How to provide an audio guide in French
A French guide is added to a guide that already exists rather than built from nothing. The English stops are translated, reviewed by someone who reads French, and narrated, and the French version then sits behind the same QR code the English version already uses. Nothing on the wall changes, and no second sign is printed.
In practice a venue works through it in this order, and the review step is the one most often skipped and most often regretted.
- Settle the regional variant and register before any translation starts
- Translate the English stops, keeping the source text locked while that happens
- Have a French reader review it, ideally someone who knows the collection
- Narrate the reviewed text, checking proper nouns and place names first
- Publish it behind the QR codes already on the wall, with no reprinting
What French needs from your layout
French typically runs 15 to 20% longer than English, so a stop that is already long in English becomes uncomfortable.
Accented capitals are correct in French and are often dropped by mistake. French also uses a space before certain punctuation, which looks like an error to English eyes but is not.
European French, and how formal to be
European French serves most international visitors, and the difference from Canadian French matters more in vocabulary than in grammar. Unless your visitor mix is specifically Québécois, European French is the safer default.
The register decision is vous throughout. Visitor-facing interpretation in French is formal by convention, and a guide that slips into tu reads as either careless or oddly familiar.
Getting the French narration right
Narration in French raises questions that do not exist in English, and they are far cheaper to answer before a voice records anything than after.
- Liaison between words is a real pronunciation feature and a common weakness in synthetic narration.
- Check the handling of English proper nouns, which French narration often anglicises inconsistently.
- Numbers and dates should be checked aloud, since French number formation trips generic voices.
Where French fits in your language plan
Across the New Zealand museums using Journey Pal, between 50% and 60% of guide use is in English. That is our own usage data, and it is worth knowing before committing to a long list of languages: local-language listening is usually the largest share, and translations extend a guide rather than being the reason for one.
That makes French an addition to a working guide rather than a prerequisite for launching. Get the source script right, publish it, then add French where your visitor numbers justify the translation and, just as importantly, where you have someone who can review it.
Frequently asked questions
Can we provide an audio guide in French at our museum?
Yes. The French version is translated from your English stops, reviewed, narrated, and published behind the QR codes you already have on the wall, so adding it does not mean new signage, a new app, or new hardware.
Do we need a separate French version of our signage as well?
Usually not. The physical sign can stay short and carry a QR code, with the full French text and audio behind it, which avoids reprinting signage every time the content changes.
How much longer will the French version be?
French typically runs 15 to 20% longer than English, so a stop that is already long in English becomes uncomfortable.
Do visitors need an app to hear the French guide?
No. The guide opens in the visitor's phone browser from a QR code, and phone-language detection can take a French-speaking visitor straight to the right version when it exists.
Make this easier for your visitors
Journey Pal helps museums, heritage sites, zoos, and attractions deliver audio guides and translations through QR codes, with no app download required.