The French Language
Are you looking for French translation services? Then you’ve come to the right place! At Brightlines, we use highly qualified professional French translation specialists who are always native, fluent speakers, and are also well-versed in both Belgian French translation and Swiss French translation. Whether you need English to French or French to English translation services, we’ve got the skills and know-how to provide excellent customer service with high-quality on-time delivery.
French is an official language of the United Nations. There are approximately 75 million native French speakers, with a further 235 million fluent speakers worldwide (mainly in France, the Central African Republic, Switzerland and Canada). In fact, the number of French speakers has tripled since 1945, with former French and Belgian colonies choosing to keep French as their language of science, education and government. Interestingly, one study has suggested that French may well be the language of the future and could be spoken by 750 million people by 2050.
French translation
When it comes to translation, the French language is full of expressions that can’t be translated literally; either because the phrase is nonexistent in other languages, or because the literal translation means something entirely different. More often than not, these are idiomatic expressions which refer to a type of informal language that has a literal meaning which differs from the actual meaning of the expression. For example, in English the phrase “it’s raining cats and dogs” means it’s raining heavily. However, literally translating this content into another language could cause some confusion!
That’s why it’s so important to use a professional translation agency for your French translation. Without the expert knowledge of a fluent French speaker, you will struggle to get a high quality translation that not only makes sense, but that also reflects the intended meaning. In comparison to English, French is a far less analytic language that doesn’t place as much reverence on word-order and link-words to establish meaning. It is a somewhat ‘synthetic’ language whereby the role of words is determined by suffixes and other markers, so it’s vital that you use a translator with the necessary skills and experience to translate the language correctly and accurately.
Certified French Translation
Our team of qualified translators provide certified translation for a variety of official documents including academic transcripts and certificates, administrative documents, birth and marriage certificates, and more. All of our work is completed in accordance with industry standards. We have a team of highly qualified and experienced translators well accustomed to specific requirements surrounding a wide variety of legal documents.
When translating legal documents we assign a sworn translator based on the language combination and purpose of your document. For example, a certified translation of your English or German birth certificate for official purposes in France will be translated by our sworn translators who are recognised by the public authorities in France, including the French Embassy. You can therefore rest assured that your translation is going to be accurate and meet all legal requirements.
Translating your message into French.
We have considerable experience in transcreation – adapting a message and its meaning from one language to another. Our qualified French translators have a thorough and fluent understanding of the French language. This enables them to confidently and effectively translate your message to a new audience accurately without diminishing the quality meaning of what you want to say.
Types of Translation
We’ve worked with a wide range of businesses including FIFA, L’Oreal and Nestlé. Our professional French translation services include multilingual voiceovers, subtitling, localisation, transcreation, multilingual SEO, quality assurance and production services.
Our many years of experience in the translation industry allow us to confidently offer a range of first-class and reliable translation services, some of which include:
- Transcreation services
- Document translation
- Website translation
- Legal translation
- Technical translation
- Machine translation
- Localisation services
- Multilingual DTP
- Multilingual Voice Over Services
- Subtitle translation
- Multilingual SEO
- Translation production services
- Quality assurance services
We also provide high quality translation for a variety of sectors, including:
Our translation services - FAQ
Do you use native translators?
Yes, always. All our translators are native speakers and most are still resident in their native country. We pride ourselves on ensuring that all Brightlines’ translators are native. We do not accept applications from non-native candidates or allow them to register on our online recruitment database. All our translators are rigorously tested.
How long will the translations take?
The turnaround for the translation will depend on the word count. As a rough guide, assume that the translators can comfortably process about 2500 words of non-specialised text per day. Proofreading can effectively be completed on a basis of 4000-6000 words a day. Our minimum turnaround time is usually about three days, although it is possible to shorten this if you are in a rush for the final files and we will always be happy to discuss this with you.
What is the variation in your translators’ experience and qualifications? Are they native speakers? Will the cost increase if we use a more experienced translator?
All our translators have to go through a series of tests to make sure they are as good as they say they are, and only if they pass are they allowed to work for Brightlines. There is quite a range of experience and qualifications, but all translators have a minimum of five years’ experience. All translators translate into their mother-tongue without exception and are generally based in-country so they are up-to-date with the local language. We match translators with projects/clients depending on the subject matter, and most of our translators have industry experience in their speciality – there is no better experience than being immersed professionally in the industry they specialise in. Our costs are based on translator experience, speciality (i.e. medical, creative, scientific) and the language choice.
Which languages can you translate into?
We have an extensive database with hundreds of trusted and tested translators covering all commercial languages. If you cannot see the language or dialect you need please ask.
I don’t know the word count; can you base the quote on the number of pages?
Our pricing structure is based on a rate-per-word, but we can estimate from a page count. If we can’t see the source document then we would usually estimate between 300 – 500 words a page depending on the density of the text and the presence of photos and images.
Does the translation need to be proofread?
Brightlines is an ISO 9001:2015 certified company. This means that quality is safeguarded. We adhere to the “four-eyes principle” and translations are always checked by a second professional proofreader (who is not the translator). If the translation is for internal use and reference purposes only (i.e. not to be published, distributed or used in a court of law), or you simply don’t wish to have proofreading, we can remove the proofreading stage.
Get in touch
If you need French translations, get in touch with our team, or get a quick quote.
