This Monday, French officials gave their verdict against English. They continued their centuries-long battle to preserve the purity of the language. They have introduced the rules on not using English video game jargon.
Some of those expressions find obvious translations like “pro-gamer” becomes “joueur professionnel.” However, as “streamer” is transformed into “joueur-animateur en direct”.
The culture ministry is actively involved in the process. They told AFP the video game sector was rife with anglicisms that could act as “a barrier to understanding” for non-gamers.
France regularly issues dire warnings of the debasement of its language from across the Channel, or more recently the Atlantic.
The old language watchdog the Académie Française warned in February of a “degradation that must not be seen as inevitable”. It highlighted terms including train operator SNCF’s brand “Ouigo” (pronounced “we go”) and straightforward imports like the “big data” and “drive-in”.
Monday’s changes were issued in the official journal. It made them compulsory on government workers.
The terms in place of which official French alternatives will be used include “cloud gaming”, which becomes “jeu video en nuage”, and “eSports”, which will now be translated as “jeu video de competition”.
The ministry said experts had searched video game websites and magazines to see if French terms already existed. The aim was to allow the population to communicate more easily.
