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opérateur d'exception

English translation: exception operator [term used by Umberto Eco]

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:opérateur d'exception
English translation:exception operator [term used by Umberto Eco]
Entered by: cc in nyc

03:17 Mar 5, 2012
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Semiotics
French term or phrase: opérateur d'exception
This is a term used by Umberto Eco in the French translation of Lector in Fabula in the following passage:
pp. 192-193 : « Prenons un roman de science-fiction : on y affirme qu’il existe une machine pouvant dématérialiser un cube et le faire réapparaître en arrière dans le temps […] ; un tel instrument est nommé mais pas construit, c’est-à-dire qu’on dit qu’il existe, qu’il a tel nom, mais on ne dit pas comment il fonctionne. Alors cela reste un ***opérateur d’exception*** comme le Donateur Magique des fables ou Dieu dans les histoires de miracles : un opérateur auquel on attribue la propriété de pouvoir violer les lois naturelles (et les vérités logiquement nécessaires) ».
I'm looking for the English translation of the expression but for some reason am drawing a blank and need to submit the text tonight. Can anyone who happens to have the book or better honed Google skills than myself help me out here?
It's for an an academic paper (US English). Thank you very much indeed.
Susan Nicholls
Local time: 05:42
singular force
Explanation:
It's a toughie. :-|

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Note added at 11 hrs (2012-03-05 14:36:08 GMT)
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I think this is your passage, taken from a published English edition:

In fact, such a novel takes for granted a background W-0, with all its logical truths (if any), and simply introduces in its </>W-1, (accessible to W-0) an individual (a fantastic machine, a spatiotemporal whirl) which has the property of suspending (transitorily) the principle of identity or the principles of mathematics. This property is an exception operator like the Magic Donor in fairy tales or God in the theological explanation of miracles." [bold added]
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48058153/Umberto-Eco-The-Role-of-t...
Printed page 234, Scribd page 121

As can be seen, it uses the literal translation exception operator – so much for our efforts!

P.S. This really should be a Reference... But that's not possible, since I've already posted an Answer.
Selected response from:

cc in nyc
Local time: 15:42
Grading comment
Many thanks for "exception operator"!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +2deus ex machina
Marco Solinas
4 +1singularity machine
Paul Hirsh
3 +1natural law breaker/breaker of the laws of nature
David Hollywood
4super operator
Rasha Ali Hassan
4superhero
Rasha Ali Hassan
3singular force
cc in nyc
Summary of reference entries provided
literal translation mathematical terms
Just Opera

Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
natural law breaker/breaker of the laws of nature


Explanation:
maybe

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Note added at 12 mins (2012-03-05 03:29:45 GMT)
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but nothing to back it up

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Note added at 14 mins (2012-03-05 03:32:17 GMT)
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maybe "mould breaker"

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Note added at 37 mins (2012-03-05 03:55:40 GMT)
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or: exceptional agent

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Note added at 39 mins (2012-03-05 03:56:47 GMT)
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given the overall context I think if you go with something incorporating "agent" you will be ok

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Note added at 40 mins (2012-03-05 03:57:44 GMT)
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but maybe someone can come up with a more accurate rendering

David Hollywood
Local time: 16:42
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  ormiston: i agree with you agent - what about supernatural agent?problem is it must fit the magic and godly slant
7 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
deus ex machina


Explanation:
I think this is the meaning.

Marco Solinas
Local time: 12:42
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in ItalianItalian
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  cc in nyc: the god reference comes later
55 mins
agree  BrigitteHilgner
2 hrs
agree  philgoddard: Good idea. There's no exact English equivalent, but this is close enough.
12 hrs
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9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
super operator


Explanation:
like Superman, Batman, Spiderman...


Rasha Ali Hassan
Local time: 20:42
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in ArabicArabic

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  philgoddard: You mean superhero, which is actually quite a good answer. Why not resubmit it?
3 hrs
  -> Thanks.
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
singular force


Explanation:
It's a toughie. :-|

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 hrs (2012-03-05 14:36:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I think this is your passage, taken from a published English edition:

In fact, such a novel takes for granted a background W-0, with all its logical truths (if any), and simply introduces in its </>W-1, (accessible to W-0) an individual (a fantastic machine, a spatiotemporal whirl) which has the property of suspending (transitorily) the principle of identity or the principles of mathematics. This property is an exception operator like the Magic Donor in fairy tales or God in the theological explanation of miracles." [bold added]
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48058153/Umberto-Eco-The-Role-of-t...
Printed page 234, Scribd page 121

As can be seen, it uses the literal translation exception operator – so much for our efforts!

P.S. This really should be a Reference... But that's not possible, since I've already posted an Answer.


cc in nyc
Local time: 15:42
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Many thanks for "exception operator"!
Notes to answerer
Asker: Yes, you've found it! Exception operator is perfect in fact. As I understood it from the scant references I found and my vague memories of the text, Eco lists a number of different types of operator who bring about different effects in the text, one of which being an exception to natural laws - but my searches could not even establish whether "operator" was the term used. Semiotics loves that sort of terminology. No other suggestion would have done, because this was a passing reference in a text, it needed to use the expression that anyone who was familiar with Eco would have recognized, in an academic paper which is extremely precise down to the last M-dash. We had decided just to put "operator", but this is brilliant. I am forever in your debt. Thanks.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  ormiston: i agree it is a toughie. best would be the original Italian. my quibble here is that it seems more personalised than a supernatural force. Agent would be closer - a kind of 'wand waver
4 hrs
  -> Or maybe the published English version.
neutral  philgoddard: Well done for finding this, but I actually think "exception operator" is a lazy translation. It doesn't mean anything in English. Mind you, some would say this kind of text is impossible to translate meaningfully anyway.
11 hrs
  -> Not my choice either. I still like the non-deistic "singular force."
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12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
singularity machine


Explanation:
or (time) warp agent

ad-libbing here

singularity is the scientific term for a space with its own rules (I think :))

Paul Hirsh
France
Local time: 21:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 44

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Karen Vincent-Jones (X): Yes, I like this- and it is used in sci-fi!
1 day 3 hrs
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15 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
superhero


Explanation:
This is a follow-up to super operator, re-posted at philgoddard's suggestion.

Rasha Ali Hassan
Local time: 20:42
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in ArabicArabic
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Reference comments


15 hrs
Reference: literal translation mathematical terms

Reference information:
As backed up by cc in nyc with quote from English translation of the text in question.

At first I thought it could mean 'exception handling' but I see it is referring to an 'operator' in the mathematical sense (link1) and the exception (error) in relation to the operator (link 2).

so: 'exception operator' it is.

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Note added at 15 hrs (2012-03-05 18:42:22 GMT)
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e.g. math exceptions = dividing by zero, overflow errors.

This fits with the text. The idea of something that breaks the natural rules of maths.


    Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operator_%28mathematics%29
    Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_operations
Just Opera
Belgium
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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