342 Messages
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6.9K Points
Suggestion to update the global policy for French-language titles
I’ve been a contributor for many years and I’d like to bring up a point regarding the site-wide capitalization policy for French-language titles.
Currently, IMDb’s capitalization of French titles is often inconsistent, frequently leaning toward English-style title casing or strict sentence casing, both of which can run counter to official orthographic standards used in the French-speaking world.
According to standard French typography (such as the Code typographique used in France, Belgium, and Switzerland), capitalization rules depend heavily on how the title opens:
- Titles starting with a definite article (Le, La, L', Les): The article is capitalized, and it "pulls" a capital letter onto the first noun (and any preceding adjective).
- Correct: La Grande Illusion, Les Quatre Cents Coups
- Titles starting with anything else (adjectives, nouns, indefinite articles): Only the very first word should be capitalized, while the rest of the title remains in lowercase.
- Correct: Belle de jour, Un carnet de bal
- Regional exceptions (Quebec/Canada): The Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) generally recommends a simplified sentence-case approach for all titles (e.g., La grande illusion), which is an important regional distinction to consider for Canadian French titles.
Additionally, French typography requires a non-breaking space before specific punctuation marks like colons, semicolons, question marks, and exclamation points (e.g., Trois Couleurs : Bleu).
I suggest that the formatting policy be refined to respect these native grammar rules and regional standards across the board for French-language content. It would significantly improve the linguistic accuracy and professional standing of the database.
I’d love to hear the staff’s and other contributors' thoughts on adjusting and clarifying this policy.
gromit82
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8K Messages
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282.3K Points
6 months ago
plur: "Belle de Jour" doesn't appear to be covered by the rule described; rather, if the word "Jour" is to be capitalized, it would be because "Belle de Jour" is the main character's nickname/pseudonym.
(edited)
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Peter_pbn
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16.6K Messages
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353.5K Points
6 months ago
I don't think you're right about Quebec:
https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/21497/la-typographie/majuscules/emploi-de-la-majuscule-pour-des-types-de-denominations/majuscule-aux-titres-doeuvres-et-douvrages
There are traditional French rules, but they are a bit complicated, and I'm not sure they are as fundamental or as broadly used as you suggest.
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plur62
342 Messages
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6.9K Points
11 days ago
@gromit82 and @Peter_pbn,
Thank you both for the excellent feedback.
@gromit82: You are completely right about Belle de jour, and I appreciate you pointing that out. Since it starts with an adjective without a preceding definite article, only the first word should be capitalized (Belle de jour). After doing some deeper research into these nuances, I realized my initial examples were flawed, and I have updated the main post to reflect this.
@peter_pbn: Thank you for that OQLF link. It actually perfectly highlights the complexity. While Quebec’s Vitrine linguistique notes that the simplified system (capitalizing only the first word, e.g., La grande illusion) is widely used and preferred there for simplicity, it still explicitly recognizes the traditional French system as valid.
The core issue is that neither of the official French standards (the traditional Code typographique or the simplified Canadian system) aligns with what IMDb’s automated system frequently forces upon French titles—which is either a blunt English-style Title Case or inconsistent flattening.
To clear things up, the updated proposal now suggests a policy that respects the two most widely accepted authentic standards:
My main goal is to stop IMDb from applying a one-size-fits-all approach that ignores French linguistic logic entirely (including proper spacing before colons and question marks). If the database can successfully respect German noun capitalization, it should be able to accommodate these standardized French typographic rules to maintain its professional integrity.
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