This French Life

Near 6% fall in numbers taking GCSE French

LAST week saw A level results published, and a three per cent fall in the number of sixth formers studying French, this week it's the turn of CGSE students to turn their backs on modern languages.

This year's results show that 11,000 fewer students took French GCSE this year, a drop of 5.9 per cent on 12 months ago, according to figures published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ).

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "Yet again, of real concern is the decline in the study of modern foreign languages, particularly French and German.

UK school children turn backs on French language

JUST how important do the British believe studying the French language really is? Not much if a recent survey and a study of A level results is to be believed.

In a survey by YouGov parents in the UK were asked how important different subjects were, with as you'd expect maths and English language topping the charts.

So how does Google Translate work?

I HAVE often featured online tools that make use of Google Translate to help with French language problems, but now I know how it works.

Google has created a snappy little video that explains the technology behind the service and how it learns from texts that have already been translated by human translators.

Any other TV shows in France with English subtitles?

THERE is no doubt that having English subtitles on television programmes really helps you get up to speed with the French language.

Unfortunately few go down this route so you end up with programmes horribly dubbed and quickly losing any of the subtleties or impact of the original.

However, yesterday I discovered one programme that is subtitled and which appears on the unscrambled Canal+ channel - The Daily Show.

Tune in to Antenna for French radio

I HAVE always found listening to the radio a useful way to pick-up the language, but being in the countryside means reception can be a little hit-or-miss.

The Lifehacker website recently highlighted Antenna which is an online streaming radio service for stations around the world.

There is a large collection of stations from across France, all displayed in a very smart and clean style, with the chance to rate stations as favourites and keep track of recent picks.

Ten words for French language week

LA Semaine de la Langue Française is an annual event and this year runs from March 20 to 27.

The week is seen as a way to promote the French language, with local associations such as libraries and schools organising special events to emphasise the importance of languages.

A key part of the festival is the announcement of ten words that, this year, relate to the environment, science, imagination and culture; baladeur, cheval de Troie, crescendo, escagasser, galère, mentor, mobile, remue-méninges, variante and zapper.

The Semaine de la Langue Française website provides background information on each word, but also lets you search for events close to home.

Pensioners offer English classes to French students

WITH poor savings interest, a struggling pound and an increasing cost in the price of essentials, older couples are opening their doors to help French people with their English.

That's what the Expatica website is reporting as couples help French students with their studies with brief immersion classes, offering language help and advice.

The article says the courses in western France are the brainchild of Christine Predery, who set up a not-for-profit organisation called Bringing People Together to help French anglophiles get in touch with English families.

French language boost from TV5 Monde

ONE simple way of boosting your French language skills is to watch the news at least once a day.

I've found it to be a great way to pick up phrases and vocabulary that will help you in day to day life, but TV5 Monde take things on a step or two.

A section of their website offers short news clips from the past seven days and varying degrees of challenging questions, from a beginner level, to an intermediate stage and an advanced level for real linguists.

You can watch the individual news reports, read transcripts and have a go at a number of different types of questions such as simple multiple choice to grammar challenges.

French language letter templates for common problems

IF you need to end an internet contract or maybe write a letter of complaint about a service, then more than 100 letter templates are available on the Institut national de la consommation website.

The letters will help you resolve disputes and are grouped by topics such as insurance, banking, internet and money, they are free to download and the majority are available in Word format.

Each letter provides an explanation of how it can be used, then you need to update name and date fields and it is usually wise to send correspondence by registered post, or lettre recommandée.

New Google translation tool for your website

A HANDY piece of code has been made available by Google that offers you the opportunity to offer website visitors a translation of the page they are on into the language of their choice.

Many holiday home and business websites provide translation buttons, but in this case the Google code detects foreign language visitors and offers to translate the page automatically into user's preferred language.

As many people know Google Translate enables you to get the meaning of a foreign language page, it's not something that should be relied upon for important decisions.

But considering it is just a case of copy and pasting the code into your website it really is a simple option to open up your website to foreign speaking visitors.

French language crossword challenge

TAKE five minutes out of your day for a quick crossword challenge that will help boost your French vocabulary on travel and airlines.

Beverley Dinerstein has created another crossword for you to enjoy with the clues offered up in English, and the answers in French.

You can download a two page .pdf file offering up the quiz itself on page one, and the answers on page two.

Plus if you have a little more time on your hands then explore many more online French language crosswords created by Beverley.

Larousse launches online dictionary

PUBLISHER of the famous encyclopaedia, Larousse, has launched a free online dictionary that offers French language help, but also translation in a number of other languages.

English and French is available, as well as Spanish, German and Italian with results quick to be returned, and grammar points featured as well.

A particularly useful element is the opportunity to hear the pronunciation of words, just click on the small, blue speaker graphic to listen.

Academie-en-Ligne offers education help

AN interesting website has been created by the French education department that aims to help school children over the summer holiday period.

Academie-en-Ligne provides .pdf guides, audiovisual tools and links to other resources that will prove helpful to students, but may also help improve your own French language skills.

The French section provides worksheets for different school years which you can print off, and there are a number of other subjects that you might want to cast an eye over.

Over the coming months it is planned that more worksheets and information will be made available for all ages of school children.

Translate email messages in GMail

A HANDY little feature has been launched within Google Mail labs that allows you to translate messages into English and a number of other languages.

Listen and learn to improve your French

HERE is another handy online French language guide that will help improve your vocabulary and polish up your grammar.

French Spanish Online offers free language help in both languages, with the French page organised by categories such as greetings, in the home or computer vocabulary.

And a smart addition is that Pascal d'Hervé, the creator of the site, has voiced the pronunciation of words and phrases so that you can listen to them as you read along.

Online French verb conjugation

HERE is a handy website that will help you conjugate verbs, write out numbers in French, understand basic grammar rules and maybe answer with some of those language puzzles you face.

Le Conjugueur website is produced in partnership with Le Figaro and was mentioned on the La Vie en France Yahoo! group.

The main part of the site lets you get up to speed on your verbs, but there are handy tools offering tips on the full spelling of numbers and the chance to check the spelling of French words.

There is also a verb conjugation software package that you can trial for 30 days that offers detailed results.

French language audio and podcasts

IF you enjoy improving your French language skills by listening online to courses offering advice and tips check out this list of audio services from Open Culture (via Lifehacker).

It provides links to sites offering help in a variety of languages, you have a pick of 11 sites providing courses in French.

Each site has a brief description, but also a link to its presence on iTunes, its RSS feed and a link to the site itself.

And here are plenty more online French language resources for you to explore.

Ten words for French language week

LA Semaine de la Langue Française is an annual event and this year runs from March 16 to 23.

The week is seen as a way to promote the French language, with local associations such as libraries and schools organising special events to emphasise the importance of languages.

A key part of the festival is the announcement of ten words that, this year, relate to the environment, science, imagination and culture; ailleurs, capteur, clair de Terre, clic, compatible, désirer, génome, pérenne, transformer and vision.

The Semaine de la Langue Française website provides background information on each word, but also lets you search for events close to home.

CinéMoi, films from France on Sky

A NEW channel was recently launched on Sky satellite television that offers up some of the best films from the French movie scene.

CinéMoi is a paid for service, but is currently available for free on channel 839 until early April.

The channel promises new films from France, as well as classic seasons featuring the work, amongst others, of Truffaut, Romy Schneider and Jean-Paul Belmondo.

All the films will feature English subtitles.

One minute trip to learn French language

I KNOW we are all busy, busy, busy but surely you can find one minute to learn a bit of basic French?

Well that's what the people behind One Minute Languages hope anyway, which offers up a number of quick 60 second lessons in a variety of languages, including French.

They are aimed at the complete beginner but are very easy to use letting you listen to the lesson straight away from the web page, and new 60 second lessons will be added each week.

Once you are gaining confidence with the basics, why not try your hand at Catalan? Or as The Radio Lingua Network, which produces the series, also offers Coffee Break French, which is a paid for service where you can listen to the recordings for free, before paying for additional resources should you want to.

And don't forget This French Life has a collection of websites and other tools you can explore to help you learn French online.

Online language learning sites to explore

HERE are a few new language stops that may prove helpful in expanding your knowledge of French, as well as help boost your vocabulary.

First stop is, The English Blog, which is written by Jeffrey Hill who is a teacher in the English department at the Normandy Business School in Le Havre.

Jeffrey has taken the time to compare a number of online translation tools, highlighting the pros and cons, and there are that many he's written a second part.

Minister calls for foreigners to learn La Marseillaise

YOU might have to brush up on your singing voice if you want to live in France should the minister for immigration and national identity get his way.

The Telegraph reports that Brice Hortefeux wants foreigners to be taught the history and understand the values of the République, notably La Marseillaise.

The reasoning behind the move appears to be the government's anger at supporters booing the national anthem during a recent football match between France and Tunisia, at the time they went as far as threatening to empty the stadium if a similar reaction occurs.

But the government may have it's work cut out as Charles Bremner, of The Times, reports that younger minorities in France have gained strength from US president-elect Barack Obama and are keen to reclaim their Arab and African backgrounds.

Pick up French news from the kids

I HAVE always thought that one of the best ways to learn French is to follow news stories as you can gain a quick understanding either from the images or by reading full sentences.

The correct use of grammar is also usually high up on the agenda, and so you would expect the same from les Clés de l'Actualité Junior, which provides news stories for children.

The site offers quick and simple updates from France and overseas on what's happening, written in easy to understand French that will also help you pick up some new vocabulary.

False friends, not people but words

HOW many times have you gone completely blank when searching for a word in French?

There are many words that can trip up someone learning French as they look or sound like English words and there is also the temptation; if in doubt say it with a French accent.

I have friends who have committed howlers when it comes to getting things wrong and I will admit I too have made errors, so I now keep a little book featuring some of the words that are known as 'faux amis'.

Free French lessons for EU citizens

A RECENT legal ruling has opened up the possibility for EU citizens living in France to take advantage of 200 hours of free French language lessons.

In a case led by anti-discrimination organisation La Haute Autorité de Lutte Contre les Discriminations et pour l’Egalité (HALDE), it was deemed illegal that language courses were available for people arriving in France from outside the EU, but not for those from other member states, the Connexion newspaper reports.

However, lessons have now been opened up to EU citizens aged over 26, who have not been through the French education system, are resident in France and who will be willing to sit a test to establish their current language level.

The lessons are provided through a number of establishments across France, with the scheme overseen by L’Agence Nationale pour la Cohésion Sociale et l’Egalité des Chances (l’Acsé), which has as one of its key objectives the teaching of French.

Course applications are taken through local offices, and there may be a waiting list, but to find a place near to you please download the list of establishment, featuring contact telephone numbers (.pdf)

Many regret stopping language studies

TODAY marks the European Day of Languages, which features a programme of events backed by the Council of Europe to promote linguistic diversity and learning.

And it would appear the Council has got its work cut out in the UK as a recent survey found that half of adults had forgotten the languages they'd learnt at school.

For some time now the number of pupils in UK schools learning French has been on the decline, with other languages fairing little better.

The BBC website reports that the survey, undertaken on behalf of language software firm Rosetta Stone, also found that most people agreed languages were important, while 69 per cent said they were jealous of people who were able to speak another language fluently.

Cultivate your French with Busuu

IF you want to 'grow' your French language skills then Busuu may just be the spot to help you 'cultivate' your vocab and grammar.

The site uses animated trees to track your progress as you improve your French, but also offers up fun additions as you progress and nasty bugs that attack your trees if you make a mistake.

Language subtitles added to YouTube videos

WHILST it has been possible for people to add subtitles to their video clips on YouTube, the service has now been made much easier for them to be properly synchronised.

As PaidContent reports video producers can now add subtitles to their clips in a variety of languages, including French.

For example, a clip from the BBC's Top Gear programme has been enabled with French subtitles, and a number of others, letting you watch Richard Hammond gassing on while the translation runs below.

An exchange of French language

IF there is one thing that will improve your language skills it is speaking to French people to help you absorb new vocabulary and learn how phrases are really spoken.

But that can be quite a challenge if you live outside France and only have text books to work through, or radio programmes to decipher, instead you are left wondering just how much progress you are making.

French language tips on your iPhone

IF you have an iPhone to play with and want to improve your French language skills a free talking phrasebook has been developed by Coolgorilla, which is sponsored by lastminute.com.

Also available in German, Italian and Spanish the phrasebooks speak selected foreign phrases using recordings of real native speakers, so no stumbling over pronunciations.

All the translations are stored within your iPhone or iPod Touch and so the application does not require that you have internet access whilst abroad.

And if you don't have an iPhone, there are versions available for Nokia and Sony Ericsson users to download directly to their phones.

French audio course for beginners from The Times

IF you are keen to improve your French language skills then a free course you can download for those at a beginners level is on offer from The Times newspaper.

The four hour course will introduce you to useful and essential basic vocabulary covering things such as numbers, days and months, the alphabet, ways of describing yourself and the beginnings of sentence construction.

Learn French at the School of Everything

THE School of Everything website offers a simple way for those with skills to teach a chance to link up with students who want to learn.

The site has received backing from Channel 4 in the past and lets you create a teacher page outlining your abilities and how you can help people, as well as an idea of costs involved.

A number of teachers offer lessons in French and I just like how open and transparent people are on the site, might be worth exploring.

Larousse produce an internet road accident

IT looks as though publisher Larousse has been able to fire up some new servers as its attempt to offer a Wikipedia style encyclopaedia is now available.

Earlier this week the news of its launch saw users flock to the site to test it out, unfortunately this disabled the site so that people only saw a holding page.

But it is now up and running, and it was most probably a blessing it wasn't working as to put it bluntly it's a bit of a mess.

Larousse rival to Wikipedia falls at first fence

THE French encyclopaedia publisher Larousse is looking to beat Wikipedia at its own game and launch an online version of its books.

But the first problem Larousse has faced is that its site has fallen over due to the interest in the service following news reports.

Not the best of starts, and to tell you the truth it's not the first time such high profile websites in France have been rendered inaccessible due to popular demand when a new service is launched.

I'll try to keep an eye out for when the site is back up and running so you can take a look around.

Learn French through online television

I AM a big fan of watching and listening to the news to help improve your understanding of French.

French language stops on the web

Don't let all those words beat you

NOT sure why but I seem to have crossed quite a few online resources that could prove helpful if you are looking to improve your French language skills.

One of the advantages of learning via the internet is that websites can easily mix audio, text and video letting you try different methods, and in the case of audio clips take them with you on your MP3 player.

Curiosphere.tv
This is a project backed by France 5 and provides a vast array of video clips from television programmes, featuring everything from the impact of mobile phones to life in schools and colleges.

As you would expect the videos are of a very high quality and cover recent news events, with special programmes and interviews, giving you the opportunity to improve your vocabulary.

Preparing children for a move to France

If moving to France let un tracteur take the strain of learning the language

WHEN my daughter was planning to relocate to France we discussed the best way to prepare her children, then three and five, for the move.

French language week

LA Semaine de la Langue Française is an annual event and this year runs from March 14 to 24.

Under the auspices of the Délégation Générale à la Langue Française et aux Langues de France (DGLFLF), this year's theme is covered by ten words which are to do with meeting and coming together.

These particular words have been chosen to promote and emphasise the role language plays in interaction between people and dialogue between them.

Library opens doors in la Creuse

A LENDING library has been opened in the small town of Dun le Palestel, in the north of la Creuse, by the local Entente Cordiale group.

The library will be open on Thursday, and from a little later this year Saturday as well, offering people the chance to pick up a book or two, as well as share language skills with others.

A small annual fee applies which will enable people to borrow up to six books and two videos for a month.

Learn French with Imagiers

THERE are more than 1,000 short video clips on the YouTube page of Imagiers that will help you with vocabulary and pronunciation of many words.

Online French language resources

THERE is no doubt that having an understanding of French will help you integrate and enjoy your new life in France.

But the days of dog-eared books and reams of paper are on the way out, with the wonderful world wide web offering a vast array of French language resources.

Here are some websites that will help you out that offer text based learning as well as audio and video.

Brush up your French with Teachers.tv

THERE are some interesting videos on the Teachers.tv website that look at the way things are taught differently in UK and French schools.

The first covers citizenship and how it is taught in the classroom, comparing multiculturalism and republicanism, whilst the second video casts an eye over the way handwriting is taught.

And there are some language clips on the site, including basic pronunciation as well as more in depth videos featuring Madame Mimi, a cantankerous concierge, take a browse over this page of search results for more.

Translate video clips the dotSub way

I WILL apologise now, the website I'm about to send you to will most probably mean you get nothing done for the rest of the day.

dotSub is a video service that lets people subtitle short films and clips into a variety of different languages, and there are many available in French.

Translation tools in Google Talk

HERE is a handy new feature for users of Google Talk that will help you with translating words on the fly.

The big G has incorporated translation tools into its service so if you want to translate a word from English to French, you invite en2fr@bot.talk.google.com to chat, then simply chat the line you want to see translated.

Of course any translation tool is only as good as the software driving it, so I wouldn't rely upon it for important work, but if you use GMail and have chat enabled you could translate phrases received in an email.

Checking out some internet stops

YOU can't beat a good sing-song to shake off a long week and bring a smile to your face - so here is De cap tà l'immortèla, from Nadau, an Occitan band, courtesy of Jacme Delmas.

Check up on your cheque book

IF you have ever struggled to write a French cheque, and I don't mean through lack of funds, here is a handy site that may help you out.

The French Euro Cheque Writer allows you to tap in the amount you want to pay and then displays the actual words on an example cheque, so you can write them out directly.

No more fumbling for a dictionary, or having to tear up cheques if you make an error, and it is sure to help you pick up the numbers themselves for everyday use.

Website will help with French vocab

A STRONG vocabulary of words makes life much easier when speaking French as it lets you highlight items, instead of just pointing to them during conversation.

There is also less chance of mixing words up, especially those that sound similar but mean very different things, so if your vocab needs a boost you might want to check out this French language activities page.

The online games will most probably help people who are at a beginners stage, but spending a couple of minutes each day going through the simple challenges is sure to help.

Learn French the social networking way

NO one can have missed the rise of Facebook over recent months, but what if you bring the tools of this and similar social networking websites to learning a language?

That is what seems to lie beneath a new site called LiveMocha, which offers regular online courses but also lets you talk and chat with other members to get a real taste of a language.

The Little Prince in different languages

NOW I am not even sure this website should be up and running, but if you are a fan of The Little Prince and want to read it in a number of different languages, including French and English, drop in on odaha.com.

Antoine de Saint Exupéry's title is already one of the most widely translated works, and on the site you have a choice 18, including Basque, Polish and Vietnamese.

Although it's good to find The Little Prince online, I don't think you can beat reading it whilst sat in a big comfy chair, with the fire roaring away, while outside the cold, grey clouds scuttle by.

French language course from the BBC

HERE is a another handy resource for those people keen to improve their French, this time care of the BBC.

They are promoting a 12 week course, delivered via email, which will offer tips and advice over a three month period before finishing with an 'end of course' assessment.

All you do is sign up with your email address, confirm your registration and then each week a lesson lands in your inbox - great for those keen to improve their language skills.