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A heckler is a:

a person who interrupts a performer or public speaker with derisive or aggressive comments or abuse.

What's the translation of "heckler" in French?

My attempts:

  • chahuteur: doesn't convey the speech sid: it focuses more on the noisy side.
  • interpellateur: doesn't convey the derisive or aggressive side.
  • siffleur: doesn't convey the speech side.

Does a more faithful translation exist?

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    A heckler does not necessarily involve speech. You can heckle people by just making unpleasant noises.....The Larousse says this: élément pertubateur larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais/perturbateur/59843
    – Lambie
    Commented Feb 12, 2022 at 23:00
  • @Lambie The Larousse online translates with one of the items from OP's, chahuteur. Your comment made it sound as if Larousse was using élément perturbateur. Nevertheless the entry you provide contains agitateur which might be useful. An answer?
    – user26366
    Commented Feb 12, 2022 at 23:49
  • I did not use its translation function. I looked up pertubateur: Qui perturbe l'organisation, le fonctionnement ou l'ordre de quelque chose : Expulser les éléments perturbateurs.
    – Lambie
    Commented Feb 13, 2022 at 0:17

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I don't know a word with such a precise meaning but what would be used at least in France to describe such an attitude would be un emmerdeur (or une emmerdeuse if it happens to be a woman).

It is colloquial and maybe a little ruder than heckler.

@FrancoisJurain suggested trublion. The meaning is close to heckler indeed. It often carries a political aspect as trublions often have a disrupting objective. Nowadays, le trublion is very often used by the media to name Xavier Niel, who founded the telecom company Iliad (well know for its subsidiary Free). Niel wrote a book titled Une sacrée envie de foutre le bordel (A hell of a desire to make a mess) that is spot on here. However, as Niel is relatively popular in France, trublion might be getting less negative than it's used to be.

If you want a formal word, you can use importun:

  1. Substantif masculin Personne qui est mal venue, qui intervient hors de propos et qui gêne ou fait perdre du temps.
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  • importun est un adjectif.
    – Lambie
    Commented Nov 19 at 22:46
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    Trublion est un mot traditionnel en France, dans le sens de "chahuteur professionnel". fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/trublion
    – François Jurain
    Commented Nov 20 at 7:54
  • Une emmerdeuse can promote to une emmerderesse to denote a king-size specimen. Not sure why it has no masculine form.
    – François Jurain
    Commented Nov 20 at 7:57
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    @Lambie Là tu joues les importuns en faisant des remarques inopportunes.
    – None
    Commented Nov 20 at 8:29
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    My apologies. I didn't see "et subs. masc". Sorry! Btw, heckler is not colloquial.
    – Lambie
    Commented Nov 20 at 16:01

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