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Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

quelques people

English translation:

celebrities; prominent figures; personalities

Added to glossary by Carol Gullidge
Jul 30, 2008 09:56
15 yrs ago
French term

quelques people

Non-PRO French to English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters invitees to a jewellery fair
Ces visiteurs sont invités par notre organisation et par nos exposants rassemblant : Notre marraine XX, ***quelques people***, les leaders d'opinion du monde du luxe, la presse et des personnes à fort pouvoir d'achat

---

In a letter enticing a firm to take part in a prestigious exhibition.

I've never come across this term before, although it patently does exist! Is it simply "members of the general public", or is there some more subtle meaning here?

Any clarification would be much appreciated - many thanks!
Proposed translations (English)
3 +7 some celebrities
5 +3 some celebrities
4 +2 celebrities
4 +1 personalities / prominent figures
4 stars, celebrities, jet-setters
4 well known or famous people
3 some celebrities
3 a few vips
Change log

Jul 30, 2008 10:12: Tony M changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (1): writeaway

When entering new questions, KudoZ askers are given an opportunity* to classify the difficulty of their questions as 'easy' or 'pro'. If you feel a question marked 'easy' should actually be marked 'pro', and if you have earned more than 20 KudoZ points, you can click the "Vote PRO" button to recommend that change.

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A pro question is anything else... in other words, any question that requires knowledge or skills that are specialized (even slightly).

Another way to think of the difficulty levels is this: an easy question is one that deals with everyday conversation. A pro question is anything else.

When deciding between easy and pro, err on the side of pro. Most questions will be pro.

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Discussion

Martin Cassell Jul 30, 2008:
Now's a good time: the 3rd ed. of the big one is just out.
Carol Gullidge (asker) Jul 30, 2008:
Oh dear!! Good advice Martin, but bad news! In my dearly beloved and much-thumbed 2001 Unabridged Senior edition of CR, there's nothing between pénurie and PEP! It looks as though a trip to Exeter is the order of the day... But I'll have to check specifically for this word before parting with my cash!
Martin Cassell Jul 30, 2008:
Carol, you may be unfairly maligning R&C, or in need of a newer edtion! It's listed in my Super Senior (2000 ed.), albeit only as an adjective: also in others, both bi- and monolingual, incl. my Petit Robert.
Carol Gullidge (asker) Jul 30, 2008:
thanks French Foodie. I don't understand why my glossary search threw up nothing on Kudoz, and only one of the 3 Wiki-word entries was the slightest bit relevant : la presse people = tabloid press - which would have sent me in quite the wrong direction! As you say, all's well that ends well :-) And I love all the wonderful refs and other possible usages. Quite an eye-opener!
French Foodie Jul 30, 2008:
Hi Carol, the Kudoz glossary has several entries, like this one:
www.proz.com/kudoz/french_to_english/marketing/112825-peopl...
But I know that sometimes the search function can be finnicky!!
The important thing is that you got the answer you need :-)
Charles Hawtrey (X) Jul 30, 2008:
...even to those living in UK... Maybe it's just the rubbish I read...
Carol Gullidge (asker) Jul 30, 2008:
Many thanks everybody for the terrific help, and thank goodness I asked, as I was barking entirely up the wrong street!

I'm not sure about this having been reclassified (non-pro). It might be obvious to all those living in France, but I still don't feel it's a question for "language learners", as specified in KudoZ. There's no sign of this term in the trusty Collins Robert, nor in the Kudoz glossaries... Of course, unless we're native, we're ALL "language learners" (and then some!) by definition, but I don't feel that that is what is meant here - which would disqualify almost every question. Anyway, thank goodness this hasn't prevented a very enlightening (for me, at least!) debate - as has happened in the past
Martin Cassell Jul 30, 2008:
And "c'est très people", too!
http://tf1.lci.fr/infos/people/0,,3885359,00-voyage-tres-peo...
Emma Paulay Jul 30, 2008:
Just a note. You even hear 'c'est UN people'. Beeeuuuurrk!
Martin Cassell Jul 30, 2008:
Good discussion also in this highly-recommended column:
http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/harrap/features/c0706.php
http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/harrap/features/c0707.php
Martin Cassell Jul 30, 2008:
Quelques réfs :
http://www.proz.com/kudoz/499226
http://investigation.blog.lemonde.fr/2008/06/16/glamour-busi...

Proposed translations

+7
2 mins
Selected

some celebrities

That's how I would interpret it
Peer comment(s):
agree Jack Dunwell
3 mins
agree Sheila Wilson : These Anglicisms are a nightmare for English teachers here in France!
17 mins
agree Arnold T.
25 mins
agree Martin Cassell : les "people", c'est partout : on se plaint sans cesse de la "pipolisation" ("peopolisation" etc) des médias, de la vie politique ...
26 mins
agree Emma Paulay : 'a few' rather than 'some'
30 mins
agree cmwilliams (X) : and agree with Emma
36 mins
agree tatyana000
45 mins
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "thanks so much Mary, and everyone, asevery single one of the answers is excellent! Also some terrific refs.. But Mary was first, and I was in a huge rush..."
+3
2 mins

some celebrities

---

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 minutes (2008-07-30 09:59:31 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Le terme people en français désigné en fait les célébrités, les vedettes.
Terme très à la mode en France.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 minutes (2008-07-30 09:59:52 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

désignE. Pardon
Peer comment(s):
agree Melissa McMahon : yes, probably derived from "People" magazine?
2 mins
Thanks Melissa! On parle de magazines people d'ailleurs en français
agree Catherine CHAUVIN : c'est bien ça.
4 mins
Thanks Catherine!
agree Martin Cassell : indeed. Melissa's suggestion on the derivation is supported here: http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/harrap/features/c0706.php
33 mins
Thanks Martin!
Something went wrong...
4 mins

stars, celebrities, jet-setters

The people you see in People Magazine-type rags, like Voici, etc. :-) - la presse "people"
Something went wrong...
10 mins

some celebrities

'People in the public eye' is the meaning.
Something went wrong...
15 mins

a few vips

a varient - if they're not named they're probably very minor celebs.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 mins (2008-07-30 10:13:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

variAnt
Something went wrong...
+1
18 mins
French term (edited): people

personalities / prominent figures

I have most often encountered this term used less restrictively than merely 'celebrities', 'stars', etc. — i.e. they may not be famous names, just people who move in (relatively!) select circles.

It's the 'P' out of 'VIP'
Peer comment(s):
agree Martin Cassell : good option ("personalities")
15 mins
Thanks, Martin!
neutral cmwilliams (X) : not sure about 'prominent figure'. The term 'people' is about celebrity culture. A respected writer, scientist or politician could be a prominent figure but would not necessarily be referred to as 'people'.
1 hr
Something went wrong...
23 mins

well known or famous people

other ideas....
Something went wrong...
+2
3 mins

celebrities

I believe the French use 'people' to mean celebrities



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 41 mins (2008-07-30 10:37:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Another good reference to add to the collection:

Les People - An even more unfortunate anglicism, this expression is used in French, only in singular, to mean « celebrities » and is sometimes converted into a French spelling to indicate its pronunciation: pipole (peep-ULL). The origin is possibly from the American weekly People Magazine, with its always-kind treatment of stars mixed in with uncontroversial paparazzi photos. Ironically, English word comes from the original French peuple, and it has now been elevated to a more intellectual level, as commentators and voters alike complain about the « peoplisation » of political coverage. And no, not even rue89 can avoid using it.

http://www.rue89.com/2007/05/21/a-french-political-lexicon-f...
Peer comment(s):
agree Martin Cassell : good ref: I think Carol should have more than enough background now!
59 mins
Thanks!
agree writeaway : backed by Robert. a more "recent: but even so everyday word in French.
2 hrs
Something went wrong...
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