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Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

Quelle projection ont-ils d’elle ?

English translation:

What image have they of her?

Added to glossary by Sonya Mountford-Jones
May 20, 2013 12:34
10 yrs ago
French term

Quelle projection ont-ils d’elle ?

French to English Social Sciences Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc. Feminism
Another Haiku with feminism as its theme.

I'm struggling to decide what to make of the last line here as it seems a strange expression to me. Does it mean "What plans do they have for her?" or could it mean "What do they make of her?" And is it a play on the other meaning of projection, as in a slideshow projection you might have in a meeting room, which I'll somehow need to try to incorporate, or am I reading too much into this?

Une salle bondée d’hommes
Elle seule face à eux
Quelle projection ont-ils d’elle ?

My attempt for the first two lines is:

A room teeming with men
She alone before them

Many thanks for any clarification.
Proposed translations (English)
3 +2 What image have they of her?
3 +2 How do they view her?
4 +1 What is their perception of her?/ how do they perceive her?
4 what projection do they have of her?
3 +1 What do their eyes see?
4 How is she measuring up?
3 Beheld in what light?
Change log

May 20, 2013 14:09: writeaway changed "Field" from "Art/Literary" to "Social Sciences" , "Field (specific)" from "Poetry & Literature" to "Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc."

Discussion

Sonya Mountford-Jones (asker) May 22, 2013:
Thank you Thanks to everyone for your suggestions, it's greatly appreciated.
Sonya Mountford-Jones (asker) May 21, 2013:
Yes, many do, but a lot of them don't. It seems to depend on the author. Also, I was given a set of previously translated Haiku for reference that didn't adhere to the syllable rule, so I don't think the client is overly concerned with this. I'll stick to the pattern where possible of course, but it's not always easy.
Carol Gullidge May 21, 2013:
syllable count I'm not sure that I'd be prepared to ignore this, as the ST haikus all seem to stick to a 5-5-7 pattern
Sonya Mountford-Jones (asker) May 21, 2013:
Thank you! Thanks to everyone for your ideas, as Phil says though, the number of syllables isn't important with these so-called Haiku. I'm still working through them at the moment and deciding on the best option. I may even present a couple of versions, so the client can choose.
Victoria Britten May 20, 2013:
For what it's worth... ...my choice would be polyglot's version with Estelle's suggestion in the final line; adding "all" to that ("how do they ALL perceive her) would make up the syllable count and pick up the extreme fullness suggested by "bondé".

Proposed translations

+2
13 mins
Selected

What image have they of her?

Une salle bondée d’hommes
Elle seule face à eux
Quelle projection ont-ils d’elle

A room full of men (teeming has too many syllables)
A woman alone
What image have they of her?
Peer comment(s):
agree katsy
1 hr
agree Sheri P : I think sticking close to the structure of the French works well in this particular case.
4 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you, this has been a great help."
+2
6 mins

How do they view her?

I think it would be in the plural if it was supposed to mean "What plans....". I agree with your interpretation of a slideshow projection (lots of X, looking at a single Y), hence my suggestion.
Peer comment(s):
agree Trudy Peters
46 mins
agree Letredenoblesse
51 mins
neutral philgoddard : If you agree with the slideshow idea, why haven't you used projection?
56 mins
Something went wrong...
19 mins

what projection do they have of her?

I think you should just translate what it says, rather than impose your own interpretation. The ambiguity may well be deliberate, and you should preserve it.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 21 mins (2013-05-20 12:55:59 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

As with the others you posted a long time ago, this is not a true 5-7-5 haiku, so the number of syllables is not important.
Something went wrong...
+1
21 mins

What is their perception of her?/ how do they perceive her?

Possibly
Peer comment(s):
agree Victoria Britten
2 hrs
Something went wrong...
+1
57 mins

What do their eyes see?

or,

what do their eyes tell them?
Peer comment(s):
agree Wolf Draeger : Nice and succint. Or maybe just "What do they see?"
1 day 2 hrs
Yes that's possible too!
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

How is she measuring up?

A roomful of men

{All eyes are on her}/{Their eyes all on her}/{All sizing her up}/{With critical eye}/{All ogling her}

How is she measuring up?

Although I like 'all sizing her up', I doubt if I'd use it together with 'measuring up'.

Also, personally, I'd replicate the same pattern of syllable counts as that used in the source text.

---

Depending on the context - possibly a social occasion in which she finds herself surrounded by a sea of men all ogling her, or in the workplace, where she perhaps has to prove herself in more ways than one - I'd aim to replicate the negative connotations that are no doubt implied in 'feminist'.

The 'projection' part could simply reflect that these men are all sizing her up to evaluate her future/projected use to them. Hence "How is she measuring up?"
Something went wrong...
6 hrs

Beheld in what light?

-

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 hrs (2013-05-20 23:00:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

(or) she beheld by them in what light?
Something went wrong...
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