Converging towards a French translation of soundscape attributes: Insights from Quebec and France

•We reflect on French translations of soundscape attributes used in Quebec and France.•We stress the difficulties of translating attributes out of context (e.g., uneventful).•We recommend exploring how respondents understand and define soundscape attributes.•Space use, values, meanings, needs, expectations, and conflicts shape responses. Various translations of the eight attributes of the Perceived Affective Quality Scales included in the ISO/TS 12913–3 standard have been used in different languages. We report on differences in French translations observed across studies and geographical contexts. Specifically, we focus on insights gathered over the past 8 and 18 years on French translations used by two research teams in Quebec and France (respectively), as stabilizing particular attributes has proven challenging. These insights are complemented by an inductive analysis of free-format responses about the understanding and strategies used to evaluate the scales by 34 Quebec respondents. Both Quebec and French translation works converge for most of the attributes, both in the terms used and the issues raised. We conclude with recommendations to address the complexity of experiences related to soundscape and to continue exploring attributes, dimensions, and methods that might reinforce or complement the PAQS.