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comptes rendus seyants
applications-poses

Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

briques roses

English translation:

pink blocks

Added to glossary by Stephanie Mitchel
Jan 31, 2015 10:45
9 yrs ago
2 viewers *
French term

autant de briques roses

French to English Bus/Financial Business/Commerce (general) CEO's speech
Good morning. I'm working on the transcription of a speech given by the CEO of a large railway company about growth prospects and strategies for the coming year. Here's the sentence in full:

"Le but, ce n’est pas d’aller déchiffrer ce qu’il y a marqué à l’écran mais c’est de voir tous les chantiers qui sont autant de briques roses et, à l’intérieur, tous les contributeurs."

Is this a simple contrast between looking at statistics vs. looking at the actual work under way, or is there another nuance or reference I'm missing?
Proposed translations (English)
3 +2 pink blocks
4 -1 as many rose red buidings
1 +2 pink brick
Change log

Feb 5, 2015 19:36: Emanuela Galdelli changed "Term asked" from "\"autant de briques roses\"" to "autant de briques roses"

Discussion

Stephanie Mitchel (asker) Jan 31, 2015:
Maybe so ... though "The hues of youth upon a brow of woe" would be a better match for this CEO who looks to be in his 30s.
DLyons Jan 31, 2015:
Maybe the CEO has a poetic streak. Match me such marvel save in Eastern clime,
a rose-red city half as old a time
Stephanie Mitchel (asker) Jan 31, 2015:
Follow the pink brick roadmap... Just watched the video of the speech, in which the CEO makes hand gestures when he says "ce sont autant de briques roses" but he does have a copy of a big fat "roadmap" on the podium in front of him that he refers to repeatedly, so I'm still inclined to agree that it is about graphics. I'll add a note for client confirmation. Thanks for this discussion!
AllegroTrans Jan 31, 2015:
Good point TM it could be a graphic
Tony M Jan 31, 2015:
@ Allegro It seems to me, C., that it does really all depend on the context if this is a graphic, as I am guessing (cf. « Le but, ce n’est pas d’aller déchiffrer ce qu’il y a marqué à l’écran ...», then it is conceivable that there might be bricks of several different colours, indicating different activities, for example — 'pink' for a 'chantier', 'blue' for a 'projet', etc.
I think Asker will only be able to resolve this by asking to see the actual presentation (if indeed tha's what it is).
AllegroTrans Jan 31, 2015:
Is the colour of the bricks rather irrelevant perhaps? Simply a "nice phrase"? From the context it seems to be simply referring actual building as opposed to numbers/figures etc.
Tony M Jan 31, 2015:
Look at the graphic they're talking about S/he is clearly referring to some kind of graphic that is on the PPT presentation being shown; I'd guess that 'pink bricks' are used on thie image to represent 'chantiers'.
Stephanie Mitchel (asker) Jan 31, 2015:
@BDFinch: I don't see any reference to Toulouse but that's an interesting point.
@AnaVozone: I like 'building blocks'.
@TonyM, @JaneD: I will check the video, that's a possibility.
B D Finch Jan 31, 2015:
Toulouse? Has this got anything to do with Toulouse, which is known as la Ville Rose because it's build with pinkish-red bricks?
Philippa Smith Jan 31, 2015:
Agree with JaneD: he seems to be saying that the blocks need to be seen as sites with all the people who contribute to them (humanizing the statistics).
Colin Morley (X) Jan 31, 2015:
or perhaps as red-brick structures -
Ana Vozone Jan 31, 2015:
Or maybe as building blocks of the entire structure?
JaneD Jan 31, 2015:
Yes, I think it's just saying that it's important to view the pink blocks on the screen as sites rather than simply statistics.

Proposed translations

+2
5 hrs
French term (edited): "autant de briques roses"
Selected

pink blocks

This term has been used in the discussion; like some contributors to the discussion I get the impression that it is indeed a description of a graph or diagram. That the pink blocks are the 'chantiers', and written inside those blocks are the names of the "contributeurs"
See this reference - it is a "block diagram", and luckily for my proposal, if you scroll down, there are pink blocks with writing inside :-)
http://gnu-cad-cam.sourceforge.net/block-diagrams.html

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Note added at 5 hrs (2015-01-31 16:37:24 GMT)
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http://gnu-cad-cam.sourceforge.net/block-diagrams.html
another reference for 'blocks'

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2015-01-31 16:38:42 GMT)
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https://books.google.fr/books?id=LT1RXREvkGIC&pg=PA55&lpg=PA...

sorry. this is it
Peer comment(s):
agree Tony M : I agree that 'brique' often needs to be translated as 'block' — though not in the specific case of a 'block diagram'!
16 mins
Not for the expression block diagram, I agree, but just a word for those little rectangles. thanks Tony :-)
agree DLyons : Missing the image, seems a good stab.
1 hr
Thanks DL :-)
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Nothing was ever shown in the video to give me a clue, but I used your solution with a note to the client. Thanks!"
-1
3 hrs
French term (edited): "autant de briques roses"

as many rose red buidings

my take on the metaphor
Peer comment(s):
neutral writeaway : buildings? wherever does that come from? any refs since you seem so sure?
14 mins
"à l’intérieur", said the text.
neutral Tony M : I feel sure this is much more figurative than that, and surely 'à l'intérieur' refers to the 'chantiers'? "...and within those, ..."
1 hr
disagree Daryo : doesn't make sense - the CEO is not saying that they are building only in rose bricks
1 hr
Something went wrong...
+2
1 hr
French term (edited): brique rose

pink brick

on a graphic image in a presentation.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 heures (2015-01-31 15:30:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I purposely left out the 'autant de...', as this very specific FR idiom is really a separate term, and there are very many ways it could be handled, depending on what Asker does with the rest of the sentence. I usually find it requires some expansion in EN, perhaps here along the lines of: "...which represent just how many..." etc.

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Note added at 7 heures (2015-01-31 18:03:41 GMT)
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I suppose I'm influenced because one of my customers loves using this sort of vile pink and pale 'nail-varnish' blue in the PPT presentations they send me to translate; I always think it makes what the CEo is saying seem like it comes ouf of 'My Little Pony'...
Peer comment(s):
neutral Colin Morley (X) : I'm sure you're right about the representation, Tony - but in EN wouldn't we normally use the term "red brick" (even though most bricks are actually pink) ? Just a thought!
54 mins
Thanks, Colin! Well, if it meant red-brick, then yes, certainly; I was imagining this graphic having the bricks actually in pink (you know how they like these pastel colours!) — it would sound a bit silly saying red bricks' if they're literally pink
agree philgoddard : "Autant de" means there is one brick for each site.
3 hrs
Thanks, Phil! I'm not too sure if it really has that literal meaning here, but hard to be sure without more context to gon on.
agree DLyons : Missing the image, seems a good stab.
5 hrs
Thanks, Donal! Yes, of course, and it can only be a 'guess'.
Something went wrong...
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