The words "la veuve" in the title have been translated literally in many languages, such as "the widow" in English, but it is actually a nickname in French for the guillotine. It may have been a play on words in the original language, but it is totally lost in translation. The widow in the film exists only at the very end.
When Neel is told he's strong enough to "ramer jusqu'au chez les Anglais", the English subtitles say "row over to Canada" rather than "row over to the English". This introduces an error: both the geography and the dialogue in other scenes make it clear that Newfoundland is meant, but Newfoundland wasn't part of Canada until 1949.