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Writing English in Quebec

Why Should I Care?

The Province of Quebec’s official language is French. The language most spoken in Quebec is French. Many official names, and documents are in French and may not always be translated or available in English. Much of your documentation may be in French, so it is important that you write clearly for an anglophone audience, without losing specificity and accuracy. It is also important that you follow English rules.

When in doubt, refer to the Grand dictionnaire terminologique of the Office québécois de la langue française.

French / Foreign quotes:

  • Using a foreign language document is not a bad thing. This shows an extended literature review. However, you cannot assume your reader is able to read the other language. My recommendation is to translate the quote to English, with an italicized mention that you did the translation yourself. Of course, if your translation is inaccurate, it will be on you.

… Some literature, such as Ramsay’s epic novel La pluie du cerveau (2011), is particularly gripping:

The weather was fine, until it started to rain. Then we were wet, cold, miserable, and thinking too much. We needed to move. But to where? We did not know where we were. So what to do? The loudest of the bunch decided to look for wood, so we could start a fire. But no one had a match, or a clue (Author’s translation, p. 35).

  • Sometimes a quote just cannot be translated accurately. In this case, do the best you can, and include the original passage (as short as possible) as you go along.

… Some of Tremblay’s writing is speaking from the heart: “Goddammit. They can’t do this to us. (Tabarnak, y peuvent pas nous faire ça!)” (Author’s translation).

Accents:

  • Accents don’t exist in English, or on English keyboards.
  • It’s ok to NOT USE accents for major objects of toponymy,
    • Quebec, Quebec City, Montreal.
  • It’s best to USE accents for smaller cities, person names, official titles, proper nouns.

Italics:

  • Used for French words such as dépanneurs, cégep, casse-croûte, that are hard to translate in English.
  • Used also for any foreign word, such as chaebols, maquiladoras, favelas, etc.

Numbers:       

  • Use a comma for every three digits above zero.
    • 1,000 : 1 thousand
  • Use a period to indicate decimals.
    • 1,000.10 : 1 thousand and 1 tenth
  • The French style is different:
English French
13,235.65 dollars  13 235,65 dollars
9,235.56 dollars 9235,56 dollars

NOTE – a space is used to separate thousands in French, but not for less than 10 thousand)

  • Careful with values over a million. The naming varies:
English French
One thousand Mille
One million Un million
One billion Un milliard
One trillion Un billion

NOTE – the federal government uses a hybrid style for numbering, which borrows from both the French and English styles. I would not recommend that in a paper.

Institutions and Organizations:

  • Most provincial institutions, organizations, agencies and departments do not have an English official name. You will have to use the French official name, with accents, its acronym, and a reworded translation to guide the reader. You can search online for an equivalent organization in an English-speaking province or State for equivalent wording.
  • No italics for the original French wording (it’s an official legal name).
  • Generally speaking, French uses capital letters only for the first word, and a Proper noun. In the case of a government department (ministère), the keyword is capitalized if there is a politician (minister) assigned to that office/portfolio.
  • Examples
    • Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM)
      According to the city police, crime statistics are decreasing over time. The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) published these findings in its annual report.
    • Société de transport de Montréal (STM)
      According to Montreal’s transit authority, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), ridership in the subway has increased by ten percent.
    • Commission de toponymie du Québec (CTQ)
      According to the province’s place-naming agency, the Commission de toponymie du Québec (CTQ), no one has contested the cultural relevance of Sherbrooke Street in Montreal.
    • Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec (MÉQ)
      A memo from the provincial department of education states that schools will be closed on June 24 every year. The Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec (MÉQ) hopes students will partake in the National Holiday.
    • Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC)
      There was a long lineup outside the provincially owned and run marijuana dispensary. Demand for the newly legalized drug may be outstripping supply from the fledgling Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC).

Person Names:

  • Please be respectful of the spelling.
  • Accents are culture sensitive. UK/CAN/US Keyboards do not have accents such as the ‘trema’ or ‘accent aigu’, so you do not see those accents in most Anglo-sphere newspapers and literature. However, in Quebec, we usually have bilingual keyboards, so students are encouraged to use the accents, especially for lesser known names. Accents can be found using INSERT > SYMBOL in Word.
    • Ex: Mikhaïl / Mikhail Gorbatchev               USE THE ACCENT IF POSSIBLE       
    • Ex: René Lévesque / Rene Levesque          USE THE ACCENT IF POSSIBLE

Person Titles:

  • If the person has a bilingual presence online, use the English title.
  • If the person has a french-only title, use your judgment. Many titles can be translated without loss of meaning.
    • CEO                                                                           PDG – président-directeur-général
    • Manager                                                                    Cadre, gestionnaire, directeur
    • Principal, Provost                                                       Recteur 

Place Names/Toponyms:

  • For country names, there usually is an English version, which may be very different from the local country name, such as China, Russia, Spain, etc. It is acceptable to use the English name of a country.

  • For city names, it depends on their size
  • Large cities and capitals, you can write them in English spelling
    • Ex: Moscow                    ENGLISH SPELLING IS OK
    • Ex: Montreal                   NO ACCENT IS OK
  • For towns, use the local spelling
    • Ex: Krasnodar                 BEST ENGLISH VERSION OF CYRILLIC
    • Ex: Rivière-du-Loup       USE THE FRENCH ACCENTS

      • NOT Wolf River.

  • Hyphens: Always in French, NOT in English.
  • Street
      • 1200 Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest               French style
      • 1200 West Saint Catherine Street                English style
  •  Bridge
        • Pont Samuel-de Champlain                     French style
        • Samuel de Champlain Bridge                   English style

Floors and Buildings:

  • Floors
    • French uses ‘étages’, or stories. English uses floors, or ‘planchers’. Montreal is rife with confusion in this regard.
Basement Sous-sol
First Floor/Ground Rez-de-chaussée
Second Floor Premier étage (à l’étage, in a small house)
Third Floor Deuxième étage
  • Building types

Notice the word 'cottage', is not used for the same type of building, depending on the language used.

Shopping Mall Centre d'achats
Cottage Chalet
Single-family home Cottage
Townhouse

Maison de ville / en rangée
Semi-detached Jumelé
Multi-unit dwelling

Plex, Duplex, Triplex, Quatriplex
Apartment building Bloc appartement
One-bedroom

apartment 4 et demi
Two-bedroom

apartment 5 et demi
Studio

apartment 1, 2 ou 3 demi
Political Terminology:
Parish Paroisse
City Hall Hôtel de ville
Courthouse Palais de justice
City/Town Ville
Hamlet/Village Village
Borough Arrondissement
Mayor Maire
Alderman/Councillor Conseiller municipal
Provincial Premier Premier ministre
National Assembly Assemblée nationale
Provincial Legislature Parlement provincial
LICENSES AND ATTRIBUTIONS


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