Legal Translation of operate and operation in French: exercer, fonctionner or exploiter?

⚠️ Context-dependent false friends

The words operate and operation are often mistranslated into French, especially in legal, business, and technical contexts.
👉 The verb to operate does not always mean opérer in the medical or military sense; it can also mean exercer an activity, fonctionner, or exploiter.

🏢 In a commercial context: exercer or exploiter

When referring to a company, a bank, or a business entity, to operate generally means exercer une activité or exploiter a structure.

Examples:

• Banks that operate in several member states
  → Des banques qui exercent (ou opèrent) dans plusieurs États membres

• The company operates a chain of retail stores
  → La société exploite une chaîne de magasins

👉 Here, opérer can be acceptable, but exercer or exploiter are often more accurate in French business or legal usage.

⚙️ In technical or administrative contexts: fonctionner

When the subject is a system, institution, or device, to operate usually means fonctionner.

Examples:

• Our institutions operate more efficiently
  → Nos institutions fonctionnent mieux

• The machine no longer operates correctly
  → La machine ne fonctionne plus correctement

• Operating costs
  → Frais de fonctionnement

👉 Translating by opère here would be literal and misleading.

📊 In accounting and business law: exploitation

The noun operation, depending on the context, can also mean exploitation économique or activité opérationnelle.

Examples:

• Business operations
  → Activités d’exploitation / opérations commerciales

• Operating income
  → Résultat d’exploitation

• Operation of the facility
  → Exploitation du site / de l’installation

✅ In summary

📌 TransLex’s Advice

Before translating operate or operation, ask yourself three questions:

1. Is the subject an economic actor, a system, or an accounting activity?

2. Does the subject exercer, fonctionner, or exploiter something?

3. Is there a more precise French equivalent than the generic opérer or opération?

👉 Operate = exercer, fonctionner, exploiter, depending on context.
👉 Operation = activité, fonctionnement, exploitation — but rarely opération.