 Why should you learn French Abroad?
Added: 08/18/2005 |
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Have you ever been thinking of learning a foreign language? Does an opportunity to master a foreign tongue while studying abroad sound tempting? It has been proven that cultural immersion is the fastest and most effective way to learn languages. You not only pick up the "lingo" quickly if you live where you must speak a foreign tongue, but you also have an opportunity of gaining knowledge about the culture of the country and creating connections with native speakers that have similar viewpoints and interests. Learning a language might seem a challenge when studying on your own or in a classroom. However, going overseas to plunge into a new culture and different life style will boost your ability to understand foreign grammar structures and extend your vocabulary, while making the experience fun, memorable and exciting. Where can you meet French speaking people? They are on all continents around the world. French is the native language of about 200 million people and is the second language of millions more. It is spoken in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg. It is an official language of Canada and spoken in the Caribbean. Being able to speak French is an asset for anyone interested in working for international organizations, such as the Peace Corps. French is a language of business. Today, American companies have over 2,000 subsidiaries in France, and French companies have over 600 subsidiaries in the United States. Major corporations with headquarters or subsidiaries in the United States and France include Du Pont, Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, Apple Computer, Michelin, Renault, Bic and many more. French is a language of science. Although great many of scientific conferences held in Paris respect English language, should you want to have a private talk with a local Prof., you'd better be a 'parler Francais' student or peer to properly understand the research subtleties lost behind the formal oral or poster reports. French fashion designers, artists, writers, musicians, chefs and film makers have had a wide influence in the United States and the rest of the world. French is the language of the culture history. Impressionist painters like Monet and novelists like Flaubert and Camus have had a great impact on the world culture. Would you like to be able to maintain a conversation about ancient or contemporary French art with experts in their own tongue? French is the language of influential, religious, and intellectual movements. Jean Calvin helped define Protestantism; Enlightment writers like Voltaire championed human rights; Simone de Beauvoir was a prominent feminist, and Michel Foucault was a founder of postmodernism. French is a language of tourism. Paris is the third most visited international city by Americans. France is the second most visited country in the world, and Quebec offers a taste of Europe in North America. And if you are into gourmet food and fine wines you will need French to read menus and communicate with waiters, chefs and sommeliers, as French is the international language of gourmands and wine connaisseurs. So, what are you waiting for? Enter the cultural mainstream to be a part of the foreign culture with all its glory expressed in a 'beau langage' like French.
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