French ??
- Thread starter floss
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Ottawa is very bi-lingual.... you will not need French day-to-day but most jobs expect you to be bi-lingual, and if you are conducting business on your own it is expected that you will be able to conduct business in both languages.
This is pretty much a capital region anomoly, although there are two official languages in Canada, unless you go into government I don't think there are too many other large cities where you would have to know both languages.... for example French is my first language, but I've never had to use it in Toronto in any context.
This is pretty much a capital region anomoly, although there are two official languages in Canada, unless you go into government I don't think there are too many other large cities where you would have to know both languages.... for example French is my first language, but I've never had to use it in Toronto in any context.
If you are moving to Ottawa....
...and hope to obtain employment with any government agency you will have to learn French. They are strictly bi-lingual when it comes to employment.
...and hope to obtain employment with any government agency you will have to learn French. They are strictly bi-lingual when it comes to employment.
Jay
That's how Karra would have spelled it too! hahaha... brat!
It isn't in the writing, it is the sound of it....beautiful language....
That's how Karra would have spelled it too! hahaha... brat!
It isn't in the writing, it is the sound of it....beautiful language....
floss said:
Is it important? That depends. Why are you moving to Ottawa, and what do you plan to do there? If you're looking for work in a field that deals with gov't or the public, it would be a good idea.
Will it make your life easier? Probably.
floss said:
Learning another language, especially an official language, is never a bad idea. How could learning French be bad.
Of course it will make your life easier, you will be able to communicate with millions of more people around the world with ease.
It is an absolute necessity to living in Ottawa? No. But learning French will allow you to better embrace and enjoy the wonderful blend of Anglais et Francais that is Ottawa.
I live in Ottawa. I am not bilingual. I have not had a lot of trouble finding jobs, but I know I will never make it into the government.
There are lots of Customer Service jobs, and receptionist/secretary jobs, but other than that you have to be bilingual.
But if you go to Quebec, well then... okay I won't get into it. Damn Quebecers.
There are lots of Customer Service jobs, and receptionist/secretary jobs, but other than that you have to be bilingual.
But if you go to Quebec, well then... okay I won't get into it. Damn Quebecers.
I live in Ottawa, and over 90% of the jobs I apply for have bilingual listed as an "asset". This can mean a number of things, such as 1. there are other french people who can deal with french clients, paper work etc, but it would be nice if you could do this too, although not crucial or 2. the office is primarily french, although using that language on your job is not necessary, they'd just prefer a french person because they are french.
I'm not really bilingual, but would probably not be far off saying that for every resume I submit, there are probably 5 people who at least speak french.
I can also say that I've never been treated so badly by a group of people while looking for a job. One time, this women started speaking to me so quickly, I couldn't tell what language she was speaking. When I asked her to repeat what she just said, she became annoyed and said french is a requirment for the job and why didn't I understand her if I wanted to applying for the job? (She didn't speak english well!) When I mentioned the position was advertised "bilingual asset", she actually said that wasn't the case and it was a requirment. But who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and not encounter that sort of BS.
I'm not really bilingual, but would probably not be far off saying that for every resume I submit, there are probably 5 people who at least speak french.
I can also say that I've never been treated so badly by a group of people while looking for a job. One time, this women started speaking to me so quickly, I couldn't tell what language she was speaking. When I asked her to repeat what she just said, she became annoyed and said french is a requirment for the job and why didn't I understand her if I wanted to applying for the job? (She didn't speak english well!) When I mentioned the position was advertised "bilingual asset", she actually said that wasn't the case and it was a requirment. But who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and not encounter that sort of BS.
We have that 'asset' in California as well...
Only it reads: "Bilingual mandatory".... at least they are honest!
Only it reads: "Bilingual mandatory".... at least they are honest!
Bilingualism is definitely a BIG help in Ottawa. You will find that many jobs here are occupied by Francophone Canadians because they are the most likely to be bilingual. Are they prejudiced against anglophones? There are bigots in every group, so yup,some are. My job requires that I speak a fairly fluent level of French, but I have an accent and make frequent grammatical errors mostly masculin/feminin from rushing, since I often train francophones. I have found my co-workers and the clientele I deal with to be very supportive and understanding. You don't need French here, but it helps.
Re: RE: French ??
Since the francophone in Canada are litterally surounded by anglophone on this continent we have no choice but to learn english. We start getting english class at the third grade (going down to the first grade this year) and up to the end of college.
Most of the educated french that I know do at least, read, write and understant english moderately well. We may have some trouble speaking it due to a lack of practice.
Those who won't communicate to you in english are either: under educated, hard core nationalist or just having fun at your expense.
pastafarian said:
Since the francophone in Canada are litterally surounded by anglophone on this continent we have no choice but to learn english. We start getting english class at the third grade (going down to the first grade this year) and up to the end of college.
Most of the educated french that I know do at least, read, write and understant english moderately well. We may have some trouble speaking it due to a lack of practice.
Those who won't communicate to you in english are either: under educated, hard core nationalist or just having fun at your expense.
DasFX said:
It's never a bad thing to learn a lanquage and I never implied it was, I was just asking how important it was. Someone mentioned about the business side of things being able to communicate to all customers and that is something that I didn't think about so thank you. It's on my list of things to do ....LEARN FRENCH!!!!
I think being English can sometimes make us lazy in that we expect everyone to speak our language. I'm not saying that about everyone but most. Especially people from England!!
Thanks again
Diana
Re: RE: French ??
Would you want to work there anyway with that type of attitude?
Said1 said:I live in Ottawa, and over 90% of the jobs I apply for have bilingual listed as an "asset". This can mean a number of things, such as 1. there are other french people who can deal with french clients, paper work etc, but it would be nice if you could do this too, although not crucial or 2. the office is primarily french, although using that language on your job is not necessary, they'd just prefer a french person because they are french.
I'm not really bilingual, but would probably not be far off saying that for every resume I submit, there are probably 5 people who at least speak french.
I can also say that I've never been treated so badly by a group of people while looking for a job. One time, this women started speaking to me so quickly, I couldn't tell what language she was speaking. When I asked her to repeat what she just said, she became annoyed and said french is a requirment for the job and why didn't I understand her if I wanted to applying for the job? (She didn't speak english well!) When I mentioned the position was advertised "bilingual asset", she actually said that wasn't the case and it was a requirment. But who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and not encounter that sort of BS.
Would you want to work there anyway with that type of attitude?
Re: RE: French ??
Not really.
I was more fluent in the past, it's jsut that I haven't needed to speak french in 8 yrs, so I lost a lot of it. I'm not oppossed to learning french, in fact, I have applied for an intense language program this summer, hoping to get funding. I've also forgotten how big of an asset speaking french actually is, I'm just a little disheartened, looking for a job presently and all.
I'm also not trying to say that all people act in that manner, just some that I've come across. I don't assume I will be treated that every time I come in contact with french employers, it's just that french is so commonly spoken in Ottawa, it's best to learn, for a number of reasons. I've also beaten a french candidate or two when french was listed as an "asset", so there's hope.
floss said:Said1 said:I live in Ottawa, and over 90% of the jobs I apply for have bilingual listed as an "asset". This can mean a number of things, such as 1. there are other french people who can deal with french clients, paper work etc, but it would be nice if you could do this too, although not crucial or 2. the office is primarily french, although using that language on your job is not necessary, they'd just prefer a french person because they are french.
I'm not really bilingual, but would probably not be far off saying that for every resume I submit, there are probably 5 people who at least speak french.
I can also say that I've never been treated so badly by a group of people while looking for a job. One time, this women started speaking to me so quickly, I couldn't tell what language she was speaking. When I asked her to repeat what she just said, she became annoyed and said french is a requirment for the job and why didn't I understand her if I wanted to applying for the job? (She didn't speak english well!) When I mentioned the position was advertised "bilingual asset", she actually said that wasn't the case and it was a requirment. But who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and not encounter that sort of BS.
Would you want to work there anyway with that type of attitude?
Not really.
I was more fluent in the past, it's jsut that I haven't needed to speak french in 8 yrs, so I lost a lot of it. I'm not oppossed to learning french, in fact, I have applied for an intense language program this summer, hoping to get funding. I've also forgotten how big of an asset speaking french actually is, I'm just a little disheartened, looking for a job presently and all.
I'm also not trying to say that all people act in that manner, just some that I've come across. I don't assume I will be treated that every time I come in contact with french employers, it's just that french is so commonly spoken in Ottawa, it's best to learn, for a number of reasons. I've also beaten a french candidate or two when french was listed as an "asset", so there's hope.
floss said:
Hi Floss,
I come from Quebec city, where it is 98% french speaking, but where a lot of english speaking tourists come. Before i start, it is important to say that people in Quebec city like the english very much (perhaps contrary to what some may think).
It is true that 'some' english speaking people will always assume that you speak their language (lazy), and will address people in the city in english, without making any effort to speak the local language. This leaves the burden of processing a foreign and complicated language to the local people. This lack of effort to try to speak french is sometimes seen as a lack of respect, and arrogant; this is a reason why some french get mad at the english and resent their manners.
But, this being said, i can assure you that when an english person comes up and tries to speak some french, even a little, the locals will love it and have very high respect for that person. Obviously, this english person will receive the warmest welcome, even if all he/she said was "bonjour".
I short, the french do not apreciate the lazyness of 'some' english people, and trying a little french is better than not trying at all...
I strongly suggest you learn french, i personally speak 4 languages and it certainly alters the way you think and see the world. Your possibilities will greatly open as well, especially in europe where french is a major language.
Good luck!