Many companies that start doing business in the Province of Quebec start to have problems in their advertising even when they try to do it correctly. For instance many already know that the information on any such material needs to be in French, the official language of Quebec. What many don’t realize is that another language may be used as well but the French language must be predominant. Let’s say you have a box of cereal you market to the Quebec market, you may think that by putting the French above the English text is enough to satisfy the requirements. When reading the regulations however, it states the French must be more predominant than the second language. So if both typefaces are of equal sizes that is not enough of a difference. You should make sure that the French is larger in size than the English version. This regulation also applies to logos, tag lines, and more.
Also good to note is that the Quebec Government can decide where certain products are advertised if other languages appear in the materials. Checking the regulations ahead of time and having any languages professionally translated is the best way to keep your business out of hot water when dealing with the Province of Quebec.
About the Author
Carmen Outridge is a French / English translator and owner of Outridge Translation Services. For more information on services offered please visit their website at www.outridgetranslation.com
