How to communicate via email when you don't speak French

I assume that they may prefer to communicate by phone. Have you tried calling instead? I have read many posts that this is the preferred method. I don't think the wait times of responses are unusual. Also, is there any way you can book through an online reservation portal without human intervention? If not, then I would use the translator and write in French instead of a combo of English and French. When I went to Argentina, I wrote my emails and queries in Spanish.

Agnes, I usually stay in smaller/family owned places. Most do have online booking. Even then, I had a few that were slower to respond. At this point, I do have all my inns booked. I don't really have the ability to call internationally with my cell plan. Also, since I don't speak French I think it'd be even harder over the phone.

In that case, I would say just be patient. Do you absolutely need a response right away? Or can you just wing it if you don't get one?

Have you tried using Google Translate? It is not perfect but not as bad as many people say it is. You could write the email in English and run it through Google Translate and the paste both the French and English versions in your email. I have done that with the French first in the emails and in some instances gotten replies back in French and others in English. There is also an online service that I use when I cannot manage a document that is in French (onehourtranslation.com) that charges ~9 cents per word for regular translation. You could write up a master email in English and get it translated and then use that with tweaks for each email. Good luck.

I have used Google Translate all over the world with great success!

Honestly, I'm trying to figure out, why I've continued to communicate that way! I think I was naive when I first started international travel and then it never occurred to me to do it differently.

I just don't want to be like the pair on Amazing Race. They were somewhere in Asia and were so frustrated and exclaimed, "Oh my God, doesn't anyone here speak English?" Umm, maybe because English is your language not theirs. . .

I'm going to start including a google translation in my emails.

I have had tremendous success with Google translate. We are travelling to France in September 2021 as well. As we are travelling via bicycle, even though I have used the online booking forms on the hotel websites, I need to confirm directly with each hotel that they have secure overnight storage for our bicycles. I sent a separate email, in French, that I created in Google Translate. While I'm sure the translation is a bit clunky, it's worked every time and we have had immediate responses back confirming our request from all 22 hotels on our route. I suggest you try to contact the museums and wineries again, in French, to see if that helps. The other thing I would consider is that they aren't responding because their re-opening plans are still in flux as France is still early in the re-opening process.

To check the clunkiness of any translation - first, translate from English (say into French), then translate the French back into English then you can identify any issues and tweak accordingly.

Pour vérifier la maladresse de toute traduction - d'abord, traduisez de l'anglais (disons vers le français), puis traduisez le français en anglais, puis vous pouvez identifier les problèmes et ajuster en conséquence.

DeepL (https://www.deepl.com/en/translator) is a lot more accurate than Google. I have been complimented on how good my French has suddenly become when using it, and I know professional translators who use it to back translate their work (manually translate from one language to another, then put the translation into DeepL to retranslate to the original language as a check).

I always write my emails to French people in French, and then put " En Anglais" and the original english text. Sign off "Cordialement" and your name - capitalising the whole of your last name.

Something else to check is that your ISP isn't treating all emails from France as spam - as a professional dealing with clients in the US I can tell you it happens - less than it used to, but it still happens. Most frustrating.

The French have not yet accepted and adopted to email to the degree that other places have. Be patient and send a follow-on inquiry if you do not receive an answer to your first attempt.

It is unlikely that the individuals to whom you are writing require your correspondence be in French. Simply use basic, succinct sentences in English.

You can start a message with Bonjour if you like, but Hello is sufficient. Merci is never used as part of the signature. It would be fine if you are writing only in English but in French use cordialement before signing your name.

As others have testified I've had good results with Google Translate. Alternatively you could type with the caps lock on, the written equivalent of shouting 😁

Google Translate used to be bad, it is very good now.

Google translate! It's been a lifesaver. I always do as suggested by ramblin' on "To check the clunkiness of any translation - first, translate from English (say into French), then translate the French back into English then you can identify any issues and tweak accordingly." But I appreciate the post by Simon and I will try DeepL.

I was a little apprehensive about this topic when I posted to the extent that I almost deleted. No one wants to feel foolish. There is a whole lot of great information here! Thanks everyone! I'm assuming the French word means, "Cordially". So is the practice to say "cordialmente" for Spanish?

JC, you are funny on many levels because you know if someone doesn't understand you in English, just say it the same way but talk louder!

I agree with the Google translate recommendation. It's not bad. Back in the dark ages, pre-internet, I phoned a hotel in Rome to make a reservation. I'd read in some tour guide to ask for a room on the top floor because there was a terrace between those rooms. I tried speaking Italian, but later realized instead of requesting, "top floor" I was saying "high ceiling, please" But in the end, we had our top floor room.

Many smaller businesses seem to be a bit slow about responding via email. If a reply does not come within a week, pick up the phone and call. Most places will be well prepared for a conversation in English.
WRT email, I send an English mail. We are not the only nationality able to use Google translate. If they cannot read your mail, they can certainly do as good a job translating as you can. That said, the odds of there being no one who can read an English Email are virtually nil. More likely they can read and have difficulty speaking. I recall an ABB near Rheims where our (wonderful) hosts could not speak more than a few words of English, roughly equivalent to our French. We mimed, signed and wrote notes. It was a bit of a hoot and went along super well with the feel of living in a quaint French countryside cottage.
Fear not, you will find a way.