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I have been brought up in New Zealand. Here we speak two languages – English and Gobbledygook.

New Zealand is situated on the other side of the world, far from most of the world’s population so really only needs these two languages! We have enough problems hanging on to the bottom of the globe, without having to learn any more languages.

Seriously though, English has been the language for us until we started getting overseas tourist coming here, before the Lord of the Rings, who spoke other languages. We even started getting road signs in Japanese. For most Kiwis travelling to France or elsewhere, to ask for anything in a restaurant/bar all they have needed to do is speak English in a very loud voice and they expect that they would be understood – for some reason volume control seems to be their answer!!

I have developed an interest over the years in learning languages and many years back decided to learn Japanese, and of course wanted to master the French language as well.

Even though Babelfish on the internet offers great translation services, there is nothing like the real spoken word – you only need to ask people like Winston Churchill or Oscar Wilde, or try a chat-up line in a bar overseas to realize that Babelfish has limitations!

Over the years I have developed a formula for learning a foreign language should you be considering it. To reach an intermediate level you need 250 hours of tuition – sorry that seems a lot but it’s true. BUT to reach an advanced level you only need 320 hours of tuition. So getting to an intermediate level seems like a huge mountain but once you’re there, you just have a small step left to become advanced at your chosen language.

I remember a young Kiwi lad of only 18 years old who was uncertain what he would do with his life. He told me he wanted to be a ski instructor in France. “But do you speak French”. “No” he sheepishly explained. I encouraged him to go to Paris where he could become an advanced speaker in 320 hours! Due to the costs he chose to stay long enough to attain an intermediate level only, i.e. 250 hours of tuition. Being at school for 8 hours per day, for five days a week, he would be at an intermediate level in under 7 weeks. I received a call from him after a few weeks, saying that he wanted to continue until he was at an advanced level i.e. until he had done 320 hours of tuition. I heard nothing from Cedric following this. Then one day, many years later, I was travelling up a ski lift at Coronet Peak in NZ, when I saw a ski instructor taking a class that looked just like Cedric. I called out in French, thinking that if he didn’t speak French he wouldn’t reply. He immediately turned around, and waited for me to ski down to him. He spoke French like a Parisian, and had gone on to become a ski instructor in France!

Coming from Anglophone countries we can become very insular about learning other languages. Especially when one sees in Europe that most young people now speak two or three languages, not including Gobbledygook!

Learning another language opens doors, and provides a richness that is unimaginable to those who only speak one language.

Advice:

For learning French in Paris I warmly recommend France Langue, and in a city near you there may well be an Alliance Francaise branch to contact.