Quickie Spanish and French translation

October 23, 2008 11:16 AM

Spanish and French help please -- quick translation for the following: "Alternatively, please email us at [e-mail]."

I just don't trust Babelfish for this purpose. So, please don't guess at this.

posted by Cool Papa Bell to grab bag (17 comments total)

Spanish:
Tambien puedes mandarnos un mensaje a [e-mail]
posted by jammy at 11:31 AM on October 23, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

French (kind of rough, since my french isn't always the best): Vous pouvez aussi nous envoyez un courier electronique/email à l'address [e-mail]

I think "courier electronique" is used in French canada mainly, although again, a bit rusty, but email would be accepted and understood everywhere.
posted by Planet F at 11:34 AM on October 23, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

oops... make that También
posted by jammy at 11:38 AM on October 23, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Thanks!
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:43 AM on October 23, 2008

Courriel is the official French word for email
posted by fire&wings at 11:44 AM on October 23, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Vous avez aussi la possibilité de nous envoyer un email à [e-mail]
posted by amicamentis at 11:45 AM on October 23, 2008

I would just like to say that amicamentis' answer is much more spelling-correct than mine is.. I have spelling issues in all three of my languages, appologies.
posted by Planet F at 11:50 AM on October 23, 2008

I would use this:

Contactez-nous également par courriel: [e-mail]
posted by ORthey at 12:10 PM on October 23, 2008

In the formal version, jammy's translation renders:

También puede mandarnos un mensaje a [e-mail]
posted by signal at 12:11 PM on October 23, 2008

A cleaner french translation (I am french canadian, work in a bilingual government office, and am often called upon to translate various documents):

"Vous pouvez également nous envoyer un courriel à [e-mail]."

"Courrier électronique" would work but not as widely used as "courriel". Using "email" in a french message would get me flogged because there's a perfectly good french word and no reason not to use it. "Vous avez aussi la possibilité" sounds like "You also have the possibility of...", whereas "Vous pouvez également" is closer to "You may also" and reads better to me.

If you wish to use Planet F's version, here it is corrected for spelling:

"Vous pouvez aussi nous envoyer un courrier électronique à l'address [e-mail]"
posted by splice at 12:23 PM on October 23, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Saying "courrier électronique," is like saying "electronic mail" for email. People would understand, but wonder why you are speaking so strangely.
posted by arcticwoman at 12:38 PM on October 23, 2008

If you're writing this on an ad directed at people under the age of 30, I'd stick with "email". If it's for any official purpose, or directed at people above the age of 30, I'd go with "courriel".
posted by boeing82 at 1:24 PM on October 23, 2008

Courriel may be the official translation - but in my decade of localization experience into French (for France) it is not commonly used. I am responsible for the French version of a very popular CRM software product - and we use "envoyer un e-mail à [e-mail]".
posted by Wolfie at 1:34 PM on October 23, 2008

My friends and I use email amongst each other occasionally, but if you're being more formal, which it sounds like you are, use courriel. Apparently this is a Canadian thing though so YMMV.

Seconding arcticwoman though -- using courrier électronique would be very, very strange.
posted by aclevername at 1:37 PM on October 23, 2008

Courrier électronique is ok, at least here, in France, e-mail or courriel are also fine. You have to correct this here though :
"Vous pouvez aussi nous envoyer un courrier électronique à l'adresse [e-mail]"
posted by nicolin at 2:25 AM on October 24, 2008

Yes nicolin, I somehow put the english version of address. My bad, thanks for catching that.
posted by splice at 2:24 PM on October 24, 2008

As with "courrier électronique", "correo electrónico" is the "official", i.e. Academy-approved, Spanish for "email". You might want to bear that in mind if you need a more formal register.
posted by Holly at 4:14 AM on October 27, 2008