Quebec French Translation Services

Authentic Québécois French by Native Montreal Linguists

Frenchside is a Montreal-based translation agency specialized exclusively in Quebec French. Every translator on our team is a native québécois speaker — born, raised, and working in Quebec — which means your content will read as if it was originally written for a Quebec audience, not adapted from European French.

Since 2014, we have delivered Quebec French translation services to more than 1,200 Canadian organizations, from Fortune 500 subsidiaries to federal agencies and fast-growing SaaS companies expanding into the Quebec market.

Why Quebec French Is Not the Same as European French

Quebec French is a distinct variant of the French language. Using a European French translator for a Quebec audience is one of the most common — and most damaging — localization mistakes Canadian businesses make.

Key differences include:

• Vocabulary — everyday words like “car” (auto in Quebec vs voiture in France), “shopping” (magasiner vs faire du shopping), or “weekend” (fin de semaine vs week-end)
• Legal terminology — Quebec’s hybrid civil-common law system uses terms that do not exist in French civil law
• Business idioms — professional tone, formality markers, and corporate conventions differ substantially
• Cultural references — what resonates in Paris falls flat in Montreal, and vice versa
• Anglicisms — Quebec French has its own rules for borrowing (and rejecting) English terms

A contract translated for a Parisian audience will feel foreign to a Quebec reader. A marketing campaign built in European French can undermine brand credibility, confuse customers, and in regulated sectors, fail to meet OQLF requirements.

Quebec French Translator for Certified and Official Documents

When you need a certified Quebec French translation for official use — IRCC immigration applications, Quebec court submissions, university applications, or provincial agencies — we assign your project to an OTTIAQ-certified translator.

OTTIAQ (Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec) is:

• The professional order officially recognized by the Quebec government
• Accepted Canada-wide for certified translations
• Required for sworn translations in Quebec courts

Our certified Quebec French translations are delivered with a signed statement of accuracy, ready for immediate submission. For more information on our certification process, visit our certified French translation services page.

Bill 96 and Bill 101 Compliance

Quebec French translation is often a legal obligation, not just a communication choice. Quebec’s Bill 96 (adopted in 2022, amending the Charter of the French Language) and Bill 101 require that contracts, employment documents, product labels, websites, software interfaces, and commercial communications aimed at Quebec consumers or employees be available in French. The Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) enforces these requirements and can issue significant fines for non-compliance.

Our Quebec French translators are familiar with every aspect of Bill 96 and Bill 101. We help businesses identify which documents require French versions, which need to be “predominantly French” on signage and packaging, and which can remain bilingual. We also advise on the timing of compliance — several Bill 96 provisions came into force in 2023 and 2025, and more are being phased in. For companies that have recently hired Quebec-based employees or launched products in Quebec, compliance is typically the first reason they contact us.

English to Quebec French Translation Company

Most of our clients need English to Québec French translation — content originally written in English that needs to reach a Quebec audience. Our process is built specifically for this direction: English-speaking project managers handle client communication, native Quebec translators perform the actual translation, and a second québécois linguist performs the revision. The result is content that reads naturally, uses authentic local terminology, and resonates culturally with Quebec readers. For the reverse direction, we also offer Quebec French to English translation handled by native English speakers with deep knowledge of Quebec business and legal terminology.

Our Process and Turnaround

Every Quebec French translation follows the same five-step workflow:

1. Free binding quote within 30 minutes
2. NDA signature before any document is shared
3. Translation by a native québécois specialist matched to your industry
4. Independent revision by a second Quebec-based linguist
5. Delivery in the same format you sent us (Word, PDF, Excel, InDesign, XLIFF, HTML)

Standard projects are delivered within 24 to 72 hours. Rush service is available for urgent deadlines, including same-day delivery for shorter documents.

Why Choose Frenchside for Your Québec French Translations

Unlike generalist multilingual agencies that offer Quebec French as one of many services, Frenchside is dedicated entirely to French translation — and our entire team lives and works in Quebec. We are OTTIAQ-accredited, we understand Bill 96 and Bill 101 compliance intimately, and we have served more than 1,200 Canadian organizations since 2014. When you order a Quebec French translation from us, you are not getting European French adapted for Canada. You are getting authentic québécois French, delivered by linguists who use that language every day with their families, their colleagues, and their clients.