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23.5.12

Terminologie informatique en francais

What do you call that "electronic thing" in French?

The vocabulary used in French for computer related fields is very "uneven". In France there is a tendancy to use Frenchified terms stolen from English; in Quebec/Canada, we tend to make up new terms that respect the spirit of the French language.

pourriel = spam,
courriel = email,
logiciel = software,
plugiciel = plugin,
télécharger = download, sauvegarder = save,
the web = la toile/ l'ouèbe/ internet,  
un lien = a link,
languette/onglet = tab,
favori/signet = bookmark,
afficher = to post,
coller = to paste

In some cases, many competing words co-exist:
for example, a scanner is called "un scanneur" in France, but "un numérisateur" or "un numériseur" in Canada, from the word "numérique" meaning "digital".


Here are some links that might help:
        Handout

Glossary of terms



A lookup dictionary

Much longer list

Detailed list


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