French localization, answered

I work on an hourly basis, within long-term partnerships built on fairness and transparency — not one-off transactions. Localization isn't a vending machine: it's ongoing work that evolves with your product, so I bill for the time it actually takes, openly, with no agency markup and no hidden layers. Tell me about your product and your goals, and I'll walk you through how we'd work together and what to expect.

A focused product UI can be turned around in days; a full localization program (UI, onboarding, help center, marketing) runs over weeks and is best handled as continuous localization rather than one big delivery. Timeline depends on volume, the number of context questions, and how localization-ready your strings already are. My readiness checklist helps you estimate this before we start.

Translation converts words; localization adapts your product so it feels native. That means handling French plural and gender rules, adapting CTAs and tone, respecting French formatting (dates, numbers, currency), and making linguistic decisions a word-for-word translation can't. A translated product reads as foreign; a localized one reads as if it was built in French.

French forces a formality choice English doesn't have, and it defines your entire brand voice. "Vous" is the safe, professional default for most B2B SaaS; "tu" suits younger, casual or community-driven products. The key is consistency everywhere — UI, emails, support, marketing. I help you decide once and document it in a style guide so it stays consistent as your team grows.

Directly. You talk to the person actually making the linguistic decisions — in your Slack, your CAT tool, your repository if needed. No agency layers, no account managers relaying briefs, no telephone game between you and the linguist.

I work inside your pipeline: XLIFF, JSON, PO, strings files, and common CAT tools and localization platforms. I handle ICU MessageFormat, named placeholders, plurals and gender correctly, and can plug into your repository or continuous localization setup rather than working around it.

Yes, and that's often the best time to involve me. Many French localization problems are baked in before translation begins: hard-coded strings, English plural logic, no room for text expansion. A readiness review at the planning stage saves costly rework after launch. My free readiness checklist is a good starting point.

That's a perfectly good place to start — most teams come to me exactly there: they know they want the French market, but not how to get there. Building the strategy is part of what I do as a Language Lead: deciding what to localize first, setting tone and terminology, choosing tools and workflows, and planning for continuous localization as your product grows. You don't need a plan before we talk; we build it together.

Yes. French users search with different terms than a literal translation of your English keywords — and increasingly ask AI assistants rather than typing into Google. I adapt blog posts, landing pages and docs for French search intent and for generative engines, so your content is found and cited in the French market.

Yes. Alongside SaaS and tech, game localization is a core specialty — from store descriptions and UI to in-game text, with the register, tone and cultural adaptation that French players expect.

Tell me about your product, your timeline and roughly how many words or strings are involved. You'll get a clear scope and a fixed quote. From there, we agree on tone and terminology, I localize in-context, and you get files ready for your next release. The fastest way to begin is the contact form or a direct email.