French is the sixth most widely spoken language in the world, with French native speakers living on five continents. As a result, a translation into French can bring huge sales and profits for your company. Finding the perfect French translators that offer professional French translation services is the first step. But there is more to consider!

Here are the top tips from our expert French translators that help improve the quality, consistency, and accuracy of your translation into French. Use these to help you overcome difficulties when you need a translation.

1. Choose between European and Canadian French

Although many people often only think of European French, there is also Canadian French. It has its own words, and translations can differ in many regards. Not only will the appropriate word choice differ, but so will the audience. Therefore, you should select suitable French translators for your project to ensure that the translation into French is convenient to your audience.

2. Use the Right French Register

For an accurate translation into French, you must consider the register and formality of your content. French has six registers, all of which convey very different tones and are used for different audiences in different circumstances. Professional translations will need the appropriate register for the target audience, which professional French translators can help with.

3. Be Mindful of “False Friends.”

One of the first things to watch out for when you translate to French is “faux amis” or “false friends.” These are words that look the same but actually have different meanings, skewing the message of your translation. This is often a problem for an English translation into French that professional translators have not proofread.

4. Use the Translation, Editing, Proofreading Process

The TEP translation process is important as it will catch errors in spelling and grammar. This process means that your document will pass through three stages; translation, editing, and proofreading by three professional French translators. It ensures that your translation into French is as accurate, authentic, and high-quality as possible.

5. Be Cautious of Using Idioms in French Translations

Idioms cannot usually be translated literally and need to be considered in the broader context. Should you find an equivalent idiom in the French language? Or should you convey the meaning of the idiom instead? French translators should carefully consider this to make sure that no meaning is lost in your translation into French.

6. Consider Text Expansion and Content Layout

Another tip for an English translation into French is to consider the length of your text. It is not uncommon that the translation will be 20% longer than the English source text. If the word count must be equal, translators must consider how to be more concise in French without losing any meaning.

7. Choose Between Manual and CAT-Assisted French Translations

A manual translation into French can be very time-consuming and expensive. For this reason, consider employing a translation company that uses technologies such as CAT tools (computer-assisted translation, to support their human translators. They are a great way to ensure you get quality translations for a reasonable price.

8. Avoid Machine French Translation

CAT tools should not be confused with machine translation. They require the translators to manually accept and reject translation suggestions. They create translations from a memory bank which a translator will then approve, edit, or reject. On the converse, you better avoid machine translations because they are full of errors, inaccurate and unprofessional.

9. Consider Specialist Technical Terminology

Knowing when to use specialist terms will also be necessary as often they are not a direct translation. You will need to familiarise yourself with the appropriate terminology and any background information before beginning. As such, it is best to work with French translators with professional experience in your niche.

10. Pay Close Attention to Sentence Structure

Sentence structure is another aspect of language that French translators should also not overlook. The word order in English will often not match its counterpart when translated into French, not without sounding like a translation at least. The translations should sound natural as if they are the original text, so correct word order is crucial.

Professional French Translations from Renaissance Translations

If you’re looking for a professional and accurate translation into French, look no further than Renaissance Translations. Our expert team offers a full range of translation services in multiple industries, including marketing translation, business translation, legal translation, financial translation, and more.

We also offer translations into French from any other language. Whether you need to translate your document from English to French, French to English, German to French or German to Spanish, our talented translators can help. Contact us to speak with one of our project managers to discuss your project.