According to some reports, there are approximately 115 million native French speakers and there are some 155 million people who speak French as a second language. French is the primary language in France, Monaco, Brussels and Wallonia in Belgium, the Romandy region in Switzerland, the Canadian regions of Acadia and Quebec, and other communities. French is used as an official language in many other countries like Benin, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, Seychelles, and Central African Republic.

Due to the fact that French is so extensively used around the world, there are many French dialects such as Acadian French, Belgian French, Canadian French, Indian French, Lao French, African French, Missouri French, Metropolitan French, Vietnamese French, and West Indian French. As you can see, the French-speaking markets represent awesome opportunities for businesses that want to expand beyond the local boundaries. However, it can be quite hard to translate English or any other language into French. Let’s look at some of the problems which may arise with French translation.

French translation is difficult for the same reason that it’s difficult to translate any other language into another language. There’s always the risk of meanings which are lost in translation. French is known as a highly idiomatic and descriptive language though some people even say it’s sensual. This is why you need a professional French translator who is a native speaker. It’s expected that the person is able to translate the original text into French or from French to another language faithfully so that the essence of the words will be maintained. The professional French translator has to reproduce the cultural meanings, format, and style of the original document. Another factor to consider is the type of material to be translated. If you are translating a novel, you will need to find a translator who has a literary background and the necessary experience. If the copy is a scientific report, then you need somebody with the relevant qualifications.

Another problem is related to the number of French dialects. While Standard French can be understood by most French speakers, there are also major differences in the French dialects which may cause some confusion in the consumers. It’s important to note that a message in Standard French may not be so well-received by a person who uses African French. For an African consumer, Standard French may even sound quite like a foreign language because African French is filled with lots of cultural references, slangs, and local nuances. If your target market is a specific African country, you should definitely employ a local French translator from that country. If your message is translated into the local African French, your brand name will be more readily accepted by the audience.

Even though Canadian French and Standard French are quite similar, there are also some pronounced differences. If the document is to be read by a Canadian French speaker, you should translate the document into Canadian French and not Standard French. When you are looking for a professional French translator, it’s always a good idea to find a person who has previous experience in similar work.

Axis Translations is one of the French Translation Services company that provides English Translations of professional level without any errors.