Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
conseiller de l'ombre
English translation:
shadow advisor
Added to glossary by
olganet
Mar 6, 2005 01:10
19 yrs ago
French term
France
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Native in: French 
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Works in: English to French, French to English, German to French, and 1 more.
conseiller de l'ombre
French to English
Other
Journalism
Hello,
My head is blank, and I can not figure out an expression for it, in the right context.
Used to describe learned personalities, highly regarded but giving their recommendations to governments without being publicly acknowledged as doing so. Yet the author of this piece is not seeing them as doing something bad or unpalatable. More as in specialists of any field used to do until the second world war, without the press being interested in their doing, hence without anyone bothering to tell the general public about who (outside of any official government office )was helping the government on various issues.
Seeing the image is important to the context, something with shade, shadow, etc would be best but as silly as it can be, I simply can not think up of one right now. ( and shadow minister it is not ;-) )
My head is blank, and I can not figure out an expression for it, in the right context.
Used to describe learned personalities, highly regarded but giving their recommendations to governments without being publicly acknowledged as doing so. Yet the author of this piece is not seeing them as doing something bad or unpalatable. More as in specialists of any field used to do until the second world war, without the press being interested in their doing, hence without anyone bothering to tell the general public about who (outside of any official government office )was helping the government on various issues.
Seeing the image is important to the context, something with shade, shadow, etc would be best but as silly as it can be, I simply can not think up of one right now. ( and shadow minister it is not ;-) )
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +4 | shadow advisor |
olganet
|
| 4 +3 | behind-the-scenes advisor |
RHELLER
|
| 5 -2 | Falcon/Hawk |
Anna Maria Augustine (X)
|
| 3 | background advisors/consultants |
Sandra C.
|
| 3 -1 | Grey Eminence |
hodierne
|
Proposed translations
+4
9 mins
Selected
shadow advisor
The New York Times last May was so concerned about how Kenny had the run of the place (1600 Pennsylvania Ave.), they referred to Lay as the "shadow advisor to the president."
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Note added at 10 mins (2005-03-06 01:21:11 GMT)
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http://www.purewatergazette.net/georgewingethsemane.htm
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Note added at 13 mins (2005-03-06 01:24:34 GMT)
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that was a quote from the Open Letter to George W. Bush from Michael Moore\". George W. in the Garden of Gethsemane\"
... Professor David Blair of the Air War College acted as my “shadow advisor” all year and was not only a great help but a patient source of encouragement. ...
www.maxwell.af.mil/au/aul/aupress/ SAAS_Theses/SAASS_Out/Vazquez/vazquez.pdf
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Note added at 13 hrs 50 mins (2005-03-06 15:01:26 GMT)
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To: Seger Bonebakker
there are usually shadow advisors to big political figures, like presidents or such.The person writing in this example is not famous. You can see a lot of examples of \"shadow advisor\" instances in quotation marks in the college graduation student ackwnolegements.
See, for example, the caption for a picture on this site:
With Patty Strach, my \"shadow advisor,\" in advance of the celebration cookout.http://faculty.wm.edu/pmanna/pictures/pictures.htm
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Note added at 10 mins (2005-03-06 01:21:11 GMT)
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http://www.purewatergazette.net/georgewingethsemane.htm
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 mins (2005-03-06 01:24:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
that was a quote from the Open Letter to George W. Bush from Michael Moore\". George W. in the Garden of Gethsemane\"
... Professor David Blair of the Air War College acted as my “shadow advisor” all year and was not only a great help but a patient source of encouragement. ...
www.maxwell.af.mil/au/aul/aupress/ SAAS_Theses/SAASS_Out/Vazquez/vazquez.pdf
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 hrs 50 mins (2005-03-06 15:01:26 GMT)
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To: Seger Bonebakker
there are usually shadow advisors to big political figures, like presidents or such.The person writing in this example is not famous. You can see a lot of examples of \"shadow advisor\" instances in quotation marks in the college graduation student ackwnolegements.
See, for example, the caption for a picture on this site:
With Patty Strach, my \"shadow advisor,\" in advance of the celebration cookout.http://faculty.wm.edu/pmanna/pictures/pictures.htm
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
hodierne
: or shadowy adviser
7 hrs
|
|
thank you
|
|
| agree |
Philippe C. (X)
8 hrs
|
|
thank you
|
|
| agree |
Estelle Demontrond-Box
8 hrs
|
|
thank you
|
|
| neutral |
Seger Bonebakker (X)
: why would "shadow advisor" be in double quotation marks in this example?
8 hrs
|
|
please see my note, and thank you for your question
|
|
| agree |
df49f (X)
: not "shadowy" (autre connotation)
12 hrs
|
|
thank you
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you very much, just what I needed and found as I went to bed and felt really stupid. Having had advisor in mind and shadow minister annoying me as always popping up unwanted, I could not think of why the spark had not occurred earlier!
Thank you also to Rita, whose answer was excellent too, but less suitable in this very particular case, since I needed something with a bit of shade. "
-2
15 mins
Falcon/Hawk
They still exist and although advisor is a direct translation, apparently there's a term for them:
http://www.algerie-dz.com/article836.html
http://www.algerie-dz.com/article836.html
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Charlie Bavington
: Tends, in my experience of the term(s), to be used almost exclusively in the context of the Iraq war. Which is OK if that's the Asker's context, else I'd avoid....
6 mins
|
| disagree |
Seger Bonebakker (X)
: Hawks and doves are political metaphors for groups favouring a more aggressive vs a more conciliatory approach. In French: faucons et colombes. See Robert & Collins Fr-En En-Fr, 2nd Edition
8 hrs
|
| disagree |
df49f (X)
: & agree with Charlie & Seger: hawk=contresens
12 hrs
|
+3
2 hrs
behind-the-scenes advisor
both advisor and adviser are considered acceptable
... political figure within Republican circles, as does former Los Angeles Mayor Dick Riordan, a close behind-the-scenes adviser to Schwarzenegger. ...
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,94651,00.html
... political figure within Republican circles, as does former Los Angeles Mayor Dick Riordan, a close behind-the-scenes adviser to Schwarzenegger. ...
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,94651,00.html
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Seger Bonebakker (X)
6 hrs
|
| agree |
Rebekah Wils (X)
11 hrs
|
| agree |
Sandra C.
12 hrs
|
14 hrs
background advisors/consultants
une autre idée
-1
7 hrs
Grey Eminence
You may even want to leave it in French - éminence grise: a person who exercises power or influence in a certain sphere without holding an official position (The New Oxford Dictionnary)
Of course, it all depends on your context.....
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Note added at 16 hrs 27 mins (2005-03-06 17:38:33 GMT)
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To df49f (not shadowy) autre connotation
shadowy: Definition, Synonyms and Much More From Answers.com - [ Traduire cette page ]
... The adjective shadowy has 3 meanings:. Meaning #1: filled with shade ... wraith, éminence grise (powerful adviser or decision-maker) ...
www.answers.com/topic/shadowy - 20k -
Of course, it all depends on your context.....
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Note added at 16 hrs 27 mins (2005-03-06 17:38:33 GMT)
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To df49f (not shadowy) autre connotation
shadowy: Definition, Synonyms and Much More From Answers.com - [ Traduire cette page ]
... The adjective shadowy has 3 meanings:. Meaning #1: filled with shade ... wraith, éminence grise (powerful adviser or decision-maker) ...
www.answers.com/topic/shadowy - 20k -
Peer comment(s):
| disagree |
Seger Bonebakker (X)
: a behind-the-scenes adviser can be any age
1 hr
|
|
meant as an alternative; didn't I write: it all depends on your context, ????
|
Discussion
Thank you also to Rita, whose answer was excellent too, but less suitable in this very particular case, since I needed something with a bit of shade to fit in with the playing on words.
I'm not taking the eminence grise in this context as it has a negative side to it. I had thought of it, but the author insisted on these advisors being decent people doing ok things, just not in the spot light so making one wonder about their doings and reasons for doing so. But thank you Hodierne
As to a hawk? No, I could not take it, it's quite a bit different, but thank you all the same Anna.
And yes, definitely not shadowy.