This article presents the partial results of an ethnographic study carried out in a Canadian public service department located in a minority francophone community (Moncton, New Brunswick). It focuses on the role and place of translation in that particular work environment. The study shows that while English and French are both official languages of work within the department (under the Official Languages Act of Canada), the common language of work remains English and it is through translation that the department is able to meet its official languages requirements. It is thus a diglossic work environment where English and French, despite their official status, have neither the same weight nor the same prestige. This raises important questions regarding the use of French as a language of work, translation strategies, power relations between languages and speakers, and finally the effectiveness of the Canadian government’s institutional language policy.