Software and development in French

The verb in the middle of this list is the one an English reader will misread while feeling entirely certain. Valider looks like « to validate » and does the opposite job. In English, « to validate » is to check that something is well formed and acceptable — « validate the input », « validate the schema » — so the work happens before anything is accepted. Valider in French is the act of saying yes: it confirms, it submits, it records. Valider une modification is to commit it; valider le formulaire is to send the form off; valider son billet is to stamp a ticket in the machine on the platform; valider son panier is to go through with the order. It is the word written on the last button, and once it has been pressed the thing has happened. So a colleague who writes j’ai validé is not reporting that the change passed a check — they are telling you the change is in. For the checking sense English says « to check » or « to verify »; for valider it says « to confirm », « to submit », or here « to commit ».