# French translations needed! (pertaining to cinematic elements)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-translations-needed-pertaining-to-cinematic-elements/233820
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 12, 2004, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-translations-needed-pertaining-to-cinematic-elements/233820 "2004-03-12T01:52:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2004, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-translations-needed-pertaining-to-cinematic-elements/233820/1 "2004-03-12T01:52:25Z")
I’m writing a paper about French New Wave cinema, and there are a couple words that my Fr/Eng dictionary doesn’t have translations for. I need to know how to say “take” (as in an uninterrupted run of the camera), and “continuity editing.”
Thanks in advance for your help!
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### Author:  [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2004, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-translations-needed-pertaining-to-cinematic-elements/233820/2 "2004-03-12T02:11:58Z")
I’m not 100% certain on this, but my F/E dictionary gives “une prise de vue” as the translation for “take (_cinema_)”
Also just a guess, but film editing is (I believe) “le montage” while continuity is “la continuité”, so continuity editing would be a combination of those two. Hopefully someone better grounded in French can straighten out the grammatical construction.
Editor is “le monteur,” btw.
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### Author:  [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2004, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-translations-needed-pertaining-to-cinematic-elements/233820/3 "2004-03-12T02:56:56Z")
Thanks for the response, **Sublight**!
While writing, I came across another term that is not included in my dictionary: freeze-frame. I could of course describe this one using lots of words, but if there’s a proper term for it, I’d love to know it.
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### Author:  [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2004, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-translations-needed-pertaining-to-cinematic-elements/233820/4 "2004-03-12T04:33:02Z")
In the credits of French Language films editing is montage, I’m not sure of the gender.
Have you tried Babelfish? I can’t get my browser to work, but it might work for you.
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### Author:  [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2004, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-translations-needed-pertaining-to-cinematic-elements/233820/5 "2004-03-12T04:37:45Z")
Well, [this French film glossary](http://www.lunerouge.org/spip/article.php3?id_article=135) lists the term “freeze frame”, describing it as an “image gelée” and an “arrêt sur image”.
It looks like for a lot of things the English term is the commonly used one.
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### Author:  [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2004, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-translations-needed-pertaining-to-cinematic-elements/233820/6 "2004-03-12T04:40:01Z")
As **Sublight** wrote, “take” is “prise de vue,” or, more casually, “prise.” “Take one” is said: “prise un.”
“Continuous editing” can be translated as “montage en continuité.”
“Freeze frame” is “plan fixe.”
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### Author:  [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2004, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-translations-needed-pertaining-to-cinematic-elements/233820/7 "2004-03-12T04:45:06Z")
> [@jovan](#):
>
> “Freeze frame” is “plan fixe.”
Actually, scratch that, “plan fixe” is “still shot.” “Arrêt sur image” is the correct term.
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### Author:  [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2004, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-translations-needed-pertaining-to-cinematic-elements/233820/8 "2004-03-12T06:29:36Z")
Thanks for the responses everyone!