The French language : More than meets the eye...or the ear!

1. The French language: More than meets the eye...or the ear! For some, it’s the world of French culture that acts like a magnet, whether that’s the paintings of Monet or Cezanne, the novels of Balzac or Proust, or perhaps the music of Jacques Brel or Serge Gainsbourg. Meanwhile, others simply can’t get enough of la cuisine française – and let’s face it, who can resist a mouth-watering pain au chocolat straight from the oven with their morning café au lait or a generous wedge of camembert spread onto fresh baguette? Whatever France means for you, it’s sure to be special – and made all the more so if you have a grasp of the rich language that accompanies this beautiful heritage! While many of us have a basic understanding of some simple French phrases (who can forget their high school days repeating phrases like comme ci, comme ça or zut alors!?), you don’t really get to grips with the French language unless you practise and use it regularly. Let’s start with the pronunciation. Some might say it’s as complex as their wine selection or as fancy as their pâtisseries, and it’s true there are certainly plenty of exceptions to those hard-learned rules. Think silent letters (but only sometimes!), nasal tones or guttural sounds, and then throw in a few accents that change everything, and there’s little wonder plenty of us are put off by speaking French. Part of the “problem” lies in the fact that the French love to be playful with sounds. The French have plenty of words (or onomatopoeic expressions) used purely to delight children, whether it’s the sound of a fire truck (pin pon), the noise made when you guzzle down a drink (glou glou); or a knock on a door (toc toc toc), French often appears to infuse a delightful sense of enjoyment into its language. What’s more, it’s a source of rich and often amusing expressions that can leave the uninitiated scratching their heads. Let’s take a look at some of the most bizarre: • Ne pas y aller avec le dos de la cuillère! Literally: Don’t go there with the back of the spoon! Meaning: This one refers to being direct and straight to the point. • Peigner la girafe. Literally: Comb the giraffe.

2. Meaning: An expression used to describe something futile. • Manger les pissenlits par la racine. Literally: Eat dandelions by their roots. Meaning: This is a bit of a dark one and refers to being dead. But still, it’s quite a poetic and creative description, typical of French language use. French is not just the language of love or food – and yes, English has indeed “pinched” many of its cooking terms from French – it’s also a source of amusing and playful phrases, delightful pronunciation and sometimes mind-boggling idioms, too. That’s why Capital Linguists offers a range of French translation services – all of which are carried out by professional, academically trained linguists who are au fait with all the ins and outs of the French language – and how best to render them in English (or vice versa). Whether you need interpreters for a conference or meeting; English-to-French document translation; or linguists for your subtitling or voiceover work, Capital Linguists’ French experts are ready to help. A bientôt! translators for French-to-English or