| Knowing a second or third language besides | | | | everything, you must know all the grammatical |
| yours will give you not only a better | | | | rules that apply when you're translating into |
| awareness for different ethnic groups, but | | | | French. |
| will give you an edge in today's competitive | | | | |
| market. One of the languages you should learn | | | | Summary of the most grammatical rules used in |
| is French. Why you may ask? French is spoken | | | | the French language |
| by more than 300 million people and is the | | | | |
| language the most spoken after the English | | | | French use a conventional and a familiar form |
| language. Learning French will help you | | | | when addressing people. If the French meet |
| understand a culture rich in history, | | | | someone they know very well, they will |
| architecture, literature and many more | | | | utilize the familiar form "Tu" and for a |
| subjects as French traces his roots to the | | | | seminar or a company meeting, they will |
| Roman Empire. In fact, French still shares | | | | change to the proper form "Vous". This is to |
| with the Latin language countless of | | | | refer to that person in a respectful manner. |
| grammatical conventions. | | | | |
| | | | French has 5 unique accentuations: acute |
| If you choose to become a French translator, | | | | accent, grave accent, circumflex accent, |
| be aware that people in French speaking | | | | dieresis accent and a cedilla, written under |
| countries want to protect their native tongue | | | | the letter 'c'). If one accent is used |
| and do not accept any foreign expressions on | | | | instead of another, then a noun can become a |
| official paperwork or government websites , | | | | verb, or a verb can become a noun etc |
| especially if those words come from the | | | | |
| English language. Each discipline has its own | | | | French has many mute (not heard) letters that |
| jargon and you will have to know the dialect | | | | can affect the way words are pronounced and |
| relevant to your field. | | | | written |
| | | | |
| Some of the following are expressions that | | | | French words have a masculine or feminine |
| have their own corresponding words in French: | | | | gender for each object which causes the |
| | | | adjective to follow the gender of the noun. |
| In the computer field, common English words | | | | For example in English "The cat is grey" can |
| such as "log on, search engine, and basket" | | | | be translated in French by either the |
| are not allowed in French and the "French | | | | masculine "le chat est gris" or by the |
| Academy" enforces the usage of French word | | | | feminine "la chatte est grise". A good |
| only. Consequently, any English word must | | | | translator will know by understanding the |
| have a French translation. The words above | | | | context. |
| become: entrer, moteur de recherche et | | | | |
| panier. In the financial lingo, "public stock | | | | If you have mastered another language such as |
| exchange" is "obligations publiquement | | | | Spanish or Italian, French will come easier |
| échangés", "over the counter" is | | | | to you as all those languages follow some of |
| "marché hors cote" in the legal field, be | | | | the same rules. If you do not know any other |
| careful when you translate "Alimony" and | | | | language and want to become a French |
| "Child support" as a mistranslation of those | | | | translator, many universities and |
| terms can be the difference between receiving | | | | organizations can give you a degree, |
| one payment or a monthly one. | | | | certification or help you out in learning |
| | | | French but remember to learn a language |
| Being a specialist in your field will bring | | | | correctly and to become a good translator, |
| you many clients, but vocabulary is not | | | | you must spend some times in that country... |