Consciously or unconsciously, nearly all French speakers end up using English words from time to time, particularly when they can't quite remember the official term in their own language. Fortunately, a wide variety of tools have been created specifically to support businesses wishing to make greater use of French in their day-to-day operations!
Providing us with a reminder of how dynamic the French language is in all areas of business, Quebec's French language office (Office québécois of la langue française/OQLF) invests in projects aligned with small businesses and their ongoing switch to digital. One case in point is the OQLF's financial support for the RCCAQ, which had been seeking to adapt its new chatbot for use by francophones (until that point, the tool had only been available in English).
As another reminder of the importance of French in the business world, we encourage you to consult a wide array of online tools, including a bilingual glossary of business terminology (Vocabulaire francophone des affaires) available on the OQLF's website.
A daunting challenge
Among other things, the OQLF seeks to "ensure that French is the customary and normal language used in the workplace by governments and companies, particularly in the areas of communications, trade and business".[1] The OQLF also played a key role in drafting Vocabulaire francophone des affaires. In the preface to that work, it referred to the economic importance of francization: "The French-speaking world accounts for 16% of our global wealth and includes over 80 states and governments. For that reason, steps must be taken to strengthen the community of economic stakeholders working in French. Vocabulaire francophone des affaires plays a part in achieving that shared goal."
Whether designating new realities or exploring longstanding concepts, this key reference work showcases the diversity of the French language and how it is used in different parts of the world. It lists some 2,000 terms and over 5,000 definitions!
Would you like to test your own French-language skills? For example, did you know that...
- Accord is the French equivalent for the English term deal, defined as the successful conclusion of a negotiation between various parties?
- Vérification au préalable (or vérification diligente) is the official translation of due diligence. This term is defined as an investigation requiring the participation of one or more experts, in particular accountants and/or financial, legal and tax specialists, whose conclusions are relied on by investors when making decisions.
- The broad-ranging term reporting has two translations in French, with useful and potentially significant nuances between them. One is compte rendu, which is used to describe the process used by companies to officially disseminate information on their operations. The other is reddition de comptes, which refers to the process of drafting and publishing financial statements.
Similarly, in French it is better to use the term affaires instead of the anglicism business, along with flux de trésorerie (rather than cash flow), chef de file (leader), renforcement d’équipe (teambuilding), mégadonnées (big data), etc.
All in all, Vocabulaire francophone des affaires is a valuable resource for enriching our French vocabulary in our day-to-day work!
And that's not all!
Other user-friendly resources are available if you are ever wondering about official French terminology. The OQLF also oversees the Grand dictionnaire terminologique (bilingual dictionary), the Banque de dépannage linguistique (guide to French language usage) and a wide variety of glossaries and other tools. Please feel free to add them to your list of "favourites" and to consult them as needed!
[1] https://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/office/mission.html. Our translation.
