Translation from one language into another one has to respect both languages: it cannot be the mere transliteration of the first into the second one. And the translator has to remember that, maybe, he belongs to a different time, with different ideas and different words. This paper takes for example the translation into French of the economic vocabulary of David Hume, at a time when a new economic system was emerging which made the vocabulary instable. The translation of the words: trade (négoce/commerce), stock (fonds/capital), commodities (commodités/ marchandises) is discussed.
Keywords: Hume, Trade, Stock, Commodities.