Jul 15, 2012 21:05
12 yrs ago
7 viewers *
French term
en pointe
French to English
Art/Literary
Journalism
Preserving double meaning
I suspect this is intended to have a double meaning in this context but it's not clear to me what the other meaning is. The obvious one is "pointed" (the shape).
Context: a magazine article about a manufacturer of helmets for motorcyclists has the title:
Casque en pointe
and it then describes the business: how it started, where it manufactures (abroad, although it's a French brand), how many helmets it makes etc. There is a bit of a point in the shape of the helmets (below the chin), but I'd like to know what (if anything) the other meaning is, and how it might be translated into English with a similar double meaning.
Thanks if you can help.
Context: a magazine article about a manufacturer of helmets for motorcyclists has the title:
Casque en pointe
and it then describes the business: how it started, where it manufactures (abroad, although it's a French brand), how many helmets it makes etc. There is a bit of a point in the shape of the helmets (below the chin), but I'd like to know what (if anything) the other meaning is, and how it might be translated into English with a similar double meaning.
Thanks if you can help.
Proposed translations
(English)
3 +1 | to the fore | Sheila Wilson |
4 | sharp | cc in nyc |
4 | leading | Gurudutt Kamath |
3 | pike helmet | Kévin Bernier |
4 -1 | high-tech | philgoddard |
3 | Riding high | Wolf Draeger |
Proposed translations
+1
38 mins
Selected
to the fore
It may not be quite what you're looking for, but it seems reasonably apt to me. If the motorbike is a "proper" one (sorry, all Harley fans), then the helmet is going to be the part of the rider breaking the air-wave. To the fore is also a well-used term for anything new, ground-breaking etc - very positive tone.
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Note added at 40 mins (2012-07-15 21:46:05 GMT)
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Actually, Googling for "helmets to the fore" brings up more than I was expecting. And there was I thinking I'd invented it! :-)
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Note added at 40 mins (2012-07-15 21:46:05 GMT)
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Actually, Googling for "helmets to the fore" brings up more than I was expecting. And there was I thinking I'd invented it! :-)
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you, Sheila. I think this is reasonably close to what the writer of the article was thinking. "
30 mins
sharp
They come to a point and they look sharp.
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Note added at 41 mins (2012-07-15 21:46:53 GMT)
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Or perhaps on point to yield the title "Helmets on point."
http://www.allwords.com/word-on point.html
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Note added at 1 hr (2012-07-15 22:52:06 GMT)
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on point
1. a ) Up to par...ready to perform at best...ready to get down to business. [...]
2. to be perfect; to satisfy; whatever it was, it met the person's standards
3. Excellent, Without Imperfection, gorgeous, sexy
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=on point
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Note added at 41 mins (2012-07-15 21:46:53 GMT)
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Or perhaps on point to yield the title "Helmets on point."
http://www.allwords.com/word-on point.html
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Note added at 1 hr (2012-07-15 22:52:06 GMT)
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on point
1. a ) Up to par...ready to perform at best...ready to get down to business. [...]
2. to be perfect; to satisfy; whatever it was, it met the person's standards
3. Excellent, Without Imperfection, gorgeous, sexy
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=on point
5 hrs
leading
Seems to be saying Leading Helmet Brand or the Leader in Helmets. The double meaning is not really there -- unless you think of casque en pointe as a phrase (German pointed helmet -- which is not really appropriate in this context).
44 mins
pike helmet
I believe this is only referring to the shape.
See my discussion entry.
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Note added at 11 hrs (2012-07-16 08:22:21 GMT)
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Did some more research after my own discussion entry in which I say "de pointe" means avant-garde and "en pointe" means en avant.
I still don't think there is a double meaning, but if there is, it could be the one that implies these helmets are always in the front, always showing forward.
What about Front Helmet ?
This is what I get when I Google this term : http://www.sicklines.com/gallery/data/557/THE_One_CF_helmet_...
See my discussion entry.
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Note added at 11 hrs (2012-07-16 08:22:21 GMT)
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Did some more research after my own discussion entry in which I say "de pointe" means avant-garde and "en pointe" means en avant.
I still don't think there is a double meaning, but if there is, it could be the one that implies these helmets are always in the front, always showing forward.
What about Front Helmet ?
This is what I get when I Google this term : http://www.sicklines.com/gallery/data/557/THE_One_CF_helmet_...
-1
23 hrs
high-tech
With thanks to cc in nyc for the reference:
Qui est en position avancée. Synon. en avant.À un moment donné je me trouvais en pointe devant un mur de poitrines qui barraient la rue et je fonçais avec méthode la tête en avant (Cendrars, Bourlinguer,1948, p. 265).
− Au fig. [En parlant d'un domaine d'activité] Les salariés et les patrons des ***secteurs en pointe*** (Le Monde,25 sept. 1968ds Gilb. 1971).
Qui est en position avancée. Synon. en avant.À un moment donné je me trouvais en pointe devant un mur de poitrines qui barraient la rue et je fonçais avec méthode la tête en avant (Cendrars, Bourlinguer,1948, p. 265).
− Au fig. [En parlant d'un domaine d'activité] Les salariés et les patrons des ***secteurs en pointe*** (Le Monde,25 sept. 1968ds Gilb. 1971).
Reference:
Peer comment(s):
disagree |
Kévin Bernier
: You are mistaken about your reference. 2. De pointe Au fig.
− [En parlant d'un secteur d'activité, d'une recherche, d'une technique] Qui est à l'avant-garde du progrès. That means high tech. En pointe does not, as you can see in your own reference really.
2 hrs
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I'm not sure which of your many discussion entries you're referring to, but it's nothing to do with the shape of the helmet. And unlike you, I've provided a dictionary reference to support my answer.
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1 day 24 mins
Riding high
Not the most inspirational play on words, I admit, cogs a bit rusty at the moment...but for what it's worth, a totally different imagery from the FR.
Discussion
cc's first discussion entry seems to me the most likely for a non-specialist audience: a reference to speed. Here's my Petit Robert for pointe: V MOMENT Moment ou une activité, un phénomène atteint un maximum d'intensité. Coureur cycliste qui pousse une pointe de vitesse (sprint). Pousser une pointe à 150 km/h.
Perhaps the best would be to come up with a new pun altogether, related to motorcycles or helmets?
"en pointe" typically refers to a shape, a direction or a position that is going/pointed (conveniently) forward. As in literally. Figuratively, it can be used to express being on the front I suppose, as in being exposed first-in, which is not a synonym or a paraphrase for "high-tech".
"de pointe" now absolutely refers to "high-tech", and is typically used to express advanced technology and technique in any given field. But once again, it is "en pointe" which is used here and not "de pointe". Therefore "high-tech" does not apply.
@ Kévin No irony
See my answer for another suggestion.
What I get from this sentence and this definition is that "en pointe" really doesn't refer to technical advance, but more to a situation of being shown forward, being on the "front line" if you will.
You can clearly see the difference between "en pointe" and "de pointe" in that very defition you have linked, see here :
"b) Au fig.
− [En parlant d'un secteur d'activité, d'une recherche, d'une technique] Qui est à l'avant-garde du progrès. Plusieurs industries de pointe connaissent un développement vertigineux, en particulier l'électronique et les engins spatiaux (Le Monde,2 sept. 1964ds Gilb. 1971)."
I don't think any of this goes against what I have said. Typically, you could summarize the two terms like this : "de pointe" means avant-garde while "en pointe" means en avant.
1. En pointe. Qui est placé en avant, orienté vers l'avant. [...]
b) Qui est en position avancée. Synon. en avant. [...]
− Au fig. [En parlant d'un domaine d'activité] Les salariés et les patrons des secteurs en pointe (Le Monde,25 sept. 1968ds Gilb. 1971).
http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/pointe
For example, as philgoddard says, if we were to use this expression to talk about a high-tech technology, we would say "technologie de pointe" and most certainly not "technologie en pointe". As a matter of fact the latter doesn't make any sense.
Because it is "en", it is referring to the shape only, it has to be, really. I don't see how it could refer to anything else with this wording, much less how it could imply a hint of high-tech without "de pointe".
I wonder why it's "casque" and not "casques".
http://www.bigbikebook.com/csi/1824063488/i/pzi/pike_red.jpg
If I Google spike helmet now, I get this : http://images.motorcycle-superstore.com/ProductImages/OG/201...
Maybe the second one fits the description best?
I may be wrong about the correct word to describe the shape, but I am almost certain there is no double meaning.
there might be an allusion to speed: http://www.larousse.com/en/dictionaries/french-english/en po...
BTW, the point on traditional (viz historical) helmets is on the top: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casque_à_pointe