A member of the popular discussion forum frenchentree.com recently raised a question about the wording in a sales mandate (required when you ask an estate agency to market your property for sale) they were being asked to sign.
This was a standard FNAIM document, correctly translated into English but still unintelligible!
In replying to the member - and advising anyone reading this blog - I would always recommend clarifying the wording of any French sales document, either with the agent concerned or the Notaire, before signing. Legal documents, even when translated into English, are not easy to understand even in your native tongue.
Although I have software that can translate the various estate agency documents into English and several European languages, I always advise an advisory session with the agent or Notaire to go through each document and explain its implications. Legal-speak is not easy to understand unless you are qualified in law, and French law is very different from other national systems.
This was a standard FNAIM document, correctly translated into English but still unintelligible!
In replying to the member - and advising anyone reading this blog - I would always recommend clarifying the wording of any French sales document, either with the agent concerned or the Notaire, before signing. Legal documents, even when translated into English, are not easy to understand even in your native tongue.
Although I have software that can translate the various estate agency documents into English and several European languages, I always advise an advisory session with the agent or Notaire to go through each document and explain its implications. Legal-speak is not easy to understand unless you are qualified in law, and French law is very different from other national systems.