French is an official language in 29 countries, including in Canada, where around 7.2 million people speak it as their mother tongue. Tomedes recently supported a business by providing French translation in Toronto, so that the company could reach out to the city’s French-speaking population, as well as its English speakers.
When it comes to providing French translation services, Toronto has its own particular requirements. Canadian French differs from European French, just as Canadian English differs from UK or US English. This is why Tomedes used a native French speaker in Canada for this English to French translation job.
The client needed an important certificate translated into French and was looking for a trustworthy, reliable translation agency to undertake the work for him. While he spoke both English and French, he needed an agency to provide a certified translation of the document, so that he could use it for official purposes. We were delighted to be able to help.
Working on any translation requires careful attention to detail. The translator must convey the document’s contents accurately in the target language, whether it’s a certificate translation (as was the case for this client), a legal translation, a video translation or something else entirely.
This need for immense accuracy is why it’s important to use translators who don’t just hold the right language qualifications but who also have plenty of experience that relates to the translation in question. When it comes to professional French translation, for example, this means not only using native French speakers but using medical translators for medical translation, technical translator for technical translation and so forth.
The other key factor for successful certificate translation, whether it’s through a French translation service of that of any other language, is using a translator with strong IT skills. A translated certificate needs to mirror the appearance of the original document as closely as possible. As such, a translator with desktop publishing skills is needed for this kind of work.
At Tomedes, we’ve spent well over a decade building up a network of professional translators around the world. All superb linguists, they also offer a rich variety of experience.
This network enables us to match each client’s translation job with a language professional with just the right skillset. In this instance, that didn’t just mean fulfilling the basic ‘French translation Toronto’ element of the job. It meant finding a native Canadian French speaker with experience of translating certificates and strong desktop publishing skills. It is through maintaining such a large network of language professionals that we can meet these kinds of specific requirements for each of our clients.
We mentioned above that the client was looking for certified translation services. The definition of this differs from country to country, so translation agencies need to be up to speed with local requirements.
For French translation in Toronto, certified translation refers to a translation performed by an officially certified translator. That means the translator has qualified with (and is registered with) their province’s association of translators. They are then permitted to add the relevant provincial association’s seal, alongside their own signature, to documents that they translate.
Again, this is where our network of translation professionals comes into its own. By having a number of certified translators already on our books – in Canada and elsewhere around the world – Tomedes is able to respond swiftly to requests for services such as the certificate translation that this client was seeking. This can save valuable time for the client and time is often a pressing factor when it comes to clients in need of certified translation, whether they be business translation customers or personal ones.
Of course, none of the above – relevant expertise, desktop publishing skills, being a certified translator – can replace the core requirement of any translation job. That is, of course, outstanding language skills!
For this client, the translation was from English to French, so our French translation service required a native Canadian French speaker (had it been from French to English, we would have used a native Canadian English speaker).
Canadian French differs from the version of the language spoken in France in various ways. In fact, there’s more than one variant of Canadian French. When we’re talking about Canadian French, we’re referring to the version of the language spoken in Quebec, where 95% of the population speak it (80% of them natively). However, Canada is also home to Acadian French and Métis French, though the latter dialect is severely endangered.
In a nutshell, Canadian French sounds more archaic than European French, as well as containing both more Anglicisms and loans words from First Nations languages. Differences span grammar and vocabulary, as well. This is why it’s so crucial to only use Canadian French speakers for documents that are to be used in Canada, rather than in France (or any of the other countries where France is spoken).
Do you need French translation? Toronto has plenty of business opportunities for those who use both English and French to court their customers. It also gives rise to plenty of reasons for personal customers to use French translation services in the city, such as our recent client.
If you’re in need of French translation services in Toronto, why not get in touch with Tomedes? You can call and email us, as well as using the handy live chat service on our website. And for an instant price for your translation job, simply use our translation quote form.
No matter what you need translated, we are here to help. Your dedicated account manager will match your translation needs with a translator who has both relevant expertise and excellent language skills. We look forward to working with you!
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