French Translations

Despite the very definite intermingling of French and English languages, translating from English to French and vice versa is fraught with so many potholes that it can often prove to be a bumpy ride.

The French are incredibly possessive about their language and protect it with great intensity so its only right that when looking for a French to English translation or English to French translation that native speakers are used. It also means that we have to be able to differentiate between our (USA) use of English and that in common parlance in the United Kingdom.

First, you could take the simple route and hire a French native speaker who has a good working knowledge of the etymology of the American English language; or purchase an online translation package and populate it with your precious text; or you could search the Internet and take up one of the plethora of offers there but much depends upon the reasons why you are looking for an English to French translation in the first place.

You may have legal, commercial or marketing documents translated or you may just need a rough idea of text. It is worth noting that, just like the rich diversity of language and dialects here in the USA, France too has a varied linguistic history and, given that it has physical borders with so many other European countries, it has many dialects.

However, the specifics of the document you want to translate, needs to be considered carefully. It could be that you actually need a French native speaker with a good grasp of the American legal system and or an English translator who knows French business terms.

Looking for a translator you will need to follow simple rules to find the most appropriate service:

• Your chosen service provider needs to be able to show that they only employ translators with experience in many areas.
• Find a translation agency that employs native speaking French with a good grasp of English and who can demonstrate real experience in your required field.
• Look for an agency that can clearly show that its English to French translations are being proofread thoroughly.
• Ordering a translation from a student or a collegue can be a good idea if you need to have just a rough idea of text, but it will not be good enough when you need to translate contracts or legal documents.