Government officials should replace terms like “esports” and “streaming” with French versions, reports The Guardian.
While some expressions find obvious translations – pro-gamer becomes “gaming professional”, others seem more forced, for example, “streamer” transforms into joueur-animateur en direct “amateur player on the air”.
The Académie française warned in February of a “degradation that is not inevitable.” The report mentioned train operator SNCF’s “Ouigo” (pronounced “we go”) brand as well as direct borrowings such as big data and drive-in.
Ouigo train
Among the terms to be replaced by French counterparts are “cloud gaming” (cloud gaming), which will become “jeu video en nuage”, and “eSports” (from now on – “jeu video de Competition”).
“Aside from fashion and sports, the internet and digital are, unsurprisingly, the most heavily anglicised,” the Academy said, calling the technical terms “Californian.” So, for example, there are at least five possible translations into French of the word follower, which is used by the French every day.