French Help Center Translation: The Complete Guide for SaaS Teams

French is the fifth most-spoken language globally, with over 300 million speakers across five continents. For B2B SaaS companies, the Francophone market represents significant revenue potential - and customer support expectations are high.

This guide covers everything you need to translate your help center into French effectively, from regional variants to cultural considerations to implementation.

Why French Translation Matters for SaaS

The Francophone Market Opportunity

The French-speaking world extends far beyond France:

Region	French Speakers	Key Markets
France	67 million	Paris, Lyon, Marseille
Canada	10 million	Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa
Belgium	5 million	Brussels, Wallonia
Switzerland	2 million	Geneva, Lausanne
Africa	140+ million	DRC, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Morocco

For B2B SaaS, France alone is Europe's third-largest market - behind only the UK and Germany. Add Quebec's thriving tech scene, and you have a compelling business case for French support.

Customer Expectations Are Non-Negotiable

French-speaking customers, particularly in France and Quebec, have strong expectations for native-language support:

• 74% of French consumers prefer to make purchases in their native language
• Quebec law (Bill 96) requires French-language service for Quebec customers - non-compliance carries legal risk
• French B2B buyers often evaluate support quality as a key vendor criterion

Poor translation quality damages your brand. Google Translate artifacts are immediately obvious to native speakers.

The Regional Variant Decision

Before you translate, you need to decide: which French?

France French (European French)

When to choose it:

• Your primary market is France or Europe
• You have a global Francophone audience (it's the "standard")
• You want maximum reach with one translation

Characteristics:

• More likely to use English loanwords (e.g., "email," "meeting," "weekend")
• European date format (DD/MM/YYYY)
• Euro (€) as currency

Canadian French (Quebec French)

When to choose it:

• Quebec/Canada is your primary market
• You need to comply with Quebec language laws
• Your product has significant Quebec-specific features

Characteristics:

• Strong preference for French terms over anglicisms ("courriel" not "email")
• North American date format (YYYY-MM-DD in business contexts)
• CAD ($) as currency
• Some vocabulary differences ("fin de semaine" vs "weekend")

Our Recommendation

Default to France French unless Quebec is your primary market.

Here's why:

1. France French is understood by all Francophone speakers
2. Canadian French can sound unfamiliar to European French speakers
3. You can always add Canadian French as a second variant later

If you're specifically targeting Quebec, lead with Canadian French - customers notice and appreciate it.

Key Localization Considerations

1. Formal vs Informal Register (Vous vs Tu)

French distinguishes between formal "vous" and informal "tu" for addressing users.

Register	Use Case	Example
Vous (formal)	B2B software, professional contexts, banking	"Veuillez cliquer sur le bouton"
Tu (informal)	Consumer apps, gaming, youth-oriented brands	"Clique sur le bouton"

For help centers: use "vous." It's the safe, professional choice. Even casual B2C brands often use "vous" in documentation to maintain clarity.

Critical: Be consistent throughout. Mixing "tu" and "vous" in the same help center is jarring and unprofessional.

2. Text Expansion Planning

French text typically runs 15-25% longer than English. This affects:

• UI elements - Buttons, menus, and headers may overflow
• Tables - Columns may need width adjustments
• Screenshots - French UI screenshots will differ from English

English	French	Expansion
Submit	Envoyer	+17%
Click here to continue	Cliquez ici pour continuer	+47%
Settings	Paramètres	+60%
Help Center	Centre d'aide	+18%

Best practice: Preview translated content in context. What fits in English may break your layout in French.

3. Gender and Inclusive Language

French nouns are gendered, which creates challenges for user-facing content.

The challenge:

• "L'utilisateur" (the user, masculine)
• "L'utilisatrice" (the user, feminine)

Solutions for help documentation:

1. Use plural forms: "Les utilisateurs" (users) is gender-neutral in context
2. Use formal "vous": Direct address avoids gender assumptions
3. Rewrite to avoid gendering: "Toute personne utilisant le produit" instead of "tout utilisateur"
4. Avoid complex inclusive writing: Constructions like "utilisateur·rice·s" are increasingly common but can hurt readability in technical docs

Our recommendation: Keep it simple. Use plurals and "vous" for clean, readable documentation.

4. Date, Time, and Number Formats

French formatting differs from English:

Element	France French	Canadian French	English (US)
Date	08/02/2026	2026-02-08	02/08/2026
Time	14h30	14 h 30	2:30 PM
Numbers	1 234,56	1 234,56	1,234.56
Currency	99,00 €	99,00 $	$99.00

For help centers: These rarely need adjustment unless you're showing specific examples. Focus on translating the concepts, not reformatting every number.

5. Terminology Consistency

Technical terms need consistent translation throughout your documentation.

Common translation decisions:

English	France French	Canadian French
Email	Email	Courriel
Computer	Ordinateur	Ordinateur
Software	Logiciel	Logiciel
To save	Sauvegarder	Enregistrer/Sauvegarder
Dashboard	Tableau de bord	Tableau de bord
Settings	Paramètres	Paramètres

Create a glossary early. Translation memory tools (including TranslateDesk) use glossaries to maintain consistency across articles.

Four Approaches to French Translation

1. Machine Translation (Google Translate, DeepL)

Pros:

• Fast and cheap
• Good for getting the gist

Cons:

• Quality issues with technical content
• Inconsistent terminology
• No understanding of context
• Obvious to native speakers

Best for: Internal reference, not customer-facing content.

2. Freelance Translators

Pros:

• Human quality
• Can capture nuance
• Builds relationship over time

Cons:

• Expensive ($0.10-0.25/word)
• Slow turnaround
• Formatting often lost
• No integration with help center

Best for: High-stakes marketing content, legal documents.

Cost example: 50 articles × 1,000 words × $0.15/word = $7,500

3. Translation Agencies (LSPs)

Pros:

• Professional quality assurance
• Multiple linguists available
• Project management included

Cons:

• Expensive (add 30-50% overhead to freelance rates)
• Slow (days to weeks)
• Usually requires batch submissions

Best for: Enterprise teams with budget and patience.

4. AI Translation with Help Center Integration (TranslateDesk)

Pros:

• One-click translation from your help center
• Maintains formatting and structure
• Translation memory for consistency
• Change detection for updates
• Publishes directly to Intercom

Cons:

• Best quality for straightforward documentation
• Complex technical content may need review

Best for: SaaS teams needing fast, maintainable French content.

Cost example: 50 articles with TranslateDesk = ~$50-100 (one-time)

Step-by-Step Implementation

Week 1: Preparation

Days 1-2: Audit your English content

• List all articles in your help center
• Identify high-traffic articles (check analytics)
• Flag articles with screenshots (need French UI captures)
• Note any content that needs updates before translation

Days 3-4: Build your glossary

• List key product terms
• Decide on French equivalents
• Document style decisions (vous vs tu, France vs Canadian French)
• Share with your translator or translation tool

Day 5: Set up your translation workflow

• Choose your translation approach
• Connect to your help center (if using TranslateDesk)
• Test with one article

Week 2: Translation

Days 1-3: Translate core articles first

• Start with your top 20% most-viewed articles
• These cover 80% of customer questions
• Quality matters most here

Days 4-5: Complete remaining articles

• Translate secondary content
• Don't skip rarely-viewed articles - customers still find them

Week 3: Review and Polish

Days 1-2: Quality review

• Have a native French speaker review key articles
• Check for consistency in terminology
• Verify formatting survived translation

Days 3-4: Create French screenshots (if needed)

• Switch your product to French
• Capture key screens
• Update articles with localized images

Day 5: Publish

• Enable French in your help center
• Test navigation and search
• Verify SEO metadata is translated

Week 4: Ongoing Maintenance

• Set up change detection to catch English updates
• Schedule regular translation refreshes
• Monitor French help center analytics

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Using Google Translate for Customer-Facing Content

Machine translation without human review produces embarrassing results. Native speakers immediately recognize it and trust your product less.

Fix: Use professional translation or AI translation with glossaries and review.

2. Mixing France French and Canadian French

Mixing regional variants confuses readers and looks unprofessional. "Courriel" in one article and "email" in another signals low quality.

Fix: Pick one variant and stick to it. Document your choice in a style guide.

3. Ignoring Text Expansion

Translating without testing layouts leads to truncated text, broken buttons, and ugly formatting.

Fix: Preview translated content in your actual help center. Fix layout issues before publishing.

4. Translating Screenshots Literally

If your product UI is in English but your help articles show French screenshots, customers can't follow along.

Fix: Either translate your product UI first, or clearly note that screenshots show the English interface.

5. Forgetting SEO Metadata

Translating article bodies but leaving English titles and descriptions means Google won't surface your French content to French searchers.

Fix: Translate titles, meta descriptions, and URL slugs. Use French keywords naturally.

6. One-Time Translation Without Maintenance

Help content changes. Your English articles get updated. Your French articles become outdated.

Fix: Set up change detection. When English articles are updated, flag and update French versions.

Measuring Success

Track these metrics after launching French support:

Metric	What It Tells You	Target
French article views	Adoption of French support	Steady growth
Contact rate by language	Self-service effectiveness	Lower than pre-translation
CSAT for French customers	Quality perception	Maintain or improve
French organic traffic	SEO performance	+20% within 3 months

Summary

French translation opens access to 300+ million speakers across Europe, North America, and Africa. For B2B SaaS companies, France and Quebec represent significant revenue opportunities - but customer expectations for native-language support are high.

Key decisions:

1. Choose France French unless Quebec is your primary market
2. Use formal "vous" for professional documentation
3. Plan for 15-25% text expansion
4. Build a glossary before translating

For Intercom users: While Intercom doesn't offer native translation, TranslateDesk translates your help center to French with one click, maintaining formatting and consistency. Start your free trial to see your content in French today.

More language guides

Expanding to other markets? Explore our complete guides for each language:

• Spanish Help Center Translation Guide: Spain vs LATAM, formal/informal, largest market reach
• German Help Center Translation Guide: DACH market, Sie/du formality, text expansion planning
• Portuguese Help Center Translation Guide: Brazil vs Portugal, LATAM expansion
• Japanese Help Center Translation Guide: Keigo formality, character systems, premium market
• Chinese Help Center Translation Guide: Simplified vs Traditional, market access

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Need to translate your help center to French? See how TranslateDesk works with Intercom.