Letter, complaint notice or request for information
You received a letter from the OQLF: here’s what to do
A letter from the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) almost always sets a deadline. A timely response, backed by documented corrections, is your best protection. Here are the steps to follow, in order.
The first five steps
- Identify the subject and the deadline. The letter says what it is about (registration, a language assessment, or a complaint about a product, sign, website or customer service), which provision is involved, and the date by which the OQLF expects a reply. Put that date in management’s calendar.
- Name one person in charge. That person handles all exchanges with the OQLF contact named in the letter and keeps a copy of everything sent and received.
- Gather the facts. Photos of the packaging or sign in question, screenshots of the pages, the documents concerned and the number of people you employ in Quebec.
- Fix what’s cited, and document the fix. A dated photo of the corrected label, the updated web page, the translated document: the proof matters as much as the correction.
- Reply in writing before the deadline. If the deadline is too tight, write to the OQLF before it passes to present your plan and ask whether another date can be agreed on.
Costly mistakes
- Waiting for a reminder. A letter left unanswered keeps the file open and the problem in place.
- Fixing only the item cited. If the same problem affects other products, pages or locations, another complaint can follow.
- Replying without proof. An unsupported statement doesn’t let the OQLF close the file.
- Rushing a translation without checking the rule. Companies sometimes translate a recognized trademark that could have stayed in English, and miss the generic word that had to be in French.
How we help
- During the free 30-minute call, we read the letter with you and work out what it actually requires.
- The CIBLE assessment gives you a structured written response, a prioritized list of fixes and a schedule with firm dates.
- We deliver the fixes ready to print or publish, along with the proof to attach to your response.
Your company remains the OQLF’s point of contact: we prepare the response and the documents, and you send them. If the letter raises a legal question, we refer you to a lawyer.
Pricing
Every service has a published price. Scope, deliverables, timeline and price are confirmed in writing before we start. Not sure where to begin? That’s what the free 30-minute call is for.
Prices in Canadian dollars, plus applicable taxes. A 50% deposit is due when the project starts and the balance on delivery; certified translations are paid in full when ordered. Translating a full website or a set of documents is quoted at a fixed price after the review. We don’t bill by the hour.
Frequently asked questions
Are we facing a fine right away?
A fine can only be imposed by a court, following penal proceedings. A timely response with documented corrections remains your best protection.
The letter mentions one product. Should we check the others?
We recommend it. The same problem often repeats across a whole product line or several pages, and fixing it everywhere at once costs less than a second complaint.
Can you reply to the OQLF for us?
No. We draft the response and prepare the documents, but your company sends them and remains the OQLF’s point of contact.
Have us read your letter
Tell us what the letter is about and the deadline it sets. We’ll reply with next steps, the right service and its price. Please don’t send the letter through this form; we’ll agree on a secure way to share it first.