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Je Besoin D'aide Avec Mon Francais S.V.P.!

Dead Man WalkingDead Man Walking Toronto-ish Posts: 2,762
edited February 2012 in All Encompassing Trip
I grew up taking french immersion in school, got my bilingual certificate back in 2000 and since then I've only used my french once in 2007 for a week in Paris.

I'm currently making my way through a selection process for a new job and in the next two weeks I need to take an oral french test. The problem is, I have no one to practice with. And I know I'm pretty much back at square one since I haven't used it in so long.

This may sound really lame but is there anyone here who would be up for helping me with some french so I can try and somewhat get back up to speed? I can try and compensate you with some Pearl Jam stuff...

Let me know if anyone is willing to help. You can PM me and we'll go from there. I really want this job! :)

Thanks in advance.
(Merci d'avance)
-DMW
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • polaris_xpolaris_x Posts: 13,559
    good luck ... it still bugs me that i took all those french classes and all i can really do is read a menu ...
  • Dead Man WalkingDead Man Walking Toronto-ish Posts: 2,762
    Thanks. I've had someone PM me and just reading their message (which was in french) I know I'm going to be in a world of trouble.

    Long shot, but has anyone (preferably Canadian) ever taken a second language evaluation? just wondering how hard they are.
  • voidofmanvoidofman Posts: 4,009
    Je ne parle pas le Francais.
  • Dead Man WalkingDead Man Walking Toronto-ish Posts: 2,762
    haha...okay thanks.
  • voidofmanvoidofman Posts: 4,009
    Just thought I'd add that. :D

    Seriously though, good luck, I took French from grade 4 to 12 and can only say the simplest of phrases. (And yes, I grew up in Vancouver) :lol:
  • Pamela0222Pamela0222 Posts: 1,544
    Je suis francaise, puis une canadiane......

    I could be wrong, but, I'm pretty sure that the second language evaluations are pretty basic. It's a simple test to evaluate whether or not you could communicate at a basic level if you needed to.

    J'espere de t'aides si je peux.

    Was the position posted with what level they expect you're french to be? Meaning is this a bilingual position, or a position where french is an added bonus?
    The thing I like most about time is that it's not real. It's all in the head. Sure, it's a useful trick to use if you want to meet someone at a specific place in the universe and have tea or coffee- but that's all it is- a trick. There is no such thing as the past. It exists only in the memory. There is no such thing as the future. It exists only in our imagination. If our watches were truly accurate, the only thing they would ever say is "Now". That's what time it is. It's "Now". - Damien Echols
  • Dead Man WalkingDead Man Walking Toronto-ish Posts: 2,762
    Pamela0222 wrote:
    Je suis francaise, puis une canadiane......

    I could be wrong, but, I'm pretty sure that the second language evaluations are pretty basic. It's a simple test to evaluate whether or not you could communicate at a basic level if you needed to.

    J'espere de t'aides si je peux.

    Was the position posted with what level they expect you're french to be? Meaning is this a bilingual position, or a position where french is an added bonus?

    It's a Government position up in Ottawa...I've been up there a few times for Leafs/Sens games and I can tell the population is pretty bilingual. The job posting said bilingual, but not to what extent. The shitty thing is, I told them straight up in my cover letter that although I am "bilingual" I haven't spoken french in over a decade and if I were to get the job, I would get back up to speed fairly quickly.

    I'm hoping they took my honesty into consideration when selecting me...
  • uninnocent-uninnocent- Posts: 5,959
    I'm always hesitant when including my Bilingual status on my resume. Like you, I completed french immersion in the early part of the 2000's, and have barely used it since. I've been looking for a new job and I keep second-guessing myself when they ask for bilingual applicants. Let me know how it goes, so I know what'd be involved if I choose to apply for anything similar.
  • Pamela0222Pamela0222 Posts: 1,544
    Ahhhhh Yes if it's Government + up in Ottawa, they expect good/adequate French since it's VERY bilingual there. My advice to you is go and pick up either french magazines, newspapers, or french books (I would stick with magazines and newspapers... they are not as formal as books are) and start reading them and translating them to get your mind back in the french dialect in a casual manner. It's amazing what the mind retains, and it should come back to you fairly easily. Like you said... they do know from your cover letter what your level of french is at now, and they still offered you the testing, I'm sure you'll be fine.

    If you want I can PM you some french sentences or paragraphs and you can translate them back to me OR vice versa. Let me know if I can help :)
    The thing I like most about time is that it's not real. It's all in the head. Sure, it's a useful trick to use if you want to meet someone at a specific place in the universe and have tea or coffee- but that's all it is- a trick. There is no such thing as the past. It exists only in the memory. There is no such thing as the future. It exists only in our imagination. If our watches were truly accurate, the only thing they would ever say is "Now". That's what time it is. It's "Now". - Damien Echols
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