Canadian French Translation Services
On the global stage, Canada is generally regarded as a polite and developed country that by and large has its act together. Intermixed with the good-natured stereotype of well-mannered hockey fans who love their beer and their Tim Hortons, there are however some misconceptions. No, it is not cold all the time. No, not all Canadians love maple syrup. And the biggest one of all – No, not all Canadians speak French.
On the global stage, Canada is generally regarded as a polite and developed country that by and large has its act together. Intermixed with the good-natured stereotype of well-mannered hockey fans who love their beer and their Tim Hortons, there are however some misconceptions. No, it is not cold all the time. No, not all Canadians love maple syrup. And the biggest one of all – No, not all Canadians speak French.
This distinction is important if you are in the market for a Canadian translation agency, and the misconception is largely due to confusion amongst Canada’s neighbors to the south. The United States has no official language. It has many different languages (more than 350), with English being the most common, but no official language or languages. So when people from the US learn that the two official languages of Canada are English and French, many assume that means that everyone there is bilingual.
Where in Canada Do People Speak French?
Many people in Canada do speak French, and they do so from the easternmost province of Newfoundland all the way to the western shores of British Columbia, but total French speakers make up only about 21% of the population. When people assume that all Canadians speak French, what they are actually thinking of are parts of Canada, namely the province of Quebec. Other areas like New Brunswick also have a solid number of native French speakers in Canada, but the only place in Canada where the majority language is French is Quebec.
Quebec
In the province of Quebec and in its largest city Montreal, approximately 95% of people speak French. What’s more, French is the sole official language of Quebec, and there are more people who speak only French than people who speak both French and English. It is for this province that your agence de traduction may need to employ its French translators.
The French Language Police
In Quebec, there is an organization known as the OQLF (Office québécois de la langue française) that works to preserve the local French language and prevent the encroachment of anglicisms into the language. In France, for example, it is common to refer to an email as “un mail,” borrowing from the English term. In Canadian French, however, government correspondence and public signs must call an email “un courriel.” The OQLF is also making efforts to prevent the use of the word “selfie,” suggesting instead “égoportraits,” and want “ghosting” someone to be called “fantomisation.” These efforts are made to preserve the integrity of Canadian French, and though the organization is sometimes criticized for being too extreme and finicky in its efforts, it has gotten good results.
Should I Translate into French for a Canadian Audience?
An APlus Translations representative can help you decide what is best for your particular project, but normally if you are targeting the Quebec market, then yes. And you’ll want to make sure you use Canadian French translation services to give your document that local Quebec flavor. C’est le fun!
