This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
  1. KudoZ™ Top
  2. French to English
  3. Poetry & Literature

un cote glauque paillette

English translation: both a glittering and sinister aspect

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:un cote glauque paillette
English translation: both a glittering and sinister aspect
Entered by: Barbara Cochran, MFA

00:00 Jun 11, 2007
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Description Of Atmosphere At New York City Party
French term or phrase: un cote glauque paillette
The atmosphere in the room at a party in NYC as the guests watch a performance of a Mae West look-alike.

Context: "Les gens sont stupefaits, ils prennent les photos comme des fous, ils rigolent, trouvent cela genial, il y a une ambiance un peu depravee, comme celles des fetes pendant la guerre.

Il y a **un cote glauque paillette,** ou on ne sait pas si les rires sont positifs ou moqueurs, mais on rigole quand meme histoire d'oublier un peu cette menace de l'anthrax et des prochaines explosions.

L'inconscience est bonne a vivre dnas une ambiance de cirque fellinien."

Merci!

femme
Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 02:52
a glittering and sinister aspect
Explanation:
...
Selected response from:

Lidija Lazic
Local time: 08:52
Grading comment
Merci! "Both a glittering and sinister aspect..."
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +4There was a kind of macabre tinsel feel to the evening...
Alanna Wilson-Duff
3 +3seedy glitter
Melzie
3 +2It’s like a splash of glitter over (all) the gloom and doom
Paul Cohen
3 +1a glittering and sinister aspect
Lidija Lazic
2 +1Rather a feeling of sombre sequins
Tony M
3there was a seedy brashness about it....
CMJ_Trans (X)
3{an air of (garish) decadence}/{a (garish and) decadent veneer}
Carol Gullidge
3there was something shabbily showy about it
Emma Paulay
3 -1faded old glitter aspect
Julie Barber


  

Answers


33 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
a glittering and sinister aspect


Explanation:
...

Lidija Lazic
Local time: 08:52
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench, Native in SerbianSerbian
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Merci! "Both a glittering and sinister aspect..."

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Odette Grille (X): sinister seems a bit stong to me...It is more something about the glittering being out of place or in bad taste
1 hr
  -> Merci Odette! glauque est synonyme de sordide , sinistre, d'où ma proposition
neutral  Julie Barber: I've never heard glitter described as sinister! the other meaning of glauque is shabby - which fits with an old, shabby, glitter rather naff place
6 hrs
  -> Merci Julie, le régime fasciste Nazi avait été décrit ainsi
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
It’s like a splash of glitter over (all) the gloom and doom


Explanation:
Not a very concise translation, I admit - but that's the basic idea. The glitterery atmosphere stands oddly in contrast to underlying feelings of anxiety, fears of new terrorist attacks, etc.

It's like a splash of glitter over the underlying feeling of gloom and doom...



Paul Cohen
Greenland
Local time: 05:52
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  writeaway: nice
4 hrs
  -> Thanks, writeaway
agree  Tony M: Yes, I rather agree with W/A's comments; except that I would ratehr see it the other way round, the glitter slightly tarnished by doom-and-gloom....
4 hrs
  -> Thanks, Tony
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
glauque paillette
seedy glitter


Explanation:
that 'second class act' feeling

Melzie
Local time: 08:52
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 3

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Julie Barber: I'm not sure for seedy but this is more in the right direction
32 mins
  -> Thank you, juliebarba.
agree  Carol Gullidge: nicely put!
2 hrs
  -> Thank you, Carol.
agree  Gacela20
3 hrs
  -> Thank you, Gacela20.
agree  jean-jacques alexandre: I like it
4 hrs
  -> thank you, Jean-Jacques.
disagree  Lidija Lazic: glauque est beaucoup plus "nauséabond" que seedy
4 hrs
  -> here is the r+c translation glauque [glok] adjectif yeux, eau dull blue-green,(*: louche) quartier, hôtel shabby, regard shifty, individu shifty, shady. although seedy isn't in the list, our job also includes interpreting the context. nauséabond it is NOT
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +1
un côté glauque paillette
Rather a feeling of sombre sequins


Explanation:
As we're talking about what I presume is a drag queen (who on earth ELSE would voluntarily impersonate old Ma West?!), I think 'sequins' is the better term to use for paillettes.

I only suggest 'sombre' because of the alliteration, and because it is such a delicious adjective to apply to 'sequins'

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2007-06-11 06:57:30 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Yes, Julie's 'shabby' and (maybe even better) Melzie's 'seedy' are both great ideas, though I stand by my sequins! Just think of Mae West....

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 hrs (2007-06-11 07:37:52 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

RB: it's all to do with the remarks about 'celebrations in war-time', the 'threat of terrorist attack', and the ambivalence of the laughter.

I agree that 'sombre' is a bit off-key, but I think it's important to register the fact that it is more the atmopshere of the moment that is 'glauque', rather than merely the venue.

Tony M
France
Local time: 08:52
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 128

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Julie Barber: I like glitter myself. They aint sombre. Shabby maybe, which is the other meaning of glauque. You know in the way that an old fairground or club might be?
1 hr
  -> Oh yes, do I ever! I like 'shabby', or Melzie's 'seedy'
neutral  Richard Benham: I am not sure I follow the sequins of thought here.//It's the combination with "sombre" that worries me. With a bit of licence, I thought of "tawdry", but I think that is straying too far.... As to the atmosphere, I must bow to your superior experience!
1 hr
  -> I'm a habitué of such dives, and as far as I'm concerned, if it's 'drag queen Mae West', it HAS to be 'sequins' — 'glitter' is just TOO understated, dahrlink! // Please see note above
agree  Alanna Wilson-Duff: Well Tony for what it's worth, I love alliteration!
3 hrs
  -> Thanks, Alanna! Me too! ;-)
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
there was a seedy brashness about it....


Explanation:
I like "seedy" but....

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 hrs (2007-06-11 07:49:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

desperate brashness ?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs (2007-06-11 08:01:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

defiant brashness ?

CMJ_Trans (X)
Local time: 08:52
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 94
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
There was a kind of macabre tinsel feel to the evening...


Explanation:
as if something were very wrong but people were splashing superficial sparkle over it to cover it up...
I think you want to capture the aspect of a creepy, twisted, sinister atmosphere combined superficial and cheap decorations which do not do much to cover up the underlying tension but in fact add to it- I can't think of a tinnier decoration than tinsel- and I think the feeling here may be more important than the actual historical acuracy as per Mae West fans everywhere! Anyway, that's my two pesetas.

Alanna Wilson-Duff
Local time: 16:52
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M: I think you've captured exactly the spirit as I feel it.
7 mins
  -> why thank you Tony, I was heading for feeling rather than words
agree  Lidija Lazic
2 hrs
  -> Thanks Lidija
agree  Paul Cohen: Nice translation, Alanna.
5 hrs
  -> thanks so much Paul, yours wasn't half bad either!
agree  katsy: I like the 'tinsel' especially...// I think also, re-reading more carefully, that 'creepy' is a good option for 'glauque'
8 hrs
  -> thanks very much katsy
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
{an air of (garish) decadence}/{a (garish and) decadent veneer}


Explanation:
or various combinations:

a garish air of decadence...

not sure that "garish" is absolutely essential, but it does emphasise the "paillete" element.

An example: we find the guilelessness and irony of the Pompeian fresco mixed with the garishness and decadent veneer of makeups--powders, ...
www.queerculturalcenter.org/Pages/MainMenu/Gallery4.html - 23k -

Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:52
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 80
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
faded old glitter aspect


Explanation:
come on imagine an old venue here - faded or shabby (old) glitter....smokey and fun in my mind!! Glauque to me can be something rather naff

That's more Mae-West. Like an old funfair........

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 hrs (2007-06-11 09:43:59 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

There seems to be two options here - either it's a dark atmosphere with glitter/sparkle sprinkled over it (so to speak) or it's a shabby/seedy old venue..... perhaps 'glitter-grim' might do to cover both possibilities?

Julie Barber
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:52
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 28

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: Some ride, eh?! ;-)))
12 mins
  -> After a childhood of northern seaside resorts, I can picture the scene. Although I have added a note above!
disagree  Lidija Lazic: le sens de glauque est plus fort
4 hrs
  -> thanks Lidija, I don't share your opinion.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

10 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
there was something shabbily showy about it


Explanation:
I think you need to get the contrast between the two words here. There are plenty of alternatives for "glauque" - murky was another one. I suggest showy for paillette as it's more general than sequins or glitter. You often hear of the "côté paillette de la côte d'azur" for example - it's the showy, in-yer-face, look-at-me attitude that it described.

Emma Paulay
France
Local time: 08:52
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 56
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.

Return to KudoZ list

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:
ProZ.com term search
Search millions of term translations
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search