Skip to main content

9 – 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 be translated to 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.
    • Ex: 13,235.65 dollars                 vs.                    13 235,65 dollars (French)
    • Ex:   9,235.56 dollars                 vs.                       9235,56 dollars (French)

  • 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.
    • One thousand                          vs.                                Mille
    • One million                               vs.                                Un million
    • One billion                                vs.                                Un milliard
    • One trillion                                vs.                                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. GB/CAN/US Keyboards do not have 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 I encourage you to use the accents, especially for lesser known names. Accents can be found using INSERT > SYMBOL
    • 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 judgement. Many titles can be translated without loss of meaning.
    • CEO                                                                           PDG – président-directeur-général
    • Manager                                                                   Cadre, gestionnaire
    • 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. This is acceptable.
  • 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
    • 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
Back to top