German Translation Required - Timo?

I only had to google one (the most important) word of that, so my brief
Italian language immersion course was obviously fairly successful.


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| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
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With the pound sterling dropping like a stone against most other
currencies and credit default swap rates on long-term UK sovereign debt
beginning to edge up, with an industrial production like in the twenties
and with a private and public debt that is now 449 per cent of GDP........
it is a good time to mention the war

:-D

 

Judgement day? Nah, that Palestinian jewish disident (and his father and the
bird by a magic TRIck) spoke "arameo" AFAIR.

This has been a post of kafflick humour, mind.

 

"One camel, five goats and the virginity of your daughter, madam"

 

For those among us who are over forty, language teaching in french
schools was crap at best, and inexistent usually.
It was even worse when you get technical teaching to work as spanner
monkey, cook, sparkie or any technical job: you generally got english
lessons 2 hours a week, from 11 to 13 years old.
How could you expect them to get any proficiency?

 

I have to say this is not my experience. Of course, round our way folk
are more used to languages, given that for many of the locals French
isn't actually their first language, but when we have non- or
limited-french speaking visitors they never seem to encounter such
issues.

 

And the first 20 minutes just seemed to be a film about running.

 

WTF?

 

Slumdog Millionaire at a guess.

 

That'd be marginally better than British schools then.

Question of need as well I suppose. If you generally take domestic holidays,
only partake of French TV and films and don't do much business with foreign
companies then there is not really much need to learn another lingo. I
noticed a change though about 10-12 years ago when internet really took off,
the number of enthousiastic English speakers increased noticeably,
especially amongst the younger generation.
Once, a few years ago I got stuck in a small town in Southern France with a
wide load. After a while two gendarmes turned up (male and female); sensing
that my limited French might make things a little awkward to explain, I
tentatively enquired of the policewoman if she spoke English. Well, judging
by the look she gave me you'd have thought I was asking if she fancied a
quick one behind the war monument. Logical really I suppose, struggling with
a foreign language usually entails a degree of face-loss and she was quite
happy for me to assume that role.
Must have said the right thing mind, they held the traffic up for me and
allowed me to depart with nothing more than a toot and a wave.

 

And did she?

 

See reply to Des. I don't expect universal or even widespread
proficiency. It is however, my experience, that some of those that can
actually speak quite good English (as you suggest mainly the younger
generation) sometimes won't, even when it might be to their advantage.

As I've said before on here, it can depend on how much of an effort we
English make to conduct a conversation in the language of the country.
I try my best, but sometimes I get the feeling that I am left to
flounder when the other person could probably have translated the odd
word to help, if they wanted to.

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| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Nah, military types, they have the sexuality clinically removed early on in
the training (either that or its something in the tea).

 

There are thicks bastards everywhere, but I would not credit to
unwillingness what is often lack of knowledge.
Most of my relatives are teachers (elementary to university) and seems to
understand just a few words in english.
None can follow a simple conversation neither read any newspaper or book.

The only one that could are those that have some retired english friends
(living in Périgord).

 

Sounds like there could be an element of necessity here?

 

Yes, the need to exchange with their friends made them overcome their
inadequate education.
Being teachers, the education they received was considered above average
for their generation (born 1930-1950).
Most of my mates who were raised in farms in Dordogne or Lot-et-Garonne
can't speak english or german even under torture, don't need to forcefeed
fat ducks or make goat cheese.

 

Yeah. Christ knows how I managed to change thread before hitting
reply to.

 

The imagined look on Ace's face was worth it though. Good work that man.

 

I did wonder if I'd been mega-whooshed, but then I saw that it was
Ginge.

 

Not to worry, I've now come up with an excuse that fits all
circumstances and situations.

It was performance art.