#14 - Animer

At first glance, the word animer means exactly what it sounds like: "to animate"--or in the reflexive verb s'animer, "to become animated."  Some of the WordReference definitions include:

• to bring to life
• to fill with life
• to move
• to stir 

It also stretches into a sense of drive and motivation, for example: "C'est sa passion du travail bien fait qui l'anime" ("It's his passion for a job well done that motivates him.")

But beyond that, the word animer crosses into new territory where it becomes both untranslatable and a bit of a faux ami (see Untranslatable #10).


In fact, the primary definitions for animer listed on WordReference are:

• to present 
• to host 
• to lead 
• to facilitate

You can animer a show, a performance, a debate, a training session, a summer camp, a class, or any other kind of group activity.  However, animer is really a combination of being a leader and also literally animating something--bringing it to life, making it exciting, interesting, and interactive.  There's a strong sense of energy and passion inherent in the word animer that is completely absent in bland English words like "to host" or "to lead."

Animer can even be used in situations where someone is not necessarily the leader, but they are the primary actor.  Someone can animer la conversation ("to animate the conversation"--to be the central driving force of it, making it more interesting and lively).  In a similar vein, WordReference offers the excellent example: "En été, les touristes animent le quartier" ("In summer, the tourists liven up the neighborhood").

Animer can also transform into the words animateur/animatrice: "he/she who animates."   In France, there are many full-time, professional animateurs of various stripes.  Sadly, this word is most often translated simply as "host," "presenter," "organiser," "activity/team/group leader," etc...but that sounds so boring and professional.  Of course, an animateur or animatrice is, by definition, supposed to make things lively and interesting!

Here are the (slightly abbreviated) LaRousse definitions for animateur/animatrice:

• Personne qui est l'élément dynamique d'une entreprise collective
  ("Person who is the dynamic element of a collective enterprise")
• Personne chargée de l'encadrement d'un groupe [de gens], et qui propose des activités, facilite les relations entre les membres du groupe, suscite [...] l'intérêt, etc. 
  ("Person responsible for managing a group of [people], who proposes activities, facilitates relations between members of the group, sparks [...] interest, etc.")
• Personne chargée de diriger, de dynamiser, d'orienter un service commercial, la vente de produits, etc.
  ("Person responsible for leading, galvanizing, directing a commercial service, product sales, etc.")
• Au music-hall, à la radio ou à la télévision, personne qui présente et créé le climat du spectacle ou de l'émission. 
  ("In a music hall, on the radio, or on TV, the person who presents and creates the atmosphere of the performance or show")

All of these definitions place emphasis on being a source of energy and passion.  Being an animateur is a demanding job.  As one animatrice attests in her blog, "you're expected to be 50 people in 1."*  

As usual, the Google image results for animer or animateur say it all, from the hyperactive...

To the cliché...

To something more original, which, to me, perfectly sums up the unique side of the French concept animer: leading through a combination of creativity, collectivity, energy, and exchange. 

 

*If you want to know more about what it means to be a French animateur (particularly for children) I'd recommend reading her blog post, in particular the section "Mais qui est vraiment l'animateur en question?": animation rime-t-il encore avec passion