Translate French to English, whole files at once
Read chapter one in English before paying. Long French sentences are split where English readers expect a full stop, and review notes point to scenes where tu and vous mattered.
Source
Drop a book here
EPUB, MOBI, FB2, DOCX or PDF · up to 300 MB
Preview
Preview before you pay
Read the first chapter in the new language before you decide.
At a glance. French to English
- $22.50 for a 90,000-word novel
- Chapter one is free
- United States, United Kingdom, or Australia
- Chapters, footnotes, images and styles
One glossary for the whole file. Names read the same in English on every page.
Pick a name to find it in both versions.
Le matin où les ferries cessèrent de partir, Mara Ellison parcourut le quai des Lanternes d’un bout à l’autre et compta les bateaux qui ne quitteraient pas le port. Onze. Quelque part derrière le brouillard, les Gardiens des marées comptaient aussi.
On the morning the ferries stopped, Mara Ellison walked the length of the Lantern Quay and counted the boats that would not leave. Eleven. Somewhere behind the fog, the Tidewardens were counting too.
English takes 10% fewer characters than French. Measured on our sample.
| Measure | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| Words | 93 | 84 |
| Characters, without spaces | 432 | 388 |
At the same ratio, a 92,400-word French book comes out at about 83,500 words in English.
You pay for the words of the French original, not for the length of the translation.
What changes in English. Handled for you, adjustable before you pay.
- Long French sentences are split where English readers would expect a full stop.
- Tu and vous both become “you”; the review notes point to scenes where the switch carries meaning.
- French idioms are replaced with English ones of the same weight instead of word-for-word versions.
What a book costs. Pick an example or set your word count.
Free preview: chapter one. No account or card needed.
Questions. Short answers.
How much does it cost to translate a book from French to English?
A one-off translation costs $0.25 per 1,000 words for reading or $0.60 with glossary, style guide and review. A 90,000-word novel is $54 in Publish mode. You see the exact price before paying.
Will names stay the same in the English translation?
Yes. The whole file is read first and every person, place and invented word gets one English form. You can change any of them before translation starts.
Are French place names translated?
Real places keep their usual English names. Invented ones follow the glossary: keep them French for atmosphere or give them an English form.
What happens to the passé simple in English?
It becomes the ordinary English past tense. The literary register is carried by word choice, so the narration still sounds written rather than spoken.
More language pairs. Same file, other languages.
Every format you work with. Layout kept in each one.
French to English translation that keeps the author’s voice
Where one French sentence becomes two
French prose tolerates long sentences held together by commas, relative clauses and semicolons. In English the same sentence reads as breathless. The translation splits them where an English editor would put a full stop, and keeps them long where the length is part of the style, such as a stream of thought.
If your author’s long sentences are deliberate, say so in Notes for the translator. The instruction applies to every chapter, so the rhythm stays consistent.
Read the full guideHide the guide
The passé simple in English
English has one past tense for narration, so the passé simple and the passé composé both become the simple past. What the passé simple adds in French, a written and slightly formal register, has to come from word choice. The translation keeps the narration sounding written rather than spoken.
Tu, vous and what English loses
When two characters move from vous to tu, a French reader notices. In English both are you. Review notes mark those scenes. You can leave them, or ask for the change to show in the wording, for instance through first names or a warmer tone.
Idioms of the same weight
A French idiom translated word for word is usually nonsense in English. Poser un lapin means to stand someone up, not to put down a rabbit. With idioms set to Adapt naturally, each one is replaced by an English expression of similar weight. Choose Stay close to the original if the foreignness is part of the book’s charm.
Real and invented places
Real places keep the names English readers know: Marseille stays Marseille, and Londres becomes London again. Invented places follow the glossary. Keep them French if they give the book its setting, or give them English forms, and every chapter follows the choice.
Which English, and for whom
Choose American, British or Australian English on the style step. The choice shows in spelling, in vocabulary such as pavement and sidewalk, and in dates: 3 April in London, April 3 in New York. For a book sold worldwide, pick the market where most copies will sell.
What a French book costs to translate
Pricing follows the French word count. A 90,000-word novel costs $22.50 to read or $54 to publish. Publish adds the editable glossary, the style guide and review notes, which matter most when the translation is going to readers rather than staying on your own e-reader.