Good Translations from French to Spanish take much more than just swapping words. You need deep knowledge of both languages, their cultural nuances, and the specific contexts in which they are used. Below, we explain the key principles for high-quality translations.
Key Aspects for Great Translations from French to Spanish
1. Deep Understanding of the Content
- First of all, analyse carefully the original text to understand its purpose, tone, and target audience, before starting any translation.
- Secondly, identify technical or specialised terms that may need extra research.
- Finally, list any helpful tool that could improve the accuracy of the translation.
2. Accuracy and Attention to Detail
- Be aware of for false friends (words that look similar but mean different things), because they can cause a faulty result:
- “Actuellement” (French) ≠ “actualmente” (Spanish) → It means “right now.”
- “Librairie” ≠ “librería” → In French, it means “bookstore” (in Spanish, “librería” can also mean “furniture for books”).
- Double-check proper names, dates, and numbers, as they contain main meaning of the text.
3. Natural-Sounding Spanish
- It is fundamental to adapt French grammatical structures that don’t work in Spanish like:
- “Je m’appelle…” → Not “Me llamo a mí mismo…” but “Me llamo…”
- “Il y a” → Doesn’t always mean “hay”; sometimes it’s “hace” (“Il y a 5 ans” = “Hace 5 años”).
- Use equivalent expressions instead of literal translations:
- “C’est chaud!” (colloquial) → “¡Es complicado!” or “¡Qué lío!” (depending on context).
4. Cultural Adaptation
- If the concepts don’t exist in both languages, then, they need further explanation for instance:
- “L’esprit d’escalier” → “Quedarse con la palabra en la boca” (thinking of a comeback too late).
- Adjust geographical references, humor, or idioms for Spanish-speaking audiences.
5. Thorough Revision
All good French to Spanish translations require at least two steps, first of all a draft must be done by an expert, then after, another professional team should review and fix errors that improve flow.
Fields That Need Specialisation in French to Spanish Translations
- Legal Translation
- Some examples of legal documents are: contracts, court rulings, notarial documents and sworn translations. And the use of legal terms must be extremely precise, for instance: “bail” is translated as “fianza,” and not as “baile”.
- Medical Translation
- In medical documents such as clinical reports or scientific studies, using the correct terminology is crucial (“ordonnance” → “receta médica”), otherwise it could result in dangerous results.
- Marketing Translation
- If the content is related to a business, for example, brochures, slogans or web content, the translator needs creativity to keep the message impactful and oriented to the target public.
- Audiovisual Localisation
- When a message needs to be transmitted to different language public, then using subtitling and dubbing must consider lip-syncing and adapting cultural references.
Helpful Tools (But They Don’t Replace Professionals)
- Specialised dictionaries: Linguee, Termium.
- Terminology databases: IATE (European Union).
- Computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools: Trados, memoQ (for consistency in long projects).
Important: Even if machine translators (Google Translate, DeepL) can help with single words, they are not reliable for professional texts.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in translations from French to Spanish
- Literal translations that sound unnatural:
- “Je suis excité” → Not “Estoy excitado” (sexual connotation in Spanish) but “Estoy emocionado.”
- Ignoring context:
- “Préservatif” → “Condón” (not “preservativo,” which means food preservatives in Spanish).
- Forgetting Spanish variations:
- In Spain, “ordenador” is used, while Latin America prefers “computadora.”
Conclusion
In summary, the professional translations from French to Spanish require accuracy, cultural adaptation, and deep knowledge of both languages. Whether for legal, medical, or marketing content, the process must include research, revision, and expert input.
The difference between an amateur and a professional translation can make or break a project. That’s why it’s always best to work with specialists to ensure top-quality results.
