Nowadays, in France, speaking fluent English has become an essential condition for job seekers to get a management position. If you can speak a second foreign language, especially German or Spanish, it will be a plus.
But the reality is a bit "cruel". Statistics from job-hunting websites show that only one in six French people can speak two foreign languages fluently, and 40% employees admit that they can’t use foreign languages in their professional environment. This has caused the French to lose many employment opportunities, and 35% of the respondents admitted that they gave up at least one job search opportunity because of their low foreign language level.
The French, who have always boasted that "their own language is the most elegant", are now forced into a dilemma in the job market because of this pride.
Caption: Not knowing a foreign language prevents job seekers from finding a job in the job center. Figure GJ
People’s French complex stems from historical superiority.
How proud are the French? More than ten years ago, if someone asked for directions in English on the streets of France, the French probably wouldn’t talk to you. They would rather you spoke French.
In April 2011, a small-scale strike took place in a small town with a population of about 4,000 in France, and 185 ceramic workers took to the streets to protest against the new director sent by the company’s British headquarters. What is special about this strike is that the ceramic workers are not protesting about salary, working hours or welfare, but the management refuses to communicate with employees in French in the workplace.
The ceramic worker said that the new supervisor could not speak a word of French except "Bonjour", which forced the employees to have all the English documents translated into French, and then translated the feedback from the employees into English, resulting in very inefficient communication between superiors and subordinates. As a last resort, these ceramic workers "rose up".
In France, multinational companies use French as the official language of the company, not only to take care of the "patriotism" of local employees, but also to meet real legal requirements. According to the French Labor Law, employers can only communicate with employees in French, and enterprises will be severely punished if any documents related to labor and employment relations are used in languages other than French. "French people don’t speak foreign languages, and a large part of the reason may come from the sense of superiority in history." Kavian Royal said. Royal, who has a nice Chinese name "Jiayin", is now the editor-in-chief of a magazine. He has worked in China for 6 years and in Singapore for 1 year, as an event planner and organized large-scale music festivals.
For example, Royal said that the French have a "tacit understanding", that is, the French do not speak English to each other. "Historically, English speakers were all’ hillbillies’." Royal said that English was originally only the dialect of a village in Britain, and all the upper classes in Britain spoke French in history. "The French always believe that French is the noblest language."
Royale said: historically, French, the "language of Moliere", had a glorious history. From the 13th century to the beginning of the last century, it even became an international language, which made countless French people proud. After World War I, English gradually replaced French as the first communication language in the world, which made most French people have the feelings of defending their national language status. This feeling can be understood from the French point of view, but it shows that they have more or less resistance to English from the heart.
"Of course, this’ tradition’ has changed." Royal said that young people in France like English now, but it has to be admitted that historical factors have not only influenced the French foreign language education system, but also penetrated into the daily culture of France, and become an obstacle for French people to learn foreign languages.
Caption: French children also began to learn from primary school English map GJ.
Generally neglected to learn a foreign language, the English usage rate is low.
For a long time, English was not taken seriously in the French school teaching system. In the past, many French public schools didn’t teach English until middle school. It was not until 2014 that the French government stipulated that all schools must offer English courses from primary school. According to statistics, only 14% of 15-year-old French teenagers have good English ability, while in Sweden, one of the best European countries in English, the proportion is as high as 82%. Research shows that it is easier to learn a foreign language before the age of 12, and French children are obviously behind the starting line.
In 2015, an English test question in the "College Entrance Examination" in France aroused the continuous concern of French public opinion. This test is excerpted from the English novelist ian mcewan’s Atonement, because the questioner used the phrase "cope with", which was considered by many examinees to be "uncommon", which made the test "too difficult", so he petitioned the French Ministry of Education to cancel the scoring of this test. After the petition was issued, it was signed by tens of thousands of candidates.
The way of foreign language teaching is also an important reason. Most French school teachers explain English grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, culture, history and other knowledge in French, and there is almost no pure English teaching. Teachers rely on French to speak a foreign language, while students rely on French to learn a foreign language, which makes it difficult for French students to really integrate into the foreign language context.
In addition, the usage rate of English in French society is not as good as that in other non-English speaking countries. The most obvious example is that almost all imported movies and TV plays on French TV are dubbed in French, and even English in news reports or other programs will be covered by French dubbing.
Young people are happy to speak English and welcome more development opportunities.
Nowadays, more and more French people realize the necessity of speaking English and learning a foreign language. Mr. Yuan, a Chinese who works in La Dé fense Center, the largest central business district in Paris, said that it is standard for corporate management here to speak English, and many people can speak a third foreign language. Mr. Yuan believes that in France, the higher the general education, the higher the foreign language level.
In recent years, French people’s enthusiasm for learning foreign languages has increased, especially young people’s willingness to speak English. In the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor Program (ITER) in the south of France, technicians from many countries are gathered, and electrical engineer Zhang Yi is one of them. She said that English is the working language of this international organization. Since ITER is headquartered in France, there are relatively many French employees, and their English is good. Some people who didn’t speak fluently at first have consciously caught up with their studies.
More and more French people speak English, which also brings more opportunities for this proud country. Alexis Rognon, who used to work in China, said that in recent years, more and more French universities, business schools or engineering colleges teach directly in English, which not only meets the needs of international market and international communication, but also attracts more outstanding talents. In the past, many foreign students were reluctant to go to France to study because of language barriers. Nowadays, teaching in English has opened up more students for famous French schools. The contact and communication between students from different countries has also promoted more and more people to speak English. Now young people will take the initiative to communicate with each other in English when they see foreigners. Even if the other party explains that they know French, they will still speak English. "The younger generation is completely different from the older generation." Rogoff sighed.
In the past, Japanese companies that invested and built factories in Europe would not choose France. "The Japanese have no qualms about saying that they can’t speak French, while the French refuse to speak English. A language barrier will bring a lot of trouble to management." Rognon, who once worked in a number of multinational companies, said that at that time, the French could only watch Japanese companies settle in neighboring countries. Now the French have to admit that it is impossible not to learn a foreign language. Rognon said that his parents were proud that they could not speak English, but now young people are beginning to speak English as a fashion.
Of course, in addition to English and German, which is a "plus item" for job hunting in Europe, there are many more French people learning Chinese. Although there are not many jobs that need Chinese, many French primary and secondary schools now offer Chinese courses, and most French people know their zodiac signs. Faced with China, the second largest economy in the world, a vast market and employment opportunities, the French people are really enthusiastic about learning Chinese. Kong Fan Yu Nong
Reporting/feedback
