France bans English gaming tech jargon in push to preserve language purity

French officials overhauled rules on English video game jargon as they strive to preserve language purity

French officials on Monday continued their centuries-long battle to preserve the purity of the language, overhauling the rules on using English video game jargon.

While some expressions find obvious translations – “pro-gamer” becomes “joueur professionnel” – others seem a more strained, as “streamer” is transformed into “joueur-animateur en direct”.

The culture ministry, which is involved in the process, 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.

Centuries-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”) along with straightforward imports such as “big data” and “drive-in”.

However, Monday’s changes were issued in the official journal, making them binding on government workers.

Among several terms to be given official French alternatives were “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 overall idea, said the ministry, was to allow the population to communicate more easily.