Abstract Previous studies of translations from the Philosophical Transactions to the Journal des Sçavans in 1665 and 1675 showed that the translators adopted a strategy of selective translation. The present study looks at five examples published in 1686. Selective translation is again in evidence. Analyses of thematic structure and process types, however, show only slight differences, but with biases towards constant progression and material processes in the French versions. It is suggested that this can be explained by the translator adapting his texts to his readership. Whereas the Philosophical Transactions was restricted to questions of science and technology, the Journal des Sçavans dealt with all the academic disciplines of the time, and thus had a wider readership than its English counterpart.