Different services for different needs

Translation is all about communication. Translating your message into French is caring for your French audience: you give them the opportunity to read your message in their native language, smoothing out the reading process, and making sure they don’t misunderstand nuances without realising it.

Nelson Mandela said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” 

When you have a message to share, a story to tell, you probably want it to go to the heart of your audience. And get it professionally translated. This is your choice. When you consider translating your website, you don’t need to translate everything, at least not at first. You can select the pages that your contacts/clients/audience may really appreciate to read in French. The pages that go to the heart of your message.

Sometimes, however, you don’t have a choice. When you need a visa, want to study, or buy a property in France, the French administration or your contacts may require certified translations of personal documents, contracts, or diplomas for example. This is also the case for family law documents involving French nationals. And of course for documents used in a court case. Not all legal translations need to be certified though, it depends on their use.

At other times, you just want to understand the content of a French text. If you don’t master the language well enough to get its meaning, that’s when translation for information services come into play. In this case, translation for information from French into English.

I also offer translation for information services from English into French. This service is useful when you want to discuss a text, a document, with your French partners, and you prefer to send it in French to avoid misunderstandings. It’s not going to be published (on the web nor in print), and it doesn’t have any marketing value nor legal consequences. A translation for information is enough then.

And if you write in French, but would like your copy to be proofread or even copy-edited, there is a service just for you. Sometimes, you just don’t have the time, or your energy is better used elsewhere. You do the writing, I’ll do the proofing.

If you’re studying French on the other hand, and want to improve your written French, there is a service for you too! When you work on your written French and you’re not aware of the mistakes you make, it may be difficult to improve. More information here.