1. In Defense of French: Ten Reasons to Learn the
Language Part One
This article was originally published on the Acclaro blog.
Category: "Spot" on Language, Culture
When the going gets tough, the humanities get going, or so it seems. One of the first degree
programs to be axed by state universities during budget cuts is, sadly, French, the language of
love. The State University of New York at Albany is a recent example. The board just
discontinued degree programs in French, Italian, the classics, Russian and theater, according to
a recent New York Times discussion. It would appear that the language of the poets and
philosophers, of Proust and Flaubert, Balzac and Baudelaire, has become less appealing to a
generation more enamored with languages such as C#, HTML and Java.
Given the shifting value system in American culture, is French even relevant anymore? In an
age when more parents are placing their pre-schoolers in bilingual programs to learn Mandarin,
does French still hold any value? Without hesitating, our response would be oui. Here are the
first five of our top ten reasons:
1. It is spoken on virtually every continent. According to VistaWide, 67 million people learn
French as their native language and another 63 million speak it fluently as a second
language (in countries where French is the official language, for example) for a total
of 130 million speakers. French is the official or national language of 40 countries in
Asia, Europe, Africa, North America and South America, including New Caledonia,
Canada and the island of Jersey.
2. Roughly 30% of the English language is derived from French (via Wikipedia), which
amounts to 80,000 words we inherited from the language of love. This means that
learning French will actually increase your mastery of your native tongue. The SAT may
be behind you, but you still have years of public speaking, presentations and various
other forms of oral and written communication ahead. Boost your vocabulary and you
will sound smart. The smarter you sound, the more credible your business and products
will appear.
This is not to say you should overwhelm your potential clients with strings of seven-
syllable words from antiquated French; business communication must be clear and
pertinent, not too flashy or pretentious. But when used appropriately, your rich
vocabulary will come in handy as you sculpt clever, tasteful marketing messages.
Page 1: In Defense of French: Ten Reasons to Learn the Language Part One Copyright © Acclaro 2012

2. 3. As a business professional,
speaking French will help you navigate
the sometimes snobby waters of
gastronomy and wine. You won’t sound
like you swallowed a wasp when you try
to order coq au vin at your business
lunch. You will experience less panic
when the sommelier (can you say that?)
brings you the wine list. You may even
feel some degree of confidence as you
peruse the names of different regions
you can actually pronounce. And you
will gloat inwardly as you nonchalantly
roll off, “A Pouilly-Fumé please”, while
your client marvels at how very cultured
you are for a software engineer.
Think Julia Childs (though not French,
très Francophile). Cordon Bleu.
Champagne. Macarons. Crème Brulée.
Camembert. Wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to name off the 10 different stages for
turning sugar into carmel…in French? French food and wine culture offers limitless
possibilities and subject matter for successful client schmoozing and business mingling
in general.
4. Quality of life index: France was ranked #1 in the world for quality of life for the fifth
year in a row, in the International Living Annual Index. To create the index, nine
categories are considered: cost of living, culture and leisure, economy, environment,
freedom, health, infrastructure, safety and risk, and climate. According to this index,
France has “an unsurpassable quality of life, including the world’s best health care.”
France is therefore a great place to retire. “Internationalizing” your business to extend
to the French market may enable you to take advantage of the country’s amazing
quality of life on a regular basis. Who knows – if you open a subsidiary or branch of
your company in “The Hexagon”, as the French call their motherland, you may even be
able to retire there!
5. Thanks to an amazing quality of life for residents and vacationers alike, France is among
the world’s favorite vacation destinations each year. In the 2003, for example, France
counted 76 million tourists (via Bonjour La France), despite suffering from the
decade’s worst heat wave. No matter where you are marketing your products, the
country in question is likely to have a good base of Francophiles; familiarizing yourself
with French geography and culture will enable you to connect with them.
Page 2: In Defense of French: Ten Reasons to Learn the Language Part One Copyright © Acclaro 2012

3. About Acclaro: Acclarois an international translation and localization company that
helps the world’s leading brands succeed across cultures. We specialize inwebsite
translation, marketing campaigns, documents and software localization to give clients
an authentic voice in key language markets.
North America: 1-866-468-5106 Worldwide: +1-914-468-0222
www.acclaro.comsales@acclaro.com
Page 3: In Defense of French: Ten Reasons to Learn the Language Part One Copyright © Acclaro 2012