This paper sees problems of translation as being at the very core of psychoanalysis, while the role of the translator is to extend ever further the boundaries at which the translator admits defeat. The French translation of Freud aims to be a 'collective Strachey' in 'Freudian French', based on a fundamental respect for the letter of Freud's texts and for a double continuum of contexts in which his terminology is rooted and takes on a gestatory aspect. Verdrängung, bertragung and Anlehnung serve as contextual examples. The paper concludes with an exposition of general principles and of problems encountered. Among the solutions found are neologisms based on established French roots and word-families. The paper concludes by considering the contribution of translation to an enrichment of the target language (here French), and the limits of translation.