With more than 321 million speakers, the French language is one of the most spoken in the world. It is present in almost every continent and its economic, touristic, demographic and cultural potential comes in second only to English.
It is not merely one of the FIGS, but one of the official languages of 32 countries and other territories; it is also the business language used by several international organisations (UN, the EU, NATO amongst others, as well as the international Olympic committee, UNICEF, OECD and Interpol).
Translating into French is always an excellent choice in terms of broadening your market and selecting professional translators is the best way to do that.
We can trace the French back to the 5th century, with the vulgarisation of Latin. Over the centuries it spread into several regions across Europe, influencing local languages (for example English) and became an important language in terms of culture and diplomacy for many centuries. Today several variations are spoken across Europe, from Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco and of course the most obvious, France! For historical reasons, it is also spoken in Africa, where it is an official language and is the language of choice for several African cultures, such as Maghreb (Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria), as well as Senegal, Chad and Congo.
French in France
French is the official language of France, with almost 68 million speakers. Although many minority languages are also spoken there, French is the only language actually referred to in the Constitution. Translating into French is the best way to access the local high-level services market, such as the banking, insurance and financial sectors, not to mention the automotive, aerospace and luxury fashion industries, and let’s not forget the French cuisine and the food and beverage sectors. The education sector should also not be overlooked, as French universities are highly regarded globally and the French research sector is one of the leading in the world.
Swiss French
French is spoken in four Swiss cantons and is the second language of the country for number of speakers. It has however been influenced by the German and many words have been taken from the German-speaking cantons as well as neighbouring Austria. The banking and financial sectors there are of key importance and relying on expert translators in the banking, finance and legal sectors is without a doubt fundamental for anyone doing business there. Services for the tourism sector are just as important. Although the population is not significant, disposable incomes are high, so making them feel at home when on holiday should be a priority for players in the tourism sector.
Belgian French
The French spoken in Belgium is a dialect; for that reason it holds the same status as an actual language. Four million and 200,000 people speak it (40% of the population of the Kingdom). Although the variation is similar to the standard language as it was strongly influenced by French and the romance language from Wallonia, there are however several lexical and phonetical differences. Translations are higher in demand in the financial and insurance sectors. It is nonetheless useful to rely on expert translators in the Belgian variant of French to penetrate the Wallonia market, which is steeped in culture (mainly literature and comics) as well as the food industry using the local dialect.
African French
Not wanting to trigger a dispute, it is understood that there is not just one variation spoken across all French-speaking countries in Africa; we merely refer to it with this umbrella term for the sake of word count. It is estimated that there are in the region of 167 million people who speak French on the African continent. It is spoken in 26 countries and in 21 of those it is the first language. Three main variations of French can be recognised in Africa: French in Maghreb, sub-Saharan French and the French spoken in the Indian Ocean area. What are the differences with standard French? Words and neologisms from local culture and overcorrection, which is the tendency to use an elevated and more formal register in contexts where it is unnecessary or no longer used in standard French.
What are the areas for demand in the African market where translations are useful? All of them! From the automotive industry, and the food & beverage sector through to the oil & gas sector. The French-speaking market in Africa is rapidly growing and is expected in a few years to make up a significant segment of the global economy. This is therefore the right time to introduce brands and products to countries such as Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Morocco, which already have consolidated domestic markets. Exploring countries such as Chad, Niger, Rwanda and Mali could prove to be a successful marketing strategy and a strong basis for future expansion.
Canadian French
French is spoken in Québec. Rather, in Québec almost only French is spoken, and the founding population’s language is a source of pride in the local community. The French variant spoken in Canada has specific characteristics that distinguish it from standard French and is in high demand in the legal and marketing translation sector. The population of Québec have notable disposable incomes so offering them products in their language is undoubtedly key to successfully penetrating the market.
To make a difference in a broad and diverse market such as that of the French language, it is important to ensure accurate communications that take the local culture and variations duly into account. Thanks to a network of specialised translators located across the globe, with Traducendo Ltd the translation from English into French of your content is in the best hands. We can assist you with translations relating to:
Please contact us for a free estimate. A member of our team is available to answer your questions and provide you with bespoke linguistic assistance aligned to your commercial needs.
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