This document covers the language specific requirements for French (Canada). Please make sure to also review the General Requirements section and related guidelines for comprehensive instructions surrounding timed text deliveries to Netflix.
 

I. Subtitles

I.1. Abbreviations

• Monsieur: M. (with period)
• Madame: Mme (no period)
• Mademoiselle: Mlle (no period)
• Maître: Me (no period)
• Professeur: Pr (no period)
• Docteur: Dr (no period)
• minute: min (not mn)

• Terms of address and titles should not be abbreviated unless a lack of space requires it:
  • Incorrect: Merci, M. le Gouverneur.
  • Correct: Merci, monsieur le gouverneur.
  • Correct, if not enough space: Merci, M. le gouverneur.

I.2. Acronyms

• Acronyms should be written without periods or spaces between letters: BBC, USA unless any confusion is possible with the target language (e.g. L.A. for Los Angeles)
• Do not use accents if they are written in all caps: CIA, OTAN
• Acronyms that are pronounced the way they are written (i.e. not spelled) should be capitalized (e.g. Unicef, Unesco) if they are proper names and have more than four letters. If they are common nouns and have become part of the daily lexicon (e.g. ovni, sida) they are written in lowercase; if this is the case, they may need the plural form following French accent rules (e.g. les ovnis).

I.3. Character Limitation

• 42 characters per line.

I.4. Character Names

• Do not translate proper names (e.g. Peter, Suzanne), unless Netflix provides approved translations.
• Nicknames should only be translated if they convey a specific meaning.
• Use language-specific translations for historical/mythical characters (e.g. Guillaume le Conquérant, père Noël), unless Netflix provides instructions to do otherwise (e.g. Santa Claus may be preferred over père Noël in some specific projects).
• Carry through any diacritics used in names and proper nouns from languages that use the Latin alphabet where their use is seen in official sources, or in the source text for fictional names. For example, Spanish names such as Mónica Naranjo, Pedro Almodóvar and Alejandro G. Iñárritu should retain their diacritics. Any proper names that have lost the use of accents due to cultural reasons (e.g. Jennifer Lopez) do not need them added.
• Transliterate uncommon or unfamiliar letters/characters that appear in names or proper nouns when working from one Roman alphabet language to French if they may cause confusion or be hard to understand or pronounce. Note that diacritics should be kept in proper nouns and names. For example: If the Icelandic name Þór appears, please transliterate it as Thór (following relevant KNP and guidance about handling character names). If a German street name such as Torstraße appears in the source, please transliterate it as Torstrasse (following relevant KNP and guidance about handling character names).

I.5. Continuity

• When including ellipses in subtitles, please use the single smart character (U+2026) as opposed to three dots/periods in a row.
• Do not use ellipses or dashes when an ongoing sentence is split between two or more continuous subtitles.

          Subtitle 1   Je me disais bien

          Subtitle 2   que tu finirais par comprendre! 

• Use an ellipsis to indicate a pause or an abrupt interruption. In the case of a pause, if the sentence continues in the next subtitle, do not use an ellipsis at the beginning of the second subtitle.

          Subtitle 1   Si j’avais su…

          Subtitle 2   je ne t’aurais pas appelé. 

          Subtitle 1   - Mais j’allais te dire…

          Subtitle 2   - Je ne veux pas le savoir!

• Use an ellipsis followed by a non-breaking space to indicate that a subtitle is starting mid-sentence. 

          … ont signé un accord.

I.6. Documentary/Unscripted

• Speaker’s title: only translate the title. Do not include the speaker’s name, company name or character name as these are redundant.
• Only translate a speaker’s title once, the first time the speaker appears.
• When ongoing dialogue is interrupted by a speaker’s title, use ellipses at the end of the sentence in the subtitle that precedes it and at the beginning of the sentence in the subtitle that follows it.

          Subtitle 1             J’ai travaillé sur ce film…

          Subtitle 2 (FN)    RÉALISATEUR

          Subtitle 3            … pendant six mois.

• Dialogue in TV/movie clips should only be subtitled if plot-pertinent and if the rights have been granted.
• News tickers/banners from archive clips do not require subtitles unless plot-pertinent.
• Avoid going back and forth between italicized and non-italicized subtitles when the speaker is on and off screen. If the speaker is on-camera for at least part of the scene, do not italicize. Leave italics for off-screen narrators.

I.7. Dual Speakers

• Use a hyphen followed by a space to indicate two speakers in one subtitle, with a maximum of one speaker per line.

          - Tu viens?

          - J’arrive. Donne-moi une minute.

• Text in each line of a dual-speaker subtitle should ideally be a contained sentence and should not carry into the preceding or subsequent subtitle. Creating shorter sentences and timing appropriately helps to accommodate this.
• For example, try to avoid:

          Subtitle 1:         J'étais sur le point de te le dire,

    

          Subtitle 2:         - mais il m’en a empêché.

                                    - Ça ne me surprend pas.

Prefer:

          Subtitle 1:         J'étais sur le point de te le dire,

                                    mais il m’en a empêché.

 

          Subtitle 2:         Ça ne me surprend pas.

I.8. Font Information

• Font style: Arial as a generic placeholder for proportionalSansSerif
• Font size: relative to video resolution and ability to fit 42 characters across the screen
• Font color: White

I.9. On-screen Text

• Forced narrative titles for on-screen text should only be included if plot-pertinent.
• When on-screen text and dialogue overlap, the most plot-relevant message should be given precedence. Avoid over-truncating or severely reducing reading speed to include both dialogue and on-screen text.
• The duration of the FN subtitle should as much as possible mimic the duration of the on-screen text, except for cases where reading speed and/or surrounding dialogue takes precedence.
• Forced narratives that are redundant (e.g. identical to onscreen text or covered in the dialogue) must be deleted.
• Forced narratives for on-screen text should be in ALL CAPS, except for long passages of on-screen text (e.g. prologue, epilogue, letters, long text messages, book excerpts), which should use italics sentence case to improve readability.
• Never combine a forced narrative with dialogue in the same subtitle. If both appear at the same time and there is not enough room, dialogue takes precedence.
• When a forced narrative interrupts dialogue, use an ellipsis at the end of the sentence in the subtitle that precedes it and at the beginning of the sentence in the subtitle that follows it. 

          Subtitle 1           Je crois qu’on devrait…

          Subtitle 2 (FN)  ACCÈS INTERDIT

          Subtitle 3          … rebrousser chemin.

I.10. Foreign Dialogue

• Foreign dialogue should only be translated if the viewer was meant to understand it (i.e. if it was subtitled in the original version).
• When using foreign words, always verify spelling, accents, and punctuation, if applicable.
• Foreign words should be italicized, unless they have become part of regular usage (e.g. persona non grata, sushi, apartheid, dolce vita) and unless they are proper names (e.g. a company name) or if any confusion is possible with the target language (e.g. date).
• Italics are not needed in specialized content where frequent foreign terminology is used (e.g. cooking shows or contests).

I.11. Italics

• Italicize the following:
  • Album, book, film, and program titles (use quotes for song titles)
  • Foreign words (unless they are part of regular usage)
  • Dialogue that is heard through electronic media, such as a phone, television, or computer
  • Only use italics when the speaker is not in the scene(s) (e.g. flashback, narration, distorted sound), not merely off-screen or off-camera. Additionally, Italics are not needed for subtitle events that belong to dialogue that continues into the previous scene or which anticipates the following scene.
  • Song lyrics (if rights have been granted)
  • Recited poetry.
  • Voice-overs
  • Music notes
    • C'est un concerto en do mineur.
• Only use italics when a speaker is not in the scene(s) (e.g. flashback, narration, distorted sound), not merely off screen or off camera.
• Additionally: Italics are not needed for subtitle events that belong to dialogue continuing the previous scene or anticipating the following scene.
• Do not use italics to indicate emphasis on specific words.

I.12. Job Titles & Professional Functions

• The feminine form for job titles and professional functions should be used for female characters unless the historical and social context requires otherwise.
• While there is no general rule on the feminine form for job titles, there can be different ways of using it:
  • The first one by marking the feminine with the article, the adjective or the verb while keeping the same form in masculine as in feminine.
    • e.g.  “architecte”, “artiste”,  “juge”, “secretaire”, “comptable”,  “garde”,  “actuaire”,  “diplomate”, “ministre”,  “botaniste”.
  • The same goes for substantives ending with an “o”: “une dactylo”, “une imprésario”, “une soprano”
  • Jobs ending with “-eur” be changed into “-euse” or “-eure”
  • Note: the feminine form “-esse” can be considered outdated ( “contrôleuse”, “docteure”, “professeure”)
  • Jobs ending with “-teur” can use the feminine form “-teuse” (“toiletteuse”, “acheteuse”) or “-trice” (“réalisatrice”, “créatrice”…).
  • A few other examples:
    • Écrivain > Écrivaine
    • Chef > Cheffe
    • Agent > Agente
  • Exceptions :
    • Auteur > Auteure or Autrice (both are acceptable)

I.13. Line Treatment

• Maximum two lines.
• Prefer a bottom-heavy pyramid shape for subtitles when multiple line break options present themselves, but avoid having just one or two words on the top line.
• Two lines may be used to improve readability even if the character limit has not been met/exceeded.

I.14. Numbers

• From 1 to 10, numbers should be written out: un, deux, trois, etc.
• Above 10, numbers should be written numerically: 11, 12, 13, etc.
• When a number begins a sentence, it should always be spelled out.
• There may be exceptions to the above rules, e.g. numerals can be used if
  • it is a date (2 janvier, 27 avril)
  • a sentence begins with a long number (e.g. “937 cas” so as to avoid “neuf cent trente-sept cas”)
  • there are reading speed considerations
• Note that the above rules may be broken due to space limitations or reading speed concerns, as well as for consistency when listing multiple quantities, for example.
• In cases that require a decimal separator, use a comma as a decimal separator: 2,50
  • Indicate time on a 24-hour basis, using spacing as follows: 

          Il est 14 h [space]

          Il est 14 h 10 [space]

• A space is optional for a four-digit number. If it’s a year, a space should not be added.

          Il y avait 1 900 soldats en 1940.

          Il y avait 1900 soldats en 1940.

(Both examples are acceptable.)

• Measurements should be converted to the metric system unless the original unit of measurement is plot-relevant.
• Units and symbols should be separated from the preceding figure with a non-breaking space (200 kg, 15 %).
• Currencies should be spelled out (e.g. 3 000 pesos). Exceptions can be made for €, $, and £ symbols only, if there is not enough space (e.g. 3 000 €). 

I.15. Punctuation

• There should be no space before interrogation and exclamation marks or semicolons.
• For colons, there should be a space before and after the punctuation mark.
• Use a space before % and currency signs: 2 % and 5 $

I.16. Substitution

• In cases of words deliberately bleeped in the original audio (e.g. for comedic purposes):
  • If it is possible to identify the affected term, include the initial letter of the word followed by three asterisks. Example: 

                    Il l’a envoyé se faire f***.

• If the affected term is not identifiable, include three hyphens in place of the bleeped term. Example: 

                    C’est un --- de la pire espèce.

I.17. Quotations

• Quotation marks should be used at the start and end of a line of applicable dialogue, at the start of every subtitle, and at the start and end of the last subtitle.

          Subtitle 1: "Je suis hypocondriaque,

          Subtitle 2: “j'ai tout le temps peur de mourir

                        ou de ne plus pouvoir m'exprimer.

          Subtitle 3: “Je n'arrive pas à me projeter

                          dans le futur."

• Use double quotation marks (" ") without spaces for regular quotations:

          Il m’a dit : "Reviens demain." 

• Use single quotation marks (' ') for quotes within quotes:

          "Il a dit : 'Tout va bien.'" 

• Punctuation should be included within the quotation marks if the quote is an independent clause and outside if it is not. See the following examples:

          Il dit souvent : "Je m’en occuperai un jour."

          Elle aime lire des "romans à suspense".

          "Le cœur a ses raisons que la raison ignore."

• Use quotation marks when characters are reading aloud (on-screen or off-screen).
• If an on-screen character does “air quotes” when speaking, please apply quotation marks to the equivalent word in the target language in order to retain creative intent and to help ensure clarity about which word or part of the sentence the air quotes apply to.

I.18. Reading Speed Limits

• Adult programs: Up to 17 characters per second
• Children’s programs: Up to 13 characters per second

I.19. Repetitions

• Do not translate words or phrases repeated more than once by the same speaker.
• If the repeated word or phrase is said twice in a row, time subtitle to the audio but translate only once.
• When two characters repeat the same thing simultaneously, time the subtitle to the audio, and just translate the term/phrase once without a hyphen.

I.20. Songs

• Only subtitle plot-pertinent songs if the rights have been granted.
• Opening and ending theme songs should only be subtitled if they are clearly plot-pertinent (e.g. for children’s content when the lyrics tell a story) or if instructed by Netflix. Normally, adult programs should not have the opening songs subtitled, except for SDH.
• Italicize lyrics.
• Use an uppercase letter at the beginning of each line.
• Use ellipses when a song continues in the background but is no longer subtitled to give precedence to dialogue.
• Punctuation: only question marks and exclamation marks should be used at the end of a line – no commas or periods. Commas can be used within the lyric line, if necessary.
• Album titles should be in italics.
• Song titles should be in quotation marks.
• Citations from songs and poems should be in quotation marks.

I.21. Titles

• Main title treatment:
  • Subtitle the on-screen main title when the approved title for French (Canada) is available in KNP/Terminology and it does not match the title that appeared in the card. Do not translate the main title from scratch: always use the approved title provided.
  • Do not subtitle when the on-screen main title and the approved title for French (Canada) are identical and fully match (e.g. the on-screen title is already in French (Canada), both read with the exact same words and spellings, etc.)
  • Subtitle when the approved title for French (Canada) contains a part that is transliterated/translated/transcreated/edited and does not fully match the on-screen main title (e.g. when the on-screen title is Don't Look Up but the approved title for French (Canada) is Don't Look Up : Déni cosmique)
  • When the provided translation of the main title does not work with a line break in a way that fits within the limit, the maximum character count per line or maximum line limit can be exceeded. Do not split the provided translation into multiple subtitle events.
  • Subtitles for the on-screen main title should not be in italics.
• Episode titles: do not subtitle episode titles if they do not appear on screen/are not voiced-over. If on-screen (either as part of the principal photography or burned into video) or voiced-over, please reference the KNP tool for approved translations.
• Titles of published works, existing movies, and TV shows: use official or well-known translations. If none are available, leave titles in the original language.

I.22. Special Instructions

• Always use accents on capital letters, whether the sentence is in all caps or in mixed case.
• Dialogue must never be censored. Expletives should be rendered as faithfully as possible. To give viewers a truly immersive experience, subtitles should render the vernacular and reflect the original creative intent.
• Always match the tone of the original content, while remaining relevant to the target audience (e.g. replicate tone, register, class, formality, etc. in the target language in an equivalent way).
• Plot-pertinent dialogue always takes precedence over background dialogue.
• Deliberate misspellings and mispronunciations should not be reproduced in the translation unless plot-pertinent.
• When brand names or trademarks appear, depending on the context, you may either:
  • Use the same name if it is known in the territory you are translating for
  • Adapt to the name that the brand or product is known by in the territory you are translating for
  • Or use a generic name for that product or item.
• Avoid swapping out names of brands, companies or famous people for other names.
• Character names may be left out once they have been clearly established, to avoid unnecessary repetition and to improve reading speed.
• French (France and Canada) dialogue found in foreign language content should not be subtitled unless it is unintelligible for the target audience.

 

II. Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH) Guidelines

II.1. Accuracy of Content

• Include as much of the original content as possible.
• Do not simplify or water down the original dialogue.
• Where content has been dubbed into French (Canada), please refer to the dubbing script or dubbed audio as the basis for the SDH file and ensure that the two match as much as reading speed and timings allow.
• The transcription of the audio should follow the word choice and sentence order. Slang and other dialectal features should not be changed.
• When editing for reading speed, favor text reduction (e.g. deletion of unnecessary repetitions, omitting unimportant paralinguistic elements), re-timing, and re-segmentation as editing strategies.
• Further condensing should only be used as a last resource and always without affecting the register of speech and without neutralizing the original dialogue (e.g. It is acceptable to adjust a verb structure for reading speed purposes: “on va” instead of “nous allons”, or to condense to a main message: “Je ne la connais pas.” instead of “Je ne connais pas cette personne.”, but adjusting register).
• Unless plot-pertinent, deliberate misspellings and mispronunciations should not be reproduced in the translation. Ensure any intentional errors are within quotation marks.
• Truncating the original dialogue should be limited to instances where reading speed and synchronicity to the audio are an issue.
• For TV/movie clips, all audible lines should be transcribed, if possible. If the audio interferes with dialogue, please give precedence to most plot-pertinent content.

II.2. Dual Speakers/Multiple Events

• When identifiers are needed in dialogue, they should follow the hyphen and a space should be added after the hyphen and before the dialogue. For example:

          Subtitle 1:   - [Pierre] Tu viens?

                              - [Alice] J’arrive.

• Hyphens are also used to indicate a speaker and a sound effect if they come from different sources in a dialogue:

          Subtitle 1:   - [Alice soupire]

                              - [Pierre] J’y crois pas!

• If only one identifier is needed, the additional dialogue should follow regular subtitling practices. For example:

          Subtitle 1:   - [Pierre] Tu viens?

                              - J’arrive.

          Subtitle 2:   - [Alice soupire]

                              - J’y crois pas!

• If the sound effect emanates from the speaker themselves, no hyphen is needed. For example:

          Subtitle 1: [soupire] J’en ai ras le bol!

• Use hyphens to distinguish two distinct sound effects emanating from different sources:

          Subtitle 1:   - [verre brisé]

                              - [sirènes au loin]

II.3. Foreign Dialogue

• In instances of foreign dialogue being spoken:
  • If foreign dialogue is translated, use [in *language*], for example [en allemand]
  • If foreign dialogue is not meant to be understood, use [speaking *language*], for example [parle espagnol]
  • Always research the language being spoken – [parle une langue étrangère] should never be used
  • Accents or dialects require the same treatment, for example [avec un accent espagnol], when important to the narrative or characterization

II.4. Reading Speed Limits

• Reading speed limits can be increased to:
  • Adult programs: Up to 20 characters per second
  • Children’s programs: Up to 17 characters per second

II.5. Songs

• If the rights have been granted, all same-language audible songs that do not interfere with dialogue should be titled.
• Prefer describing the genre and the mood of a song rather than identifying its title when it is not clear if the song is widely known or instantly recognizable by the viewer, e.g. [musique pop] instead of [“I Think I Wanna Scream” de Party Juice].
• To specify further the mood that the music creates, you can use [musique + genre + description]. For example, [musique classique douce].
• Song lyrics should be enclosed with a music note (♪) at the beginning and the end of each subtitle. Add a space between the music note and the preceding or subsequent text.
• When a dual speaker subtitle appears in a song, e.g. when there is a duet, each line of sung text should have a music note at the beginning and end to clearly indicate that both characters are singing.
• When both characters sing the same line, there is no need to repeat the text since visual context is enough.
• Use ellipses when a song continues in the background but is no longer subtitled to give precedence to dialogue.
• Do not transcribe lyrics for foreign language songs unless instructed otherwise by Netflix. For example, a bilingual song may be requested to be transcribed if considered plot-pertinent:

          Subtitle 1:   ♪ Entre la nuit, la nuit et l'aurore

                              Entre les royaumes, des vivants et des morts ♪

          Subtitle 2:   ♪ If this is heaven

                              I don't know what it's for ♪

II.6. Speaker IDs / Sound Effects

• Use brackets [ ] to enclose speaker IDs or sound effects.
• Identifiers/sound effects should be all lowercase, except for proper nouns.
• Do not use commas or any kind of extra punctuation in identifiers.
• Speaker IDs and the corresponding dialogue should ideally be on the same line.
• Only use speaker IDs or sound effects when they cannot be visually identified.
• When characters are not yet identified, use [homme], [femme] or [garçon], [fille], [voix masculine], [voix feminine], [médecin], [présentatrice] so as not to provide information that is not yet present in the narrative. Try to find gender-neutral identifiers where appropriate.
• Speaker IDs should include a number if there is more than one unidentified character in a scene, e.g. [femme 1], [femme 2]. Counting should restart with the scene change.
• Never italicize speaker IDs or sound effects, even when the spoken information is italicized, such as in a voice-over. [narrateur] Il était une fois…
• Do not add redundant IDs when a line starts off-screen, but the character is shown before the line ends.
• Add character IDs for characters that are shown at the moment of the utterance, but for any reason, they do not move their mouths, or their mouths cannot be seen. The audience needs to know where the sound comes from.
• In two-person scenes, it is not always necessary to identify the character that is off-screen every time the speaker changes if this can be inferred from the context. Please, use your best judgment in these cases.
• Describe the sounds and audio as opposed to visual elements or actions.
• Sound effects from characters should be written in the present tense (e.g. siffle, pleure) while sound effects from the scene use a noun (e.g. sifflement, pleurs).
• As an exception, the gerund form may also be used in cases where highlighting simultaneity is needed and not evident from visual cues alone.
• When describing hesitations and nervousness, avoid using labels such as [bégaie] et [bégayant] unless the speaker in question has a stutter/stammer. Instead, represent hesitations in the transcription (e.g. J’ai… J’ai dit non!) or using sound labels such as [hésitant], for example.
• Subtitle silence if plot-pertinent. For example, when plot-pertinent music ends abruptly.
• Be detailed and descriptive, use adverbs where appropriate when describing sounds and music: describe voices, speed of speech, volume of sounds, e.g. [une voiture approche] instead of [sons d’une voiture]
• Use a generic ID to indicate and describe ambient music, e.g. [musique rock] or [musique jazz douce à la radio]
• Use objective descriptions that describe genre or mood identifiers for atmospheric non-lyrical music, for example [musique électro menaçante].
• Plot-pertinent sound effects should always be included unless inferred by the visuals.
• Opt for concise, clear sound effect options as much as possible, e.g. instead of [l'enfant imite le gloussement d’une poule], use [l'enfant imite la poule].
• Sound effects that interrupt dialogue should be treated as follows:

          Subtitle 1:   Cependant, ces derniers temps…

                              [tousse, renifle]

          Subtitle 2:   … j'en vois davantage.

• For SDH purposes, italics may be used when a word is clearly emphasized in speech and when proper punctuation cannot convey that emphasis (e.g. C’était le cas.)

Reference

For all language-related issues not covered in this document, please refer to:

• Vitrine Linguistique
• TERMIUM Plus

 

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Change Log

2025-07-07

• First version of the French (Canada) TTSG published

 

 

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