The authors, in a richly documented overview of the problem, discuss the various stages and landmarks in the history of the translation of the works of Freud into French. The appearance of the Vocablulary of Psychoanalysis brought about a complete renewal of interest in the reading of Freud, and the question of the translation of the Complete Works arose again, under the direction of Laplanche and Pontalis, along with André Bourguignon and Pierre Cotet. The many problems that have beset the translation are reviewed. The theoretical differences which have caused problems for the translation and the different possibilities for translation are considered in some detail. The authors complete their study with a discussion of the current stage of the project and the final decisions concerning the translation plans and format.