French Translation of a Data Retention Schedule for GDPR Compliance

We were recently commissioned to translate from English into French a data retention schedule, an essential tool for ensuring a French company’s compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

A Central Document Governance Tool

The schedule aimed to:

• inventory all collected documents (data collection),

• specify whether they were originals or copies,

• indicate their storage medium (paper or digital),

• and above all, determine:

  • the legal retention period,

  • its starting point,

  • and the legal basis (e.g., contract, statutory obligation, legitimate interest, etc.).

Some retention periods were set by law, while others were calculated by applying a precautionary rule in regard to statutes of limitation.

A Living Document, Adapted by Department or Activity

The schedule was structured by department or business area, and specified in particular:

• the date of request for client files,

• the end of the event concerned for claims or incidents,

• or the termination/expiration of the contract as the starting point.

📌 Key Contextual Translations

• legal retention period → durée de conservation légale

• starting point → point de départ

• precautionary rule in regard to statutes of limitation → principe de précaution au regard des règles sur la prescription

• data collection → collecte des données

• date of request → date de la demande

• end of the event concerned → fin de l’événement en question

• term/termination of the contract → résiliation ou expiration du contrat