Ceci n'est pas une endive

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Cross country, across cultures.

07
Sep2009

Tell Me How You Eat I Will Tell You Who You Are

I just read an extremely interesting blogpost on a parallel drawn between how Americans and Japanese dine and what this means in the workplace. The whole table manners thing has been an interest of mine for a while now. Having lived in several countries, you realize how much of a difference there can be just in the way you eat. It all starts with how the meal is structured. When does the salad come, at the beginning of the meal? Or at the end? Is it served in a big bowl or rather in individual... Lire la suite

résumé en français

J'ai toujours trouvé intéressant d'observer comment les gens se tiennent à table dans les différents pays. Lorsqu'on se trouve à table dans un pays dont on ne connaît pas les manières, il est toujours difficile de savoir si ce qui relève du savoir-vivre chez soi ne sera pas interprété comme une action hautement impolie ailleurs. Mais peut-être est-ce seulement mon éducation française qui joue...

when you're a stranger. Par notafish. 3 comments no trackback

29
Aug2009

Faute de grammaire, on mange de la dessert

J'ai toujours eu l'impression, à tort ou à raison, que le français jouissait d'une place particulière en Allemagne. Pas seulement en Allemagne d'ailleurs, un peu partout dans le monde. Du coup, il est utilisé dans un peu tous les domaines. Et plus particulièrement dans celui de la cuisine et de la nourriture. J'imagine que la cuisine française donne une image plutôt positive d'elle même et que donc par extension, utiliser le français quand on parle de nourriture permet de donner une image... Lire la suite

summary in English

It is probably a marketing trick to be using French sounding names in countries where French is not spoken. Especially for food. The "Cuisine flair, I suppose". But what really really bothers me, is when marketing does not check its grammar and ends up using the wrong gender for a word, or making a pathetic spelling and grammar mistake. Two examples in Germany, where the gender of "dessert" has been changed, or where a mousse-like dessert is called Crème Composé when it should be Crème ComposéE.

the other words. Par notafish. one comment no trackback

04
Jul2009

Animals Too Speak Foreign Languages

Seriously. They do. There is something fantastic about bringing up a child in two languages, it is that you discover things about your own languages that you never really thought about. When a child learns to speak, one of the first thing you do, is teach them the noises that animals make. I guess all parents have gone through this ordeal of making themselves ridiculous while imitating a dog, a cow or God knows what animal, instead of plainly saying "this is a dog", you'll go... Lire la suite

résumé en français

Les onomatopées utilisées pour les cris d'animaux sont très différentes d'une langue à l'autre. Entre le "cocorico" français, le "cocka doodle doo" anglais et le kikiriki français, je me demande comment notre fille va apprendre à faire parler les animaux.

the other words. Par notafish. no comment no trackback

03
Jul2009

Vorauseilender Gehorsam

Ne crisez pas, ce billet est en français, seul le titre est en allemand. Je me baladais sur l'un des blogs "interculturels" que je lis de temps en temps (je suis une piètre lectrice de blogs, mais c'est une autre histoire) et suis tombée sur ce billet qui fait écho à mes billets précédents sur la difficulté (ou le bonheur) de parler plusieurs langues. Le phénomène de Vorausleidender Gehorsam (obéissance avant l'ordre), tel qu'expliqué par Matthias sur le billet de Caroline est un... Lire la suite

summary in English

While reading one of the blogs I follow from afar on the "intercultural" scene, I stumbled upon the concet of "vorauseilender Gehorsam" (obedience before the order), an interesting concept which the commenter on the blog thought could be an explanation for the rise in English words within other languages. The idea being that people obey soe "unknown boss" that expects them to strew their conversations with English words to be fashionable, because it is the thing to do.

the other words. Par notafish. no comment no trackback

30
May2009

Which Language Says it Best?

A few days ago, I wrote about the extended meaning of words, and how some words in a language we learn take on a wider meaning because we have an approaching word in our own language. This made me think about the words that one learns in a foreign language which just don't have a satisfying translation. Speaking another language is a difficult endeavour, but it is also a very rewarding one. However, while learning the language in the country it is spoken is probably the best way to learn it,... Lire la suite

résumé en français

Quand on apprend une langue étrangère dans le pays où elle est parlée, on apprend souvent des mots dans leur contexte étranger. Du coup, il devient extrêmement difficile de les traduire dans sa langue maternelle. C'est aussi le cas dans l'autre sens, de sa langue maternelle vers la langue étrangère. Certains mots n'ont simplement pas de traduction qui revête toutes les nuances d'un mot dans une autre langue. Quelques exemples.

the other words. Par notafish. 4 comments no trackback

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All tags

communication(s)

Pourquoi les français ne parlent pas de langues étrangères

25/05/2009 - Il y a de cela quelques mois, j'ai commis un billet tentant d'expliquer pourquoi les français ne parlent pas de langues étrangères. Ma théorie est que le français est une langue… Lire la suite

the other words

Why the Accent Is so Important

13/07/2010 - You may know, or may not know, that we just had a son. He's now almost 7 weeks old and we took him to Wikimania in Poland. For that purpose, we had a passport made. You may… Lire la suite

somewhere else

I Am More French Here Than in France

26/05/2009 - While skimming through it again, this note in Nancy Adler's book hit me with a few thoughts. Executives are more national abroad than they would be at home. I am always wondering… Lire la suite

everyday life

Job Hunting: How Culturally Unconventional Can You Be?

01/06/2009 - I've always wondered if I could find a job in Germany. Not so much because of my competence or lack thereof, but rather about whether I could, or couldn't, conform to the German… Lire la suite

wiki world

Wikimedia Fundraiser: Donating Close to Home

10/12/2008 - Ever since I have been working within Wikimedia, I have tried to understand what the best way to conduct a fundraising was. I mean, what are the tools and definitions people need… Lire la suite

on my way

About "Ceci n'est pas une endive"

16/11/2007 - This blog has been turning in my head for quite a long time, actually ever since I gave a presentation at Wikimania last year in Taipei, about cultural differences. The name is a… Lire la suite

when you're a stranger

Tell Me How You Eat I Will Tell You Who You Are

07/09/2009 - I just read an extremely interesting blogpost on a parallel drawn between how Americans and Japanese dine and what this means in the workplace. The whole table manners thing has… Lire la suite

about the world

Quand la pub joue avec les stéréotypes culturels

18/05/2009 - Cet après-midi, en buvant mon café, j'ai feuilleté le dernier numéro de Géo sur l'Islande. Comme souvent quand je lis un magazine, je me suis arrêtée sur certaines pubs et… Lire la suite

Best of me

Why the French Don't Speak Any Other Language

Now here is a commonplace. I believe I have heard this a million times. The French are terrible, they won't ever speak to you in English or any other language and if you address… Lire la suite

04/10/2008 communication(s)

Addressing an International Audience

Last Friday, I attended the Going Solo conference in Lausanne, a one-day conference for freelancers. I was very impressed with the quality of the speakers and of course, I tried… Lire la suite

19/05/2008 communication(s)

About "Ceci n'est pas une endive"

This blog has been turning in my head for quite a long time, actually ever since I gave a presentation at Wikimania last year in Taipei, about cultural differences. The name is a… Lire la suite

16/11/2007 on my way