[H. L. Chauvin]

Vince,

Your entire site has always been, & still is a totally admired masterpiece, really, in any language.

The French translation is very good -- Mr. Ron Cloat's articles did not translate.

A few techincal words are different; e.g. the English, word for a valve has several meanings, engine valve, shut-off valve, etc.; however, in French valve is likwise a shut-off valve, but engine valves are les "soupapes"; also head in English has several meanings; however also in French, but in French an engine head is a "culassse".

Without going into too much detail, Canadien French technical words in dictionaries are more Anglicised than that of European French, e.g., battery = "batterie" in Canada, but in France, battery - "acumulateur".

Technical words are difficult for Translator Programs like Google Translator.

The big kicker in French in my opinion was the dashboard. Duryea brothers mounted their gauges & instruments on a horeless carriage "crotte" guard which was a vertical accessory at one's feet to keep horse manure from entering the buggy.

This vertical barrier on buggies was called "la guarde crotte". When automobiles later advanced, fenders were still called "les guardes de boue", mud guards like in Model T manuals; but in French until the 1960's or so, dashboards were still referred to as "les guardes crottes" -- maybe this is one reason why Americans say, "Pardon my French".

Vince, you are a Great American.

All in all, last trips to Europe, (September - October 2012 vs. several times in 1980's), English is understood & spoken far more by the younger generation maybe because of the internet.