On a recent walk, this sign was kindly translated into German and English. The French actually says “Keep your dog on a leash”. As long as English speakers keep their dogs, they’re alright on or off the leash, presumably. In…
Tag: translation
Practical information from a festival
I was a tad shocked to see what practical advice the High Five festival website was giving me: “How to come” seems a bit personal for a ski and snowboard festival in Annecy. It’s truly commendable that the High Five…
No, these sweets aren’t a joke!
Stopping in for lunch on the way back to Haute Savoie a few weeks ago, I spotted these haute gourmandise sweets for sale. The boxed version on the right is the most bizarre packaging I’ve seen so far in France,…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: chocolate, culture, food, French language, marketing, shopping, translation
No, this really is a new French product
Does anyone sound more attractive than a French person talking about something they love? Take food, for example. Dine with a group of French people and you can be entertained for an entire evening just by listening to those smooth…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: culture, food, French language, marketing, shopping, translation
Confusing weather for plants
After more than a month of rainy weather here in the French Alps, we’re having a second spring! The sun has timidly arrived, and the plants are confused. Pictured are some strawberries in my strawberry patch. The plants normally flower…
The French love affair with English words
Did you know that France is the world’s most popular country for tourism? Despite their reputed gruffness, the French population must be doing something right, right? France is a proud nation of people who (sometimes illogically) support regional food and…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: culture, English language, food, French language, marketing, shopping, translation
The importance of French pronunciation
French can be a tricky language when it comes to pronunciation. For mysterious reasons, the basic rule is that the last letter of a word isn’t pronounced. For example, ‘un croissant‘ is pronounced without the ‘t’. However, if it’s made…
When translation goes wrong — again
The January sales have been on in France, and I can only presume that some of the English slogans on the t-shirts were identified as mistakes, and sent to the sales to be sold on the cheap. Pictured are a…
Haggling in your second language
I recently came back from a week in Morocco, where I was able to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the cities. French is the second language in Morocco — a country where the locals are comfortable speaking many different…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: animals, culture, French language, Morocco, shopping, strangers, translation, travel
Does absence make the heart grow fonder of France?
I’m back in St Jean de Sixt now after a month away from France. Visiting Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria and Greece, I planned ahead to fit in as much action and relaxation time as possible. I expected I would look…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: food, Greece, kindness, local, shopping, strangers, translation, travel
