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Jun 26, 2007 10:51
16 yrs ago
French term

Le Damier des Aromates

French to English Other Botany Text on Aromatic Plants used for making Essential Oils
This is the title of one of the pages I have been asked to translate about aromatic herbs. The meaning I have found for 'damier' is 'draughtboard' or 'checked material'. The text on this page discusses the use of herbs in cooking and how some herbs have additional benefits to contributing to the taste of food and can help digestion, act as stimulants etc. I assume, therefore, that the idea is that you can have some herbs that are beneficial which heal, and others that could be damaging, but I can't think of a good translation for this at the moment.
Proposed translations (English)
3 +3 let your imagination run riot... (NOT a translation)
4 The Herb Patch
3 herbs glorious herbs/ oils galore
3 herb snakes and ladders
2 The simple garden
Change log

Jun 26, 2007 12:10: suezen changed "Level" from "Non-PRO" to "PRO"

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

PRO (2): Melzie, Peter Shortall

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Discussion

CMJ_Trans (X) Jun 26, 2007:
and I'm saying it is just an image - don't overcomplicate
suezen Jun 26, 2007:
Yes, you're right of course CMJ, the title is obviously not to be the herb chequerboard! but before looking for the title we needed to understand the sense of damier in the context :-)
CMJ_Trans (X) Jun 26, 2007:
It is a TITLE for Heaven's sake - so you want something equally flowery

Herbs in all their glory
Herbs a gogo
CMJ_Trans (X) Jun 26, 2007:
Surely you are all looking too far? This is just another figurative expression meaning the medley of herbs and spices, the range of herbs and spices - herbs and spices in all their different colours. It is no more profound than that IMHO
suezen Jun 26, 2007:
The garden simply is a layout of symmetrical, geometrically raised beds ...
www.herb-gardentalk.com/typesofherbgardens.htm - 29k
suezen Jun 26, 2007:
I think Melzie has the right idea with the layout.
Parterre en damier Massif de thym Banquette de camomille Parterre géométrique ...
www.amazon.fr/Herbes-aromates-George-Carter/dp/toc/27000225... - 48k - Résultat complémentaire
Chequerboard Herb Garden.
Tony M Jun 26, 2007:
OK, right, so my idea was way off then; but I feel sure Melzie has hit the nail on the head with her 'herb garden layout' suggestion
mportal (asker) Jun 26, 2007:
No, it isn't a reference book about herbs. The text is background information on the plants used in producing essential oils.
Tony M Jun 26, 2007:
It isn't something to do with the graphical layout of the page, is it? I rather imagine it as a 'chequerboard' with little frames with a different herb illustrated in each. I can't really see any more figurative meaning to read into it.

Proposed translations

+3
2 hrs
Selected

let your imagination run riot... (NOT a translation)

A festival of herbs
Herbs galore
Herbs big and small
A patchwork of herbs
The herbal palette (as in "artist")
A riot of herbs
Herbs get the checkered flag ( a "damier" is also a checkered flag)
Herbs a winner
Herbs first across the line
Herbs in pole position

I could go on... and on.....
Peer comment(s):
agree Tony M : Totally agree with your comments (though not with every one of the above suggestions!) But I do think it is helpful to get a mental image of the origin of the expression
7 mins
your suggestion is clever but beyond the common mortal
agree Bourth (X) : Agree (but keep your hat on!). A herb for every purpose ...
9 mins
again, the options are legion as long as you don't let yourself get bogged down
agree Lakshmi Iyer : A cross-section of herbs? Or perhaps simply 'Cooking with herbs'.
41 mins
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Although I am not that keen on most of your suggestions, I like 'The herbal palette' very much. I do think, also, that you are rather too dismissive of my interpretation of the context, considering that you haven't even seen it.) The translation I actually used was 'The chequered array of aromatic plants', which I thought sounded flowery at the same time as covering all eventualities."
2 hrs

herbs glorious herbs/ oils galore

a few ideas

herbs for all seasons
pure extracts

depends really on the rest of the text :-)
Peer comment(s):
neutral Tony M : I think you just have to go the rest of the way to 'herbs galorious' ! ;-)))
31 mins
:-)
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

The Herb Patch

Keeps the idea of squares, garden, selection all in one little word.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Tony M : Indeed it does, Emma — but I can't help feeling that 'patch' isn't quite a suitable register here...?
25 mins
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

The simple garden

I don't suppose for one moment that this would be appropriate for your register, but I just couldn't help throwing in this lovely old-fashioned term, dating back to the days when such things were called 'herbs and simples' — I think the FR equivalent is something like a 'jardin de curé', isn't it?
Peer comment(s):
neutral Melzie : It is indeed - jardin de curé - squares within squares of herbs, of vedge, with fruit round the edges
13 mins
Thanks, Melzie, I felt sure I'd come across that term somewhere! I think it was a re-creation of a mediæval garden...
Something went wrong...
20 mins

herb snakes and ladders

or snakes and ladders of the herb garden

my immediate reaction, before reading your context, was to say checkerboard as that is a bit how a classical herb garden is set out. Given your context, I think this gives the image you're looking for.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2007-06-26 13:43:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The ups and downs of herb use.

simply

The best way to use herbs to your advantage (while avoiding the pitfalls)

perhaps one to avoid... 'kill or cure'
Peer comment(s):
neutral Tony M : I think there's a bit too much of a negative connotation to the idea of 'sliding down a snake' to be ideal for the given context: but I do like your 'herb garden' suggestion
2 mins
Thank you, Tony. I've just thought of another one.
Something went wrong...
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