End Client: Famous Footwear, a division of Caleres

Service Description: Opening of store in Montreal, complying with French regulations
Scope: Translation, Typesetting, Website translation, Translation asset management, terminology management, software localization

French Canada Francization

According to the Charter of the French Language, there are specific legal requirements that every company doing business in Québec has to follow regarding the use of the French language in the scope of their activities.

When Famous Footwear decided to open a store in Montreal, they consulted with the team at their partner brand, Naturalizer, and knew they had to comply with Francization standards.  Naturalizer referred them to us and we met regularly with their team to help educate them on the processes that needed to be in place for translation of all their communications.  Communications included all employee operating manuals, all visual guides, signage, software, marketing emails, website and consumer ads…..and it had to be ready for the Grand Opening.

Challenges:  Terminology in a nutshell.

Solutions: We engaged store managers in Montreal to find out about terminology used with employees to be consistent. Terminology also had to comply with approved terms that are published by the Canadian government. Professional translators subscribe to these glossaries.  Regular teams were in place for “shoe” terminology but we established regular Canadian teams for legal, financial, training and software.

In addition, our team also had to stay on top of rulings by the OQLF which publishes guides on terminology, punctuation, style, etc in the French language for Canada. Terminology was managed as an asset for Famous Footwear in Glossaries and in Translation Memory.  Attention to detail was key. Certified Localization Project Management makes the difference on any project for the client.

Our focus on the customer has made us a partner to Famous Footwear.  What do you want from the companies that you partner with to make you successful? What should you expect? Specializing in human resources translations means that we have regular certified teams that are ready for your quick turnarounds.