Nov 28, 2007 22:16
16 yrs ago
2 viewers *
French term
William
Not a translator
vis a vis
Non-PRO
French to English
Social Sciences
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
or maybe it is viz a viz
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 | face-to-face |
Vittorio Ferretti
|
| 4 | either concerning/related to or neighbor |
Drmanu49
|
| 4 | with regard to; with respect to |
Rowan Morrell
|
| 4 | opposite |
Jean-Claude Gouin
|
Proposed translations
3 mins
Vittorio Ferretti
Author of renowned dictionary
Native in: German 
, Italian 
Works in: English to German, Italian to German, Spanish to German, and 1 more.
Selected
face-to-face
IMO
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you Sir!"
2 mins
either concerning/related to or neighbor
depending on the context
1 hr
Rowan Morrell
New Zealand
New Zealand
Native in English
Works in field
New Zealand
Committed to the Customer
Native in: English (Variant: New Zealand)
Works in: French to English, German to English, Spanish to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
with regard to; with respect to
Vis à vis can often be used to mean with regard to or with respect to. In fact, I think it can even be used in English in that sense! However, it does have other meanings as well, and without more context, it's impossibly to say precisely which one applies for you.
1 hr
Jean-Claude Gouin
Canada
Canada
Native in French
Canada
Subscribe to my newsletter ...
Native in: French
Works in: French to English, English to French, French, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
16
opposite
vis-à-vis = opposite
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2007-11-29 00:16:55 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Jean-Claude s'est placé vis-à-vis de Monique dans l'autobus ... ou vis-à-vis Monique ...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2007-11-29 00:20:13 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Another possibility: vis-à-vis = with regards to
J'ai décidé d'adopter une attitude plus ferme vis-à-vis de lui. =
I have decided to adopt a firmer attitude with regards to him.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2007-11-29 00:30:29 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Ils se sont assis vis-à-vis au restaurant. = They sat face to face in the restaurant.
1st meaning: opposite
2nd meaning: with regards to
3rd meaning: face to face (no hyphens)
4rth meaning: counterpart ... President Bush met his French counterpart, ie. the President of France.
Take your pick but never give us the full sentence; let us guess.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2007-11-29 00:16:55 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Jean-Claude s'est placé vis-à-vis de Monique dans l'autobus ... ou vis-à-vis Monique ...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2007-11-29 00:20:13 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Another possibility: vis-à-vis = with regards to
J'ai décidé d'adopter une attitude plus ferme vis-à-vis de lui. =
I have decided to adopt a firmer attitude with regards to him.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2007-11-29 00:30:29 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Ils se sont assis vis-à-vis au restaurant. = They sat face to face in the restaurant.
1st meaning: opposite
2nd meaning: with regards to
3rd meaning: face to face (no hyphens)
4rth meaning: counterpart ... President Bush met his French counterpart, ie. the President of France.
Take your pick but never give us the full sentence; let us guess.
Example sentence:
Le cinéma est situé vis-à-vis l'hôtel de ville.
Discussion
The most common use of the phrase in English means 'with regards to' or 'in relation to'.
The earliest known uses of the phrase in English date from 1750, at which time it already meant three things depending on context. Apparently this is unusual for a new entry into the language.
Vis-à-vis, from the French language (literally "face to face"), is:
A term that is used to describe things which are in direct relation to one another,
A type of carriage in which the occupants face each other,
A face-to-face meeting
______________
My usage was for the first situation.
Thanks again to all!
William