mise sur le bleu

English translation: making blue a signature colour/putting the accent/stakes on blue

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

French term or phrase:	mise sur le bleu
English translation:	making blue a signature colour/putting the accent/stakes on blue
Entered by:	Carol Gullidge

22:09 Dec 22, 2016

French to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / Publicity about watches

French term or phrase: mise sur le bleu

In a publicity text about a high-end watch. Context: "L'horloger XXX **mise sur le bleu** dans ses nouvelles collections horlogères dont un garde-temps qui mélange savamment allure rock'n roll et pierres précieuses." Talking about a particular watch. What does "mise sur le bleu" mean, please? One of the models of the particular the watch is blue - could that be what it is referring to? I can't find a general reference to it anywhere. Thanks for any help.

Nicky Over KudoZ activity Questions: 375 (1 open) (32 closed without grading) Answers: 58 United Kingdom
Local time: 00:11

making blue a signature colour/putting the accent on blue

Explanation:
...literally, putting their stakes on blue

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miser sur = to stake, bet on, to back (e.g., put your money on a horse in a race).

My guess is that this IS about the blue watch in particular (perhaps there are further examples of blue watches in the collection?), and perhaps the watchmaker is "going for blue" or "putting their stakes on blue" in this instance. So, more indirectly, for this collection, blue is a signature colour.

The website cited below uses this expression: Anonimo, a watch brand with an Italian heritage that now operates out of Switzerland, has always considered blue as a key signature colour.

Selected response from:

Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:11

Grading comment

Thanks for the help - I wasn't concentrating hard enough...
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +4

making blue a signature colour/putting the accent on blue

Carol Gullidge

3 +3

with a focus on blue/with blue as the tone

David Hollywood

4 +1

betting on blue

B D Finch

4 -2

(all) dressed up in blue

Barbara Cochran, MFA

Discussion entries: 8

Answers

26 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): -2

(all) dressed up in blue

Explanation:
The way that I have expressed come across moree like copywriting, which would, of course, be what would be needed and desired in this case.

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Note added at 27 mins (2016-12-22 22:37:06 GMT)
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"Dressed up" also emphasizes the idea of fashion.

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Note added at 46 mins (2016-12-22 22:55:41 GMT)
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"Mettre" often refers to getting dressed, anyway.

Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 19:11
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

disagree

Tony M: But this is nothing to do with the verb 'mettre' — the verb here is 'miser'. / Quite apart from the elementary error of FR vocabulary, it simply wouldn't be suitable to say "the watchmaker is all dressed up in blue".

15 hrs

agree

philgoddard: This doesn't merit a disagree.

16 hrs

-> Thank you, philgoddard.

neutral

Juan Jacob: Where is mettre? Dressed up, not bad.

17 hrs

-> OK, but like you mentioned, "dressed up" works in this instance.

disagree

Jennifer White: Incorrect. Nothing to do with revenge!/Oh dear! Your translation is wrong./ nothing to prove. You have mistaken "miser" for "mettre".

19 hrs

-> You missed the whole point! That certainly, as anyone can see, was not a part of the translation I offered. Just a comment on what amounts to the dissenter's always predictable behavior./Prove it! Obviously, no proof, so a "spurious" disagree.

disagree

writeaway: this is definitely a mistranslation of the actual verb. have a look at miser in any Fr-En dictionary. There is no way not to disagree with it. If this was posted with confidence level 1 or 2, then a neutral would be fairer.

1 day 12 hrs

-> Sorry, but regardless of whether or not the verb in question is "mettre" or not, this is still one of the most valid options, given the context, which is that of a copywritten text.

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

making blue a signature colour/putting the accent on blue

Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:11
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 124

Grading comment

Thanks for the help - I wasn't concentrating hard enough...

16 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

betting on blue

Explanation:
Why avoid the literal translation? This means that they are taking a risk because they believe that blue watches will sell, i.e. they are betting on it.

www.collectionsocietegenerale.com › Home › Something New !... work: striking a balance so that we can make selections which fit into the Collection and its spirit, while taking risks and betting on young and unfamiliar talents.

http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/522471-upholstery-sour...
"Upholstery sources betting on successful concepts
Bringing several new interpretations to existing style themes"

www.retailinasia.com/.../fashion.../fashion/why-global-reta...
Why global retailers are betting on Muslim fashion.

https://miasa.world/en/saffron-colors-on-runways-around-the-... Jul 2014 - The Saffron color is beautiful, rich, yellow colour also fires up the ... Also fashion labels like Levi's or Weekday are betting on saffron as a trend ...

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Note added at 16 hrs (2016-12-23 14:27:06 GMT)
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It also sounds snappy thanks to the alliteration.

B D Finch
France
Local time: 01:11
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 136

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Juan Jacob: Voilà, pourquoi chercher midi à 14 heures et tourner autour de pot...

2 hrs

-> Merci Juan, c'est exactement ça !

neutral

writeaway: it's one of the possible translation of miser but imo one would have to check with the client before committing to this

20 hrs

-> Betting metaphors might be used slightly more in French than in English, but not much more.

neutral

Tony M: I think the trouble is the notion in FR is more 'putting money on' or 'backing', whereas 'betting' tends to take it towards 'taking a gamble on' (sticking their neck out?)

1 day 4 hrs

-> I agree that there is a slight nuance between them, but I think that, in a publicity text, the difference is too marginal to matter and snappiness wins.

19 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

with a focus on blue/with blue as the tone

Explanation:
couple of ideas

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Note added at 20 mins (2016-12-22 22:29:21 GMT)
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might be too literal so let's see what else comes up

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Note added at 23 mins (2016-12-22 22:32:38 GMT)
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with an accent on blue

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Note added at 24 mins (2016-12-22 22:33:35 GMT)
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I suspect that this term is very idiomatic and my French doesn't stretch to that

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Note added at 1 hr (2016-12-22 23:39:48 GMT)
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I like "accent" in this context

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Note added at 3 days7 hrs (2016-12-26 05:40:41 GMT)
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just go with something with "accent on"

David Hollywood
Local time: 20:11
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 28

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