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  3. Photography/Imaging (& Graphic Arts)

image à l'appui

English translation: strikingly **visual** subjects

15:37 Aug 22, 2012
French to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - Photography/Imaging (& Graphic Arts)
French term or phrase: image à l'appui
I think I know what the author is getting at in ".....l’émerveillement potentiellement attachés à certains sujets, **images à l’appui**, tels la cosmologie ou les phénomènes à l’échelle nanoscopique", plus there are several journalistic refs in Google, but what exactly does it mean? Striking images, images at the press of a button, images on demand? I know someone out there has the answer....
chris collister
France
Local time: 06:28
English translation:strikingly **visual** subjects
Explanation:
I would forget "à l'appui" as there is no way to translate the French nuance; the idea is that the visual component is an essential part of the wonder, so I think this is one way of conveying it.
Selected response from:

Sophie Raimondo
United States
Local time: 21:28
Grading comment
Although Barabra's "supporting Illustrations" is undoubtedly correct, I feel that "striking images/subjects..." is probably what the author intended.
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +4with supporting illustration(s)
B D Finch
5 +1with a picture to prove it
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
4 +1with images to illustrate / well-illustrated by images
Kévin Bernier
4 +1visual evidence
Helen Shiner
4with pictures as proof of the pudding
Conor McAuley
4strikingly **visual** subjects
Sophie Raimondo


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
with images to illustrate / well-illustrated by images


Explanation:
In French, "à l'appui" usually means "with X evidence to back up fact Y". For example, "il a été pris en flagrant délit de vol, avec photographies à l'appui" would be "he was caught red handed for theft, with pictures/images to back it up".

In this context, the meaning is closer to illustrating with images a topic which is subject to amazement.


    Reference: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=806669
Kévin Bernier
France
Local time: 06:28
Native speaker of: French

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Kevin B. Shelton: image seems more accurate or appropriate than photo or picture
1 hr
  -> Thank you.
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45 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
with pictures as proof of the pudding


Explanation:
If you want something very idiomatic.

Conor McAuley
France
Local time: 06:28
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Jennifer White: Not sure about this. As in "the proof of the pudding is in the eating"?
3 hrs
  -> Yep
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50 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
visual evidence


Explanation:
With supporting visual evidence...
or with visual evidence to back it up...

Following on from B D Finch's formulation and as per my comment to her.

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Note added at 51 mins (2012-08-22 16:28:56 GMT)
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with visual evidence to prove the point ...

Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:28
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 96

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sophie Raimondo
4 hrs
  -> Thanks, Sophieanne
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32 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
image à l\'appui
with supporting illustration(s)


Explanation:
To come down to earth:

thegourmand.co.uk/
"Tim Burrows shares his witty musings on the post-pub favourite cuisine, the kebab, with supporting illustration by Thibaud Herem."

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 59 mins (2012-08-22 16:37:13 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Whether it is more suitable to translate this as "illustrations" or, as Helen suggests in her comment, "visual evidence" really depends upon the context. I get the feeling, especially from the use of "émerveillement", that this is not about high-level science texts, but something more popular and that the point of view is that of the potential photographer or perhaps the potential publisher. Of course, that could be wrong.

B D Finch
France
Local time: 06:28
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 28

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Helen Shiner: though I think I would prefer 'supporting visual evidence' perhaps./Visual evidence does not need to come from a scientist - at least that was not in my mind./Please don't ascribe viewpoints to me that I do not share.
15 mins
  -> Thanks Helen. I read this as being written from the point of view of a photographer who might supply the illustrations, rather than that of a scientist calling upon "visual evidence" (émerveillement).//See added note.//I wasn't ascribing it to you.
agree  Bertrand Leduc
51 mins
  -> Thanks Bertrand
agree  Lara Barnett
1 hr
  -> Thanks Lara
agree  Di Penney
1 hr
  -> Thanks dipenney
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
strikingly **visual** subjects


Explanation:
I would forget "à l'appui" as there is no way to translate the French nuance; the idea is that the visual component is an essential part of the wonder, so I think this is one way of conveying it.

Sophie Raimondo
United States
Local time: 21:28
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench, Native in EnglishEnglish
Grading comment
Although Barabra's "supporting Illustrations" is undoubtedly correct, I feel that "striking images/subjects..." is probably what the author intended.
Notes to answerer
Asker: I'm glad a native speaker agrees that there is no direct EN equivalent of "à l'appui". I feel sure that "strikingly visual..." is along the right lines.

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10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
with a picture to prove it


Explanation:
Although according to the context, an English text would probably not bother with this type of phrase.

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Note added at 10 mins (2012-08-22 15:48:15 GMT)
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"Appuyer" as in to accentuate, to emphasise, to illustrate a point, literally.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 mins (2012-08-22 15:48:49 GMT)
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Actually, perhpas in English we might also say, "to illustrate a point", now I come to think of it!

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Note added at 17 hrs (2012-08-23 09:26:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Er, there is an English meaning for "à l'appui" going back to the verb "appuyer" to back up, to support, to illustrate. In English we tend to express it verbally. So, to run against some of the suggestions here, I think it important to point out that the phrase can be translated. It is indeed a very common journalistic expression, kind of written equivalent of the TV journalists' "la preuve en images".

There is nothing to stop you scaling up or down the phrase to suit the context for a better fit. This type of context admits (requires?) that often. However, you cannot maintain there is no translation of this expression.

Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Local time: 06:28
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Kévin Bernier: Lol, Nikki. We just keep going back to the same situations, don't we? I took forever to write my answer though.
6 mins
agree  SJLD: yeah, we'd say something like "appropriately illustrated"
5 hrs
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