как бы громко это не звучало

[Ni_Co]

[Oscar Milde]

“Also, your particular wording - "to put a face on a company" - is quite clear, and it never caused any doubts on my part as to what it means.... it's just that the argument (as I perceived it, and still do) was on a different, BROADER topic.”

It was, in part – and on that broader topic you (and some other posters on this thread, may God bless them) were really putting the “anal” into overanalysing, if I may say so..

Let’s face it (pun intended), there is nothing inherently ambiguous in referring to the standing of a company or some other organisation in the eyes of outsiders as its “face”, and authoritative sources such as Wiktionary, for example, give their unqualified support to this view – the fact that no one from the chorus of naysayers on this thread has so far dared challenging it directly speaks volumes..

That’s not to say, of course, that no ambiguities may ever result from using “face” and “company” together, but then again, such ambiguities would in my opinion have to do with the incompetence of the speaker rather than the kind of unavoidable ambiguity that you get with such phrases as “brick factory” or “child photographer”..

An analogy, if you will: over the years, the automotive industry made cars with design flaws that compromised their safety so much, that no driver was safe – accidents were just waiting to happen.. But if you are careless enough, you can crash even the safest of cars. My point is that “face of the company” is as safe a car as they come, but one should still exercise all due caution driving it.. I hope I have made it clear now..

[Oscar Milde]

“If I've understood you correctly, "face of the Company" is not a correct example of the British English, is it?”

How so, my friend?

[Oscar Milde]

“I don't like "face" and "company" in the same sentence that does not describe a person ("face of") representing a "company"... end of”

There is probably a million expressions in modern English that I personally don’t like, that doesn’t stop them from being used with annoying regularity, though..

[Oscar Milde]

“Wow! I didn't expect there would be so many discussions after my leaving forum!
Of course "image" not "face"! "Face" would be a literal translation!”

Tell it, for example, to the army of Internet bloggers who have posted about BP “losing its face” over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, or the US administration losing its face over its handling of it..

[Oscar Milde]

“Образ компании - Company's identity”

Where is the ambiguity police, when you need it?

[ilya.buchkin]

Oscar, just to be clear: i do not see that continuing this discussion brings any new points that might benefit community, so i am leaving it.