Bilingual by design: why French and English matter in my work

In English, a "quick call" lasts fifteen minutes. In French, a "petite réunion rapide" can last an hour and a quarter. I've learned to block my calendar accordingly.

I live and work in Côte d'Ivoire, a French-speaking country surrounded by English-speaking neighbours. I've worked in Accra, I collaborate with a European agency, and some of my clients speak to the diaspora. Being bilingual isn't a line on my CV; it's a tool I use every day.

Translating isn't adapting

A pun that works in French often falls flat in English. The French "vous" sets a distance that the English "you" doesn't carry. A playful headline in Abidjan can feel odd in London. When I design a bilingual campaign, I don't translate the copy at the end: I think about both versions from the start.

Design is bilingual too

• Text length. French often runs noticeably longer than English. A layout that breathes in English can feel cramped in French. I always leave room for the longer version.
• Punctuation. « » versus " ", a space before the colon in French but not in English. Small details, but attentive readers notice them.
• Formats. Dates, times, currencies, thousand separators: 1 000 FCFA on one side, 1,000 on the other. Get it wrong and your ad looks careless.

What it opens up

Speaking both languages means access to more markets, more clients and more resources. Most design tutorials, tools and talks are in English. Being able to talk directly with a team in Paris in the morning and a partner in Accra in the afternoon, without a go-between, saves everyone time.

It's also a matter of respect. When a brand speaks to people in their language, with their codes, it shows it has made the effort to understand them. People can tell.

To get better

Learn through things you enjoy: podcasts, series, design newsletters. Write your LinkedIn posts in both languages. Keep a small glossary of industry terms (brief, guidelines, template, deliverables). And accept that you'll make mistakes: it's the price of entry, and no one will hold it against you as much as you do.