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mosaïque

English translation: multi-faceted / eclectic

19:03 Jan 9, 2010
French to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - Music
French term or phrase: mosaïque
Taken from a press review about a jazz singer, it reads:"Elle est dans ses musiques, multiple, mosaïque, impliquée, tendue ou zen,
groovy ou explosive selon les morceaux (...)"
I thought "mosaïque" may evoke the conveying of multi-faceted, complex musical patterns, a playful mirroring of intricate sounds,while being distinct from "multiple" if one is to keep both terms in the translation... I would welcome suggestions.
Ega
Local time: 11:20
English translation:multi-faceted / eclectic
Explanation:
Essentially, something that means varied. Your suggestion of multi-faceted would, I think, work for either the music or the singer!
Selected response from:

Laurel Clausen
United States
Local time: 04:20
Grading comment
merci!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4patchwork
David Vaughn
3 +1multi-faceted / eclectic
Laurel Clausen
3mosaic
whither has fle
3copilation
Verginia Ophof
3mosaic/mosaical
Souni
3syncretic
B D Finch
2multifarious
Jonathan MacKerron


Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
patchwork


Explanation:
Careful - it seems these adjectives refer to "her" & not just her music

David Vaughn
Local time: 11:20
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 201

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  whither has fle: Hello David...I would go further. "dans ses musiques" 'plural= but all the adjectives are in the singular, thus referring only to the musician? Cheers.
48 mins
  -> Yes, obviously the grammar refers to the person - but in the context of a musician & a music review, obviously "she" is represented by her music more than anything else, so this kind of comment refers the music also.
neutral  John Detre: agree that this is the meaning, but "patchwork" sounds negative to me // with all due apologies to Grandma!
1 day 2 hrs
  -> Ah, my grandmother, a folk artist of patchwork quilts, would have asked for your head. ;-))
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12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
multi-faceted / eclectic


Explanation:
Essentially, something that means varied. Your suggestion of multi-faceted would, I think, work for either the music or the singer!

Laurel Clausen
United States
Local time: 04:20
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Grading comment
merci!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  David Vaughn: The word mosaïque refers more to things being combined than being varied. Made of discrete elements that remain discrete. They are not blended but juxtaposed. As in a mosaic.
1 hr
neutral  whither has fle: Helllo David. This is a very good explanation of what mosaic means, at least for me. Cheers
2 hrs
agree  Sandra & Kenneth Grossman: multi-faceted seems best in this context
11 hrs
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49 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
mosaic


Explanation:
Hello, same meaning as "patchwork" of course, but it has more poetry to it. Muliti facet is also correct I believe, so Im really just talking about choice of word.

whither has fle
France
Local time: 11:20
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  David Vaughn: I considered mosaic, but don't find that the English word has the same connotations as the French cognate - of course the relative rarity of the English word in this meaning may make it more "poetic"...
33 mins
  -> Yes, I see exactly what you mean. Cheers.
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12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
copilation


Explanation:
suggestion

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2010-01-09 20:36:09 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Compilation

Verginia Ophof
Belize
Local time: 03:20
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  David Vaughn: compilation
1 hr
  -> Thanks David !!! will correct !
neutral  Jean-Claude Gouin: Greetings, Ginny. If you can correct the typo, tell me (us) how you did it ...
4 hrs
  -> and please kep me posted too ! I only managed to add a note....
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
mosaic/mosaical


Explanation:
I like multi-faceted, but I would choose it as the translation for "multiple". For "mosaïque", how about mosaic/mosaical, where I would choose mosaical, as mosaic is more often a noun than an adjective (see: cultural mosaic, ie. Canada.).

Even in French, mosaïque has a double meaning, being both a nice word for patchwork and "relating to moses"... so almost prophetic, biblical. It might be nice to keep this double-entendre by using mosaical, thereby freeing up multi-faceted for "multiple".

That would make it "multi-faceted, mosaical, involved, frenetic or zen, groovy or explosive depending on the piece/song"...




    Reference: http://www.linternaute.com/dictionnaire/fr/sens/mosaique/
Souni
Local time: 11:20
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
multifarious


Explanation:
a classy word that seldom gets used

Jonathan MacKerron
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 3

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Sandra & Kenneth Grossman: ... and should remain so.
6 hrs
neutral  whither has fle: Well, dear Jonathan, that's you back in your box, n'est ce pas? Cheer up!
20 hrs
neutral  B D Finch: A superb word that should be used a lot, but why here?
22 hrs
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22 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
syncretic


Explanation:
"In other forms of cultural expression, syncretism has blended with greater ease. Rock music for instance is the blending of so many different forms of music it’s hard to keep track. Art from a current period may blend the ideas of previous periods of art, and philosophy may also approach syncretism in a variety of ways."
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-syncretism.htm

I realise that "mosaic" may be understood as retaining the source forms, but a mosaic does resolve the various tesserae into a syncretic pattern.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day3 hrs (2010-01-10 22:15:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"For starters, McKay finds the international nature of jazz problematic in itself. The music is often described in terms of syncretism or a hybrid of African ..."
muse.jhu.edu/journals/notes/v063/63.1rawlins.html

"Genre: Jazz. [-] Collapse. songs; similar; videos; eyeviews; reviews ... Barry Miles Presents His New Syncretic Compositions by Barry Miles! ..."
www.mp3.com/albums/110723/reviews.html

"28 Feb 2000 ... What follows is a review of "KILTI CHOK -- Culture Choc -- Culture Shock". Enjoy! Shock or syncretism? A Haitian-Japanese happening! ..."
www.websteruniv.edu/~corbetre/haiti-archive/msg02653.html -

"13 Jul 2009 ... music of the fearlessly syncretic people of TriBeCaStan! ... Track by track review on Lucid Culture Tribecastan – Dancing Girls Tribecastan – Tonko the [. ... CD Review: Jon Lundbom & Big Five Chord Accomplish Jazz ..."
lucidculture.wordpress.com/.../cd-review-tribecastan-strange-cousin/ -




B D Finch
France
Local time: 11:20
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  John Detre
3 hrs
  -> Thanks John
disagree  David Vaughn: Completely the wrong register and obscure to most readers. /// The target audience here is a general-readership newspaper. The singer is pop-jazz. Your quotes illustrate that syncretic belongs to a different context and register.
3 hrs
  -> See 2nd note above; I think you are probably right.
neutral  whither has fle: Yes, David, I have to agree with your "disagree". Its a good word, Dr Finch, but I wouldnt use it in this specific context. Cheers.
2 days 41 mins
  -> As you can see, I agreed with David too in the end. Thanks for the doctorate! I don't actually have one.
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