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Designing in Canada’s official languages

Learn about 6 stylistic trends specific to English and French that you should be aware of when preparing content that will be available in both languages.

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Designing content for a Canadian audience means that the content will have to be posted in both official languages. The translator's role is to ensure that the content offers the same service experience in both languages. However, when the writer is aware of how the editorial decisions they make will affect the content in the other language, they can significantly improve the final product in both languages. The ability to reflect on the similarities and differences between languages benefits everyone, especially those working in a publishing role.

Here are 6 stylistic trends specific to English and French that you should be aware of when preparing content that will be available in both languages.

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Sentence length

French texts generally contain more prepositions and articles, which can lengthen the text. Keep this in mind when drafting text for web content that has a maximum number of characters, like doormat text.

Example: More words in French
  • English: For faster service, submit your request electronically using My Account. (72 characters)
  • French: Pour obtenir un service plus rapide, envoyez votre demande par voie électronique en utilisant Mon dossier. (106 characters)

Use of acronyms

Acronyms are used more frequently in English than in French. In some instances, an acronym could be used in one language but not the other in order to best serve the different audiences. For example, on CRA pages, we use the acronym EI for 'employment insurance' but not AE in French. This is because EI is widely used and known by English speakers, but that is not the case for the French acronym.

Word order

Word order is different in the two languages. It’s important to consider this when crafting a heading or list text to place important words at the beginning to make scanning easier.

For example, adjectives are often placed after the noun in French, while in English they are placed before the noun. That could impact search engine optimization (SEO) since the keywords in an h1 might be front loaded in English but get backloaded in French. As Google usually truncates text after around 65 characters, some of the most important text might not appear in the French search results link.

The same is true when you choose to use alphabetical order in a list. The order is bound to change in the other language, and it may still not be the best choice for the user.

Example: Word order

Make a choice based on your province of residence:

  • Alberta's tax package
  • British Columbia's tax package
  • Manitoba's tax package
  • New Brunswick's tax package
  • Etc.

In French, the list will become:

Faites un choix en fonction de votre province de résidence :

  • La trousse d’impôt de l'Alberta
  • La trousse d’impôt de la Colombie-Britannique
  • La trousse d’impôt du Manitoba
  • La trousse d’impôt du Nouveau-Brunswick
  • Etc.

With a direct translation, the desired effect, that is, to see the name of the province first so that it can be easily found in alphabetical order, is not obtained in French. The author and the translator will therefore have to find a compromise so that the French-speaking user and the English-speaking user have the same online experience. For example, adding an introductory sentence that explains that the following list is for provincial tax packages will help you avoid the words "tax package" in each of the items on the list and will allow you to only keep the name of the province:

Choose the tax package according to your province of residence:

  • Alberta
  • British Columbia
  • Manitoba
  • New Brunswick

Another idea would be to use punctuation (hyphens or colons) to separate the scannable phrase from the other topic:

  • English: Alberta – tax package
  • French: Alberta – trousse d’impôt

Gender of words

In English, nouns don’t have gender (feminine and masculine), but in French they do. For accessibility purposes, you may have to use a whole phrase in French to represent a concept that requires only a single word in English. In some contexts, especially when you must keep the text short as in a table or heading, this is not ideal.

Example: Gender of nouns
  • English: Project participants can ask questions at the end of the workshop.
  • French: Les personnes qui participent au projet peuvent poser leurs questions à la fin de l’atelier.

The noun can be replaced by a pronoun to shorten the sentence:

  • English: You can ask questions at the end of the workshop.
  • French: Vous pouvez poser des questions à la fin de l'atelier.

This is also true for the use of pronouns. The use of the neutral singular pronoun 'they' in English to be inclusive may not translate well in French. It may be necessary to rephrase the French sentence to avoid using a gendered pronoun. As this could change the original intent of the author, the writer and translator may need to decide together on the intent and adjust the text in both languages to ensure the same message comes across.

Example: Singular 'they'

English: If someone needs help, they need to call an agent.

French: Si vous avez besoin d’aide, vous devez appeler un agent.

Using the pronoun in the second person in French creates a different impression since we are speaking directly to the person.

In this case, the English pronoun may be changed to match the French:

English: If you need help, you need to call an agent.

French: Si vous avez besoin d’aide, vous devez appeler un agent.

Cultural references

Not only is it important to consider the choice of words to provide a similar experience in both languages, but it is also crucial to be sensitive to the cultural realities of our readers. French-speaking users do not always have the same cultural references as English-speaking users, and this is particularly the case in Canada, since experiences can differ from one province to another, and from one people to another. Authors should try to identify and avoid words or concepts that may not lend themselves to translation.

For example, if an author provides a concrete example to support an explanation, they should ensure that an audience in another province or country will also understand the reference.

Example: Cultural references

A French-speaking author writes the following example:

  • Robert est un retraité de la Sûreté du Québec.
  • Robert is retired from the Sûreté du Québec.

An English-speaking Canadian who lives in a province other than Quebec might not know what Sûreté Québec is. It would be better to use more general terms such as:

  • Robert est un policier retraité.
  • Robert is a veteran police officer.

Beyond that, some newcomers may not be able to relate to cultural references of either English or French-speaking Canadians. Therefore, it’s important to remain neutral when it comes to providing examples that have a cultural connotation.

Use terminology banks

When designing for a Canadian audience, it can be helpful to use resources that offer more specialized language guidance than the type of common vocabulary found in a dictionary.

Terminology banks can be a valuable tool for writers writing for a bilingual audience. These banks contain definitions, examples of the term in context, synonyms, and other observations, such as information on its use (for example, whether a term is preferred in a particular geographic area or organization). Some terminology banks also provide recommendations on what terms to use and what to avoid. One of the largest terminology banks in the world, TERMIUM Plus, is managed by the Translation Bureau of the Government of Canada. It contains millions of terminology records as well as definitions, synonyms, abbreviations and examples of use.

Writing in both Canada’s official languages requires some extra thought and planning, but it’s a very rewarding challenge that makes content easier to understand for everyone!

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