France

To which language should you translate to localize in France?

“The main language spoken in France is French. French is an official language in 29 countries including, in Europe, Belgium and Switzerland. While French written in Belgium and Switzerland is quite similar to French in France, there are some peculiarities and regional expressions that you may notice especially in the spoken language. There are other languages ​​and dialects spoken in France, such as the Breton language in Brittany and the Occitan language in the south of France. Although they are considered a key part of their region’s identity and are still spoken in various regions, these languages ​​are almost never used in official documents, national media and advertising, where French standard is the most common. On top of that, you’ll also find different regional accents and peculiarities in different parts of France – see the Marseille region, for example, which is well known for its singing accent and colorful expressions such as ‘fada’ (‘fou’ in standard French = a person who is nuts). Influenced by the urban culture of French “banlieues” (suburbs of large cities), slang is also widely used among younger generations and in musical hits but is rarely used in advertising where one tends to speak a more neutral and widespread language.”

Official language

French

What the top 150 best localized websites in the world do in France

(Top 150 websites listed in the Global by Design ranking – published annually by Byte Level Research, this report provides a list of globally localized websites, showcasing best practices and emerging trends in their globalization)

• 146/150 localize by translating into French
• 1/150 localizes by translating into both French and LSF (Langue des signes française)
• 1/150 localizes by translating into French, Spanish, German, Italian and Simplified Chinese