Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

il y a photo

English translation:

there were photos

Added to glossary by philgoddard
Jul 15, 2013 16:27
10 yrs ago
French term

il y a photo

Non-PRO French to English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
From an academic article on the historiography of climatology. I suspect that the author means "il y a *pas* photo" - at least that is the only way this sentence makes sense to me. Or does he mean there is photographic evidence? Why put it in quotes like this and express it in a colloquial way in that case?

Il ne croyait pas non plus au recul des glaciers. Je l’assurai pourtant que sur ce point « il y avait photo » mais il restait sceptique.
Change log

Jul 16, 2013 19:34: Jane F changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"

Jul 20, 2013 16:13: philgoddard Created KOG entry

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (3): Michele Fauble, B D Finch, Jane F

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Discussion

Nikki Scott-Despaigne Jul 15, 2013:
But if you are not sure, then ask your client.
Nikki Scott-Despaigne Jul 15, 2013:
I'm with Emile here. This was the way I read it too. A play on what would be expected from the expression, which has been perverted to a literal meaning as there are actually photos. In context, this is someone's a witty one-liner.
emiledgar Jul 15, 2013:
Play on words I think it's a play on the expression "y'a pas photo" twisting "it's obvious" into "there's proof."
Jocelyne Cuenin Jul 15, 2013:
"il y a photo" me fait tout de suite penser aux courses hippiques. Quand les chevaux arrivent ensemble sur la ligne d'arrivée... eh bien, il y a photo.
Peut-être que l'interlocuteur joue au PMU ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_finish

Proposed translations

+12
4 mins
Selected

there were photos

Or, if you want to put it more formally, there was photographic evidence. "Il y a pas photo" wouldn't make sense - the other guy is denying that the glaciers are shrinking, and the writer is saying they are, and there are pictures to prove it.
Note from asker:
I was thinking of the expression "il y a pas photo" meaning it's obvious. But maybe you're right and there's no mistake and he just means there is photographic evidence.
Peer comment(s):

agree Victoria Britten
2 mins
agree Sheri P : I'd say the quotes are merely to set off what the author actually said to the doubter.
3 mins
agree Martyn Greenan
4 mins
agree Evans (X)
8 mins
agree Catharine Cellier-Smart
23 mins
agree Lara Barnett
30 mins
agree AllegroTrans
42 mins
agree Michele Fauble
1 hr
agree Mary Carroll Richer LaFlèche
2 hrs
agree writeaway : yes, but this well and truly something any bilingual person would know without looking it up.
3 hrs
agree Nikki Scott-Despaigne : You obviously can't play on the same expression, tant pis! What you can do however, is find some other way of emphasizing what is being said, which is the reason behind the play on words in the original. You could try : "with photos to prove it".
6 hrs
agree Miranda Joubioux (X) : yes, and I like Nikki's idea
20 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks in particular to Nikki. Perhaps I wasn't clear enough when I posted the question: of course I understand what this means, I was just wondering if you thought it had anything to do with the colloquialism y' a pas photo (just to defend my honor re. the non-pro voters & writeaway)."
1 hr

it's indisputable

I think it might be best to fudge it. It could mean literally "there are photos" or it could, as you suspect, be a typo for what I believe is often written "y'a pas photo", as in the TV series.

Something along the lines of the above suggestion would serve for either meaning.
Something went wrong...
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