French Translation Services

French is an official language in more than twenty-nine countries, including Canada, and is the fifth most spoken language in the world. With more than three hundred million speakers and at least six major dialects worldwide, it’s a language with many cultural and regional variations. Literary French is a major departure from street French or Quebecois, which may be misinterpreted (or even offensive) to the wrong audiences.

With more than twenty-five years of experience in the language services industry, CanTalk understands the critical nature of accurate translation and interpretation services. Located in Winnipeg, Manitoba–a city with a current and historic French population base–we’re a fully integrated language service centre with a commitment to high standards. French is among the more than two hundred languages we specialize in, and we offer top-quality French translation services around the clock, three hundred and sixty-five days a year.

Who We Are

CanTalk is a language service centre that specializes in immediate, real-time, over-the-phone language and cultural services. Our trademark customization capabilities provide clients with great language usage flexibility. We provide B to B (business to business) services in 220+ languages and dialects 24/7, 365 days a year including voice-to-voice phone interpretation/translation services and a wide range of inbound multilingual call centre service applications. For over twenty-five years, individuals and businesses have also relied on us for all forms of translation and interpretation services, remote learning, and much more.

At CanTalk, our professional and certified French translators and interpreters must continually meet rigorous standards in order to continue working with us. In addition to demonstrating mastery of English skills, they must possess recognized qualifications, undergo frequent quality testing, and participate in professional development at regular intervals. CanTalk’s French interpreters represent many different countries and regions, ensuring that we’re well-positioned to meet and exceed your specific French language needs.

Our Services & Expertise

CanTalk has experience and expertise across a wide range of industries and types of language services. Whether you need a single document translated into French, want an in-person interpreter for a client meeting, or require a whole team of French speakers to field incoming phone calls by the minute, we’re confident we can deliver.

Because CanTalk is based in Canada, we’re intimately familiar with French Canadian vocabulary and dialects. That being said, we’re equally prepared to provide French translation services rooted in any region or time zone. Some of our most frequently requested voice translation services include: over-the-phone, pre-booked call-back, and in-person interpretation. Within a call centre environment, CanTalk provides the correct  French dialect for order-taking, technical services, call answering and “overflow” customer service or a wide variety of custom tailored programs.

Pricing & Turnaround Time

As a well-known name in the language industry, CanTalk offers competitive pricing for quality French translation services. Every client and situation is unique, so it’s best to reach out to us directly for an individualized quote.

CanTalk is well aware of the often time-sensitive nature of French language services and always aims to connect clients with a French translator or interpreter as quickly as possible. For over-the-phone interpretation, wait time can be less than one minute, while French document translations may take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Industries

  • Legal – CanTalk’s certified French translators regularly work with legal documents ranging from contracts to wills, trusts, leases, merger agreements, and more. In addition, we can provide French court reporting, deposition services, and other court-related language services as required.
  • Financial – French language financial services are in high demand and can include in-person interpretation for meetings and presentations, French regulatory compliance consulting, French document translation services, and more. CanTalk works with a number of French translators who are experienced in the financial realm.
  • Life Sciences – Academic research, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical device development, and healthcare marketing are just some of the life science industries that can benefit from professional French translation services. Health and wellness are also fields that frequently require French language services. At CanTalk, our interpreters are well-versed in all of the above, plus more.
  • Medical – Medical language services are crucial in hospital and clinic settings as well as for the translation of medical records and documents.  Can Talk’s French language service team can accommodate any and all medical translation assignments.  
  • Entertainment – CanTalk can provide French voice-overs as well as quality subtitle work, live interpretation, and script translations. We’re confident we can meet any and all of your entertainment industry needs.
  • Business – From in-person interpretive services for meetings, conferences and presentations to around-the-clock document translation services, CanTalk’s certified French interpreters can help you open up your business to whole new marketplaces.
  • Hospitality & Travel – Hoping to create French brochures, signs, audio tours, or booking pages? CanTalk is up to the task.
  • Government – CanTalk has worked with many government departments and agencies to support French staffing, typesetting, website development, and more.The examples listed above highlight only a few of the French language services that CanTalk has to offer. To find out how to seamlessly integrate French language services into your business, contact us today!

French Translation Tips

European French Vs. Canadian French

Though European French speakers and French Canadians can generally understand each other, these two French dialects are notably different. Quebecois French has over 15 vowel sounds, while European French has around 13. For example, the European French pronunciation of “moi” (me) whose Quebecois equivalent is “moé”. Quebecois French also sounds significantly more nasal to the listener than European French.  Of course, accent and intonation vary across Canada.  

Using vocabulary, expressions, or phrasing from a different dialect can often come across as a glaring inconsistency or error to a native French speaker from a particular part of the world. To build confidence and trust with your clients, be sure to inform CanTalk which French dialect you’re needing.

Translation Text Expansion

English may be a beautiful language, but are you aware that French is known for being even more expressive? Content typically expands by 15%-20% in the process of English to French translation (and reduces by the same percentage for French to English translation). Factor in this difference accordingly for format-specific content.

Popular French Translation Words & Phrases

  • Bonjour = Hello
  • Au revoir = Goodbye
  • Oui = Yes
  • Non = No
  • S’il vous plaît = Please
  • Merci = Thank you
  • Je m’appelle = My name is
  • Je t’aime = I love you
  • Parlez-vous anglais? = Do you speak English?

French Language Facts

  • French is a Romance Language. Descended from Latin, it’s closely related to Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.
  • About 30% of English’s vocabulary comes from French. English has many influences, but about 50,000 English words originate from the French language.
  • Over 300 million people speak French worldwide. Roughly 80 million are native French speakers, while the rest speak French as an additional language.
  • French is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Accordingly, it even has its own special French Language Day every year on March 20th.

French Translation Dictionaries

While no dictionary can replace the accuracy and warmth of a real live interpreter or translator, CanTalk recommends the following services to help you out with short interactions:

  • Reverso – A simple translation tool available online. Not accurate for lengthy translations.
  • Google Translate – An easily accessible online translation service. Not accurate for long translations.
  • FrenchDict – A mobile French translation app available online or offline. Much easier to carry in your pocket than an old-fashioned dictionary!

Are you in need of high-quality French translation services? Reach out to us at CanTalk today!