstrong.edu/assign5.htm Here is what Termium has: ENGLISH FRENCH SPANISH Subject Field(s) – News and Journalism – The Press (News and Journalism) Subject Field(s) – Information et journalisme – Presse écrite filler Source CORRECT media filler Source CORRECT plug Source CORRECT squib Source CORRECT, REGIONAL, USA general feature Source punk Source REGIONAL, USA bouche-trou Source CORRECT, NOUN, MASC article bouche-trou Source CORRECT, MASC texte bouche-trou SourceCORRECT, MASC article expéditif Source TRANSL. SOURCE, MASC article de remplissage Source TRANSL. SOURCE, MASC bouchage Source MASC DEF – A brief, comparatively unimportant news item, sometimes used merely as a filler. Source DEF – for "filler" : Short matter kept ready to fill space in a journal or magazine. Source OBS – Can be used for public relations releases. Source DEF – Petit texte rédigé au dernier moment pour remplir un espace resté libre dans la page. Par extension, tout article de peu d'importance. Source OBS – S'il s'agit d'une annonce, on peut préciser "annonce bouche-trou" (DUVIP, 1990, p. 224). Source 1992-02-03 © Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada ----------- Interestingly, the other meaning of "squib" is "a small explosive device," so maybe the equivalency with "billet d'humeur" isn't too far-fetched. After all, opinions are mostly explosive hot air, aren't they? ;-) Here is one of the 8 entries in Termium explaining that meaning of the word: ENGLISH FRENCH SPANISH Subject Field(s) – Weapon Systems – Explosives and Pyrotechnic Chemicals Subject Field(s) – Systèmes d'armes – Explosifs et artifices (Chimie) squib Source CORRECT inflammateur Source CORRECT, MASC, OFFICIALLY APPROVED DEF – A small explosive device, similar in appearance to a detonator, but loaded with a pyrotechnic, so that its output is primarily heat (flash). It is usually electrically initiated and initiates the action of pyrotechnic devices and rocket propellants. Source DEF – Petit dispositif explosif ressemblant à un détonateur, mais chargé d'une substance pyrotechnique, de sorte qu'il produit surtout de la chaleur (éclair). Il est habituellement mis à feu électriquement et il permet d'amorcer l'action de pièces pyrotechniques et de poudres propulsives pour fusées. Source OBS – inflammateur : terme et définition uniformisés par le Groupe de travail de terminologie des Munitions. Source 1998-07-08 © Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada ----- Evidently, there is a biography out there on Farley Mowat, the Canadian author, "WRITING THE SQUIB." If you've ever read any Mowat, that should tell you a lot about what squibs are! Here is what a reviewer said about Mowat, in reviewing that book. Note especially the last sentence! "Mowat's writing is "subjective non-fiction" and he distinguishes between "fact" and "truth." The general purpose of his work is to educate and reform but his sense of humour adds a great deal of entertainment. Through his controversial works he has examined the concerns of the Arctic and its native inhabitants, Newfoundland, Siberia, the Vikings, the trauma of World War II, whales and other environmental concerns. Orange sums up Mowat as "anti-authoritarian, intensely nationalistic, environmentally aware, and passionately romantic." The title derives from a "squib," which is the fuse used to ignite explosives or witty writing; both meanings are appropriate. http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/cmarchive/vol22no4/squib.html Reference: http://www.termium.com |
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