Mar 5, 2010 10:30
14 yrs ago
French term

lovée dans des écrins insolites

French to English Art/Literary Advertising / Public Relations description of a photographer
Describing (in glowing terms) a photographer who is about to have her first book of photos published. She photographs women, but not professional models, rather women from all walks of life.

The term in context:
C’est une femme à la fois douce, sensuelle, juste, contraire à la vulgarité, insolite, intemporelle et lumineuse. C’est une femme qui a des formes, des fantasmes et n’a pas peur de les suggérer et de les réaliser. Elle est envoûtante, mystérieuse et parfois incandescente, *** lovée dans des écrins insolites ***. C’est une femme qui s’interroge sur sa sexualité, ses fantasmes, ses peurs, son narcissisme, sur le couple, le lien, les anges et les démons, sur la place de l’amour véritable et sur ce qui mène le monde..

The glossary gives "nestling" for both "lové" and "écrin" (among other suggestions, of course) and I've played with all sorts of combinations but can't find anything really natural in English.

TIA

Discussion

Jacqui Audouy Mar 6, 2010:
My understanding of this is totally different..I think they are talking about her clothes! When I just read the phrase out of context I saw a brooch nestling in a squashy silk-lined box...so, by extension...

Proposed translations

+2
1 hr
Selected

perfectly at home with the unexpected

suggestion
Peer comment(s):

agree Carol Gullidge : actually, I realise that my answer is rather similar to yours - sorry!
3 hrs
agree Verginia Ophof
6 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "A very low confidence level, Connor - I, for one, have confidence in it. Let's hope the client has too! Thanks."
32 mins

springing up unexpectedly like a jack-in-the-box

My MédiaDico gives a description of lové as curled up like a serpent and écrin as a small (such as jewellery) box. So taking the analogy a little further I thought of the jack-in-the-box popping up in unexpected places.
Note from asker:
Thanks Colin. I'm not sure it's an entirely positive attribute for a photographer, though, to be compared to a jack-in-the-box.
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1 hr

comfortably inhabiting a variety of unusual settings

A tricky one. I feel it is saying that she is a woman who is very at ease in various unusual....whats? Not sure if it means physical surroundings or clothes, and of course the "écrin" has the sense of "a setting that shows her off to advantage", or could even be personae. Can't find something in English that suggests all these possible meanings, so am proposing "settings" which has some flexibility...not a perfect solution, but could generate some ideas...!
Note from asker:
Thanks for all those useful ideas, Philippa
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+1
1 hr

nestling in unexpected places

A suggestion.
Peer comment(s):

agree chaplin
19 mins
Thank you, Ségolène
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1 hr

nestled in unexpected recesses

...rather than boxes, etc.
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2 hrs

often to be found in unfamiliar surroundings

trying to key the idea in with the rest of your text, a possible way of interpreting it.

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Note added at 2 hrs (2010-03-05 12:39:49 GMT)
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Sorry everyone, I didn't mean to give a 4 for confidence, I was aiming for a 2!!

Please ignore the number ranking...
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5 hrs

comfortable in any/[the least likely] surroundings

ie, at ease in even the strangest/[least likely]/[most unusual] of places or situations

or any combination or synonym of these
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2 days 10 hrs

happy to be different

and another
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