A complex false friend with multiple meanings across legal fields.
The word charge is a true semantic chameleon. In English, it spans very different notions—criminal, financial, commercial, and everyday. In legal translation, pinning down the precise context is essential.
⚖️ Criminal law: mise en examen, chef d’accusation, accusation
In a criminal or judicial context, charge most often refers to a formal accusation.
Examples:
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to charge someone → mettre quelqu’un en examen
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He was charged with resisting arrest → Il a été mis en examen pour résistance à une arrestation
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the charges against X → les accusations portées contre X
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finding on each charge → conclusion sur chaque chef d’accusation
💰 Finance: frais, facturation
In accounting or banking agreements, charge means a fee or cost.
Examples:
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bank charges → frais bancaires
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to charge a fee → facturer des honoraires
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free of charge → gratuitement
🏦 Security interests: charge réelle / sûreté
In the field of real security interests (e.g., mortgages), charge often denotes a security over property.
👤 Everyday usage: la personne responsable
In a non-technical register, the person in charge simply translates as:
✅ Summary
| Context |
English term |
Recommended French translation |
| Criminal law |
charge |
mise en examen, accusation, chef d’accusation |
| Finance / accounting |
charge |
frais, coût |
| Security interests |
charge on property |
sûreté réelle, charge, droit de tiers |
| Common usage |
person in charge |
personne responsable |
📌 TransLex’s Tip
Before translating charge, ask yourself two key questions:
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What is the legal field of the text (criminal, banking, civil)?
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Should charge be rendered in French as un acte d’accusation, une obligation financière (frais/coût), or une sûreté réelle?
Getting charge right depends on a precise grasp of the technical context.
❓ FAQ: translating "charge" across legal fields into French
Why is "charge" such a tricky false friend?
Because it is a semantic chameleon that shifts meaning by field: criminal, financial, security interests, and everyday usage. Without pinning down the exact context, a mistranslation is easy to make.
How is "charge" rendered in criminal law?
Usually as accusation, chef d'accusation, or mise en examen. "He was charged with resisting arrest" becomes il a été mis en examen pour résistance à une arrestation, and "the charges against X" becomes les accusations portées contre X.
And "the person in charge"?
Here there is no technical sense at all: it is simply la personne responsable. This shows why "charge" must first be placed in its register, plain or specialised, before any equivalent is chosen.
