French interpreting and translation

French interpreting for every francophone background

We ask where your client is from and which language they speak best. French is often the right choice, but for asylum interviews, mental health assessments or child protection meetings, a client from Africa or the Caribbean may give a more accurate account in a first language such as Lingala, Wolof or Haitian Creole, and we can provide that too. French distinguishes formal vous from familiar tu, and our interpreters keep the right level of formality; for Canadian clients, interpreters familiar with Quebec French are preferable for detailed or emotional conversations.

French interpreters are available face to face for courts, police stations, hospitals and social care, by telephone around the clock, and by video through the SILA Linguists® app or a secure platform of your choice. For international organisations, NGOs and businesses we provide consecutive, simultaneous and remote simultaneous interpreting for conferences, board meetings, arbitration and diplomatic events.

French translation, certification and localisation

French typography has its own rules: a non-breaking space before colons, semicolons, question and exclamation marks in France, with different practice in Canada and Switzerland, guillemets « » around reported speech and accented capitals. French text is often longer than English, which affects layouts and subtitles, and we plan for it. Certified translations of civil records, court judgments, diplomas, company documents and medical reports carry a signed statement of accuracy, accepted by UK authorities such as tribunals, admissions offices and the Home Office, and by HR departments. Where a Canadian authority asks for a certified translator, we arrange one certified by a provincial association. Official translation rules differ by country, and in France official translations are generally made by court-listed experts, so check what a French-speaking authority requires.

For business, finance and legal clients, we translate contracts, financial statements, regulatory filings and marketing, and localise websites and software for France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada or Africa, with AI-assisted translation and human post-editing available.

French transcription and subtitling

We transcribe French interviews, hearings, media and research recordings with timestamps and a parallel English text, and subtitle film, television and e-learning in French or English.

Sectors we support in French

Our vetted, trained and qualified French linguists can support immigration, asylum and nationality casework, courts, police and solicitors, healthcare and social care, international organisations and NGOs, finance, legal and corporate services, and universities assessing qualifications. SILA Linguists® assigns a coordinator, matches linguists by country and subject, and keeps every file confidential under NDAs and UK GDPR. French interpreters can also support Canadian courts, immigration and refugee proceedings, and health and provincial services.