French officials on Monday continued their centuries-old battle to preserve the purity of the language, overhauling the rules for the use of English video game language.
While some expressions find obvious translations – “pro-gamer” becomes “joueur professionnel” – others sound more tense, with “streamer” being transformed into “joueur-animateur en direct”.
The culture ministry, which is involved in the process, told AFP that the video game sector is full of patterns that can act as a “barrier to understanding” for non-gamers.
France regularly issues dire warnings of the decline of its language across the Channel, or more recently from the Atlantic.
The French Academy, a centuries-old language watcher, warned in February of “a deterioration which should not be seen as inevitable”. He highlighted terms including SNCF’s rail operator brand “Ouigo” (pronounced “we go”) along with direct imports such as “big data” and “drive-in”.
However, changes were issued on Monday in the Official Gazette, making them binding on government employees.
Among the many terms that would be made available for the official French alternatives were “cloud gaming”, which became “jeu video en nuage”, and “eSports”, which will now translate to “jeu video de competition”.
The ministry said experts searched video game websites and magazines to see if the French terms actually existed. The general idea was to allow residents to communicate more easily, the ministry said.
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