Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
avec un ensoleillement relatif de certaines parcelles
English translation:
with some plots getting rather less in the way of sunshine
French term
United Kingdom
poetically precise prose with... panache
Native in: English 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English
avec un ensoleillement relatif de certaines parcelles
Le relief « accidenté » du vignoble du libournais permet une organisation des vignes en paliers sur les coteaux ******avec un ensoleillement relatif de certaines parcelles******
_______
It's "relatif" that is throwing me (relative to what, I ask). Does it merely mean that some parcels receive more sunshine than others - varying/corresponding amounts of sunshine? If so, this doesn't really make a lot of sense to me in the context, and I'd be very grateful for any help with this - many thanks!
PS, "Exposition" here means more than simply exposure to the elements (wind/sun/south-facing, etc) - as in English - but also involves the topography and relief.
| 4 | with some plots getting rather less in the way of sunshine |
Jacqui Audouy
|
| 3 +2 | with fair exposure to the sun |
david angel (X)
|
| 3 | with relative sunshine duration varying between plots |
Evans (X)
|
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.
How to tell the difference between "easy" and "pro" questions:
An easy question is one that any bilingual person would be able to answer correctly. (Or in the case of monolingual questions, an easy question is one that any native speaker of the language would be able to answer correctly.)
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.
* Note: non-member askers are not given the option of entering 'pro' questions; the only way for their questions to be classified as 'pro' is for a ProZ.com member or members to re-classify it.
Proposed translations
with some plots getting rather less in the way of sunshine
| many thanks Jacqui! I'm still trying to make sense of this (exactly what they are getting at, despite all the very feasible suggestions). Trouble is, this isn't estate-agent speak, but a straight article on the terroirs of Bordeaux |
with relative sunshine duration varying between plots
"durée relative d'ensoleillement" means "relative sunshine duration" and I suspect this is what is being referred to somewhat obliquely here - the length of time each plot is exposed to sunshine.
And I think they may well be saying that some plots have longer relative sunshine duration than others.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 mins (2010-03-02 17:06:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Forgot my ref:
http://www.satel-light.com/guide/glosstoz.htm
| many thanks Gilla! Yes, it could be shorthand, as the text is fairly condensed in places. In which case, I'd probably need to clarify with the client... |
with fair exposure to the sun
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 36 mins (2010-03-02 17:31:18 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
I think I'd translate the whole sentence like this: the hilly geography of the region helps to facilitate the use of staking in vineyards, so that more disadvantaged plots nevertheless receive a fair amount of sunshine. But I'm not quite sure: does staking increase exposure or reduce it? I'm going to look on a wine site...
| many thanks for the speedy response! I know "relatif" can have a "grudging" sense, but wouldn't it seem odd that some parcels would only receive a fair amount of sunshine...? |
| agree |
Julie N L England (X)
: I agree I also found a link that might interest (plus it has the advantage of being both in French & English!) which has a slight mention of partial sun exposure. Hope it helps! http://www.livewine.eu/cours.php?co=terroir&lang=eng
19 mins
|
|
But does staking vines increase or lessen exposure to the sun? I think it could lessen it as a result of greater shade
|
|
| agree |
Bourth (X)
: With your revised view. But I still don't think "fair" captures it sufficiently. "Only middling sun", maybe?
26 mins
|
|
Yes, that could be better.
|
Discussion
do they mean that certain parcels can be organized in such a way that they can benefit from a relative amount of sunlight as a result (i.e. relative to the organizational layout)?
...which provides a relative amount of sunlight to ...?
cross-check with a native perhaps
19:06 [Click here to delete your post] [Click here to edit your post]
If this is an objective assessment, not some promotional spiel, they might mean "moderate". I often hear "relatif/relativiser" used as a euphemism for "somewhat lacking"
For me, relatif used this way implies "not a lot", as in notre réussite était relative meaning "we didn't really succeed (but we're thinking positively)".
As I see now David has just said ...