French Legal Translation of Novation: substitution d’obligation, not innovation (contractuelle)

19 March 2025 - False cognates

⚠️ A legal false friend… not to be confused with innovation

The word novation can mislead French speakers: it may sound like innovation or novelty. In law—both civil law and common law—it refers to a precise mechanism: replacing an existing obligation with a new one.

👉 In French legal usage, the accurate notion is substitution d’obligation with extinction de l’obligation initiale (not innovation).

⚖️ In law: extinction by substitution

Novation may involve the object of the obligation, the debtor or creditor, but it always entails the extinction of the original obligation in favor of a new one that fully replaces it.

Examples in use

The original debt was extinguished by novation — i.e., by a substitution d’obligation with extinction de l’obligation initiale.
A novation agreement transferred the obligation to a new debtor (FR: débiteur).
Novation requires the consent of all parties involved (FR: consentement de toutes les parties).

👉 It is neither a technical improvement nor a creative upgrade, but a changement de structure juridique.

🧾 Typical contexts of use

Assignment of receivables or contracts (FR: cession de créances, cession de contrats)
Debt restructuring: substitution of the debtor or modification of terms (FR: restructuration de dette)
Complex transactions: securing new undertakings (FR: engagements)

✅ In summary

Novation = substitution d’obligation with extinction of the previous one
Do not confuse with: innovation, invention, amélioration
Requires: the consentement of all parties and creates a clear legal break with the initial obligation

📌 TransLex guidance

Before translating novation, ask:

Is the previous obligation extinguished or merely amended?
Is a new obligation created in full replacement?
Does the change affect the débiteur, the créancier, or the object of the debt?