French is more than just a beautiful language – it has a tremendous sphere of influence around the globe, thanks to its legacy as “the language of diplomacy” and the lasting effects of French imperial rule. It is the official language of 29 countries in the Americas, Africa, and Europe, as well as France’s island territories in the Pacific and southern Indian Ocean, while a total of 88 countries have significant Francophone populations. With about 76 million native speakers, and an estimated 235 million people who regularly use it as a second language, French translations allow you to connect with a huge, diverse audience located all over the world.
In Europe alone, French is the official (or co-official) language of four economically robust countries: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland (where it is the 2nd most widely spoken of the four official languages, after German). All four of these countries are major contributors to scientific advancement and technological innovation, and their citizens have a hearty appetite for cultural, literary, and artistic activities. Paris, Brussels, and Geneva are just three of the many vibrant, French-speaking cities with diverse populations and global influence on a variety of sectors, including finance, fashion, international politics, luxury goods, and medical technologies. If you intend to make yourself known in Europe, French translations should be a core part of your multilingual strategy.
French translations are especially important for any project concerning international politics: it is the official working language used at the EU Court of Justice for the EU, and one of the recognized working languages of the United Nations.
French-German / German-French
French-English / English-French
As a legacy of French colonial rule, French is also widely spoken throughout Africa and the Middle East, and it is the official language in the Canadian province of Quebec. In fact, most Québécois speak French before English, and there are French-speaking communities interspersed throughout the rest of the country as well. As a result, Canada has two official languages – English and French – and most services, labels, and advertisements in Canada are presented in both languages. In many African countries, including Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco as well as sub-Saharan countries like Senegal and the Ivory Coast, French is used in government, schools, and other official communications as a common language shared by diverse ethnic communities.
French translations can help you reach a wide range of audiences within these countries quickly and effectively.
As with all languages with global reach, there are some distinctions between the different varieties of French spoken in each of these countries. Although the written French used in politics, literature, and academia is generally standardized, consider hiring a French translator who is native to a particular target country if your project requires it – advertisements and marketing translations, for example, generally benefit from a more local touch.
All of our French translations are handled by native speakers with proven expertise in the given subject matter.
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