Trip to Quebec - french translation things

There's nothing in particular from a translation material perspective. Much will depend upon where you are going in Quebec. Montreal being a very cosmopolitan city and generally there is no problem as a tourist. The Quebec City area actually is more bilingual than Montreal since the industry there is tourism and the international language is english.

Once you get outside the tourist areas, then you will undoubtedly find less english but again as tourists, you should not have any problems.

We've traveled to Quebec City and environs quite a few times. While there, we attempt to communicate in French, and have found that our attempts are very much appreciated! A bit of high school French and a phase book that I found at Barnes & Noble helped.

Some American tourists traveling in Quebec have said they have found it unfriendly territory. We found just the opposite. Without exception, every French Canadian we met was helpful and patient with our poor attempts to speak their language. We love it there and can't wait to go back.

We just completed a circumnavigation of the Gaspe'. We were in many situations where English was not spoken but never had a problem. Everyone tried very hard to communicate and we used a variety of mediums; mostly gestures, some quick drawings, and once we found mutual use of basic Spanish. We had a lot of laughs and everyone was friendly and helpful. lizzie

I will make one very important suggestion. There are underpasses and tunnels in several spots and one in particular that I approached gave the height only in meters. If you do not know your height you should and going to Canada you should know the metric conversion so you do not have to do math in your head while driving in a strange city.

To convert, multiply the height in feet, times 0.3048 to get meters. My rig is 11 1/2 feet so multiply 11.5 X 0.3048 = 3.51 meters.

I allow 3 to 4 inches extra to compensate for uneven road surfaces.

one in particular that I approached gave the height the height only in meters

All measurement in Canada are METRIC.
Lenght, height, speed, distance, temperature..... all metric

.... and you do not need any specific translation tool... just start with a smile, try one or two french words (even if it sounds awful...and you will generally be treated courteously.
Welcome to Quebec

App in a smart phone. You speak english it talks in
french.

If you pick up a phrase book, also ask for a CD with pronunciation of key words.

Every little bit shows interest in the place you are visiting.

:B

JackD wrote:

one in particular that I approached gave the height the height only in meters

All measurement in Canada are METRIC.
Lenght, height, speed, distance, temperature..... all metric

.... and you do not need any specific translation tool... just start with a smile, try one or two french words (even if it sounds awful...and you will generally be treated courteously.
Welcome to Quebec

I agree about the smile and a cheery hello. As far as speed, temp, distance, I can do those in my head, volume(liters of gas to gallons use pencil and paper but at 90 kph on a blind curve, you better have your height memorized in meters. Met two guys who were so much fun, one selling propane and one running a RV park in Sheddiack(I can't spell English words don't hold me to French). They were helping us with pronunciation and laughing at our speaking French with a Mexican accent. We're from LA what do you expect.

We correspond regularly with a young French girl we met in Joshua Tree National Park and her parents. She is our adopted French Grand Daughter and we were her American anchors when she was an intern at an Arabian Horse Ranch in CA. She is working in Australia on an Arabian ranch. She would rather be here in So Cal. she feels there is a better work ethic. Her parents were thrilled to have someone she could visit with and get a home cooked meal or who she could cook one for. One day our Grand Daughter will visit them and be treated like royalty. Just plain folks.

We just came home from a 3 week trip to Quebec.

Learn a few words, Hello, Good Evening, Bonjour, Bonsoir, some travel phrases.


Everyone was extremely friendly and most helpful to us. Some spoke no English and us very little or almost no French. It was never a problem worth worrying about.

Most people if we tried to speak any French would switch to English and we would have a good laugh.

It was a fun trip in all aspects.

I would spend more time learning the road signs , for safety purposes before you go. They are all in French and sometimes you might need to know what they are quickly without guessing.