Internship in Action #4

Hello this is Christine, I work at Éco-Quartier NDG and I am enjoying my time helping the community and acquiring speaking skills in the English language. Please, have a seat and enjoy my article, by all means!

 

 

How French interferes with my English

My English is good outside school when I speak it with my family and friends although when I speak to my boss or my teachers, I feel like they expect me to speak it perfectly, and that’s when I over-analyse what I say. That being said, when I must speak on the spot I blurt out my words and start translating in my head instead of just going with the flow. It is like I rely on my French when I am nervous.
 

 I code-switch when I learn something that is surprising to me. For example: I will say something like ¨Ah ben tabarouette!¨ or ¨Ah ben câline!¨. Since I noticed that, I decided to say more appropriate terms for my English speaking like ¨Nice!¨, ¨Cool!¨ or ¨That’s interesting!¨ or again ¨That is neat!¨. I have yet again learned another word today: ¨borough¨. Éco-Quartier NDG is part of a whole district called Prévention CDN-NDG. I was asking one of my colleagues how Prévention CDN-NDG was divided and where we (Éco-Quartier) were located on the map. He explained to me a borough is an administrative division and the North-West division is ours.

 

After that, I had to translate a few documents and my eyes fell upon an unknown word to me: ¨Clothespin¨. It may seem ridiculous and obvious right now but I could not understand its meaning. I later learnt that ¨clothespin¨ and ¨clothesline¨ are both ¨pince à linge¨ and ¨corde à linge¨ respectively.

 

I learn various facts in many subjects in my internship. Back when it was almost Thanksgiving (Action de Grace), I asked my colleague Bill why the Canadian Thanksgiving Day does not share the same date as the American Thanksgiving Day. Apparently, the dates do not coincide with because this day is about thanking God or Nature for the harvest. In Canada’s case, our food is ready to harvest sooner than the Americans in reason of our geographical location.

 

I went out for a walk with my boss today because she had to meet up with people so she brought me with her so I could have the chance to introduce myself and practice. It also diversifies my working habits so I was pleased to join her. Strangely enough, we ended up discussing about people we no longer spoke to on account of grudges and reasons of the past. After a while, I used the idiom ¨… just let bygones be bygones¨. I very much enjoy using new expressions. I may use it more often now that I know how to apply it.

 

 

 

Internship English vs. School English

Of course the terms I use in school are much different than the ones I use at Éco-Quartier. The subjects we discuss are in no relation with the academic language. The variety of subjects we talk about has no link to school whatsoever. Also, I am asked to answer on the spot while at school I can respond based on the elements we have seen in class. For example: when my boss asks me about how I recycle at my house I must elaborate on methods of recycling therefore the terms I use are in no way similar to say; my teacher asking me about how my French influences my English or even how François I revolutionized literature in 1500’s. I can reply on answers we have studied in class but real life I speak of everyday things that don’t necessarily need research. I base myself on what I know on the spot. In school, I have time to research a whole week before replying.

 
 

Learning language outside a classroom

I acquire language by having discussions with people and learning new expressions. Someone may correct me as I speak or teach me something I did not know. I acquire language also by having low inhibition, accept ambiguity and repeat a new word to make sure I pronounce it right. The only challenge I have come across is to slow down and articulate when I speak. It is challenging because I do not execute this as a reflex yet.

 

 

Day four has ended today on a positive note. I learnt that next week I will be knocking door to door to talk about recycling. Variety in at a job is always good!
 

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For those wondering and questioning my choice of pictures: I link nature to ecology. That is why I chose these images.

The road so far

Éco-Quartier NDG, the English language and myself 

 

 

 

 

 

Interactions I’ve had in English
 

So far I have spoken mostly in a professional matter exclusively in order to get my tasks accomplished. My assignments include translating texts in French to English, making phone calls to invite members of Éco-Quartier to workshops and typing written work into a laptop. Since the staffs are so amiable, I get to discuss a variety of subjects with them like little anecdotes while we work and whatnot. By reason of being a new employee, people are trying to get to know me. I have also gone to a transition home for women with my boss to bring Halloween recipes and costumes for kids. This has allowed me to practice my English and discover culture.

 

 

The words that have been spoken, the gestures that have been performed
 

As I have said above, I try to talk as much as possible with my boss and my colleagues to practice my English. By doing so, I gesture a lot especially, with my hands. The fact that I mumble all the time when I express my ideas isn’t new to me and I have been working on my articulation when I pronounce each word. Being aware of my diction has made me conscious that it is probably the reason why people always ask ``what? `` when I speak. I thought that I never spoke loud enough even though I always speak very loudly (which didn’t make sense). I just didn’t make the link. The fact that I pronounce each word cautiously also dissolves my accent a little better. I also noticed how the intonation differs from French to English. Adding to the fact that people have more pitched voices when they speak in English, their intonation also rises and drops considerably in the course of one sentence.

 

 

 

Observation of English Culture
 

The only observation about English culture that I have made is that they seem to speak way more than Francophones. Maybe it is simply depending on the individuals but I notice that people call eachother very often just to have some news. Anglophones always have something to talk about. Once again, maybe I am mistaking but it is the impression I’ve got.

 

 

 

The typical Anglophone environment
 

I cannot say that the environment particularly differs from a place that mostly Francophones attend to although there are a lot of posters and stockers that give a hint of the Anglophone settings.

 

 


 

In the workplace
 

People are very polite with each other here. When somebody walks in everyone greets them with a friendly hello. We use first names to speak with each other and there is no disrespect at. People get along here. I noticed that they dress normally here; there is even a girl that wears a hijab. My boss really isn’t strict at all clothes-wise. As long as we get the work done, that is the most important. I have never seen anybody take a break and even I work 5 hours and I do not feel the need to have one. I can go get something to eat anytime and if someone must go out to buy or get something, it is fine. Employees are always on time and if not, they are excused and no damage is done.

 

 


 

What’s new?
 

I learnt many words and expressions during my internship like the word ¨Insulation¨ which isn’t like the word ¨Isolation¨. We use Insulation when we add layers to keep the warmth in and the cold out whereas Isolation is the verb which means someone or something that is secluded. In French, there is only one word for those two definitions. I also realized that I have a hard time using the prepositions ¨At¨ (Places in cities) ¨In¨ (Cities, countries, etc.) ¨On¨ (surfaces) correctly. I was translating some work and my boss corrected many of my mistakes that I had made. For example: Éco-Quartier is IN LaSalle rather than AT LaSalle. Furthermore, I have learnt that the names Bill and William as well as Richard and Dick are actually the same name. One can be used as a nickname for the other and vice versa. Also, I discovered that the word ¨Eachother¨ does not exist: the correct form is spelt ¨Each other¨. In addition, I learnt that the words ¨Color¨ and ¨Colour¨ are the same. The only difference is that one is American and the other is British. Who knew? I found out today while translating some documents. I found out about the names while one of my colleagues was talking about a funny anecdote after a telephone call.
 

 

 

 

 

This is exactly what I expected of my internship regarding my tasks and how people interact with me and each other. I'm looking forward to next next.

¨The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.¨

 

 

 

Hello all, I know you were all waiting impatiently for this next post, so here it is!

 

I was placed in an environment-friendly, non-profit, organization called Éco-Quartier. This institution is active in the community since 1988 and its' mission is to make prevention and simply encourage everyone to become a little greener. They are not like other establishments that urge you to buy their products. Their plan is simply to help the community with small steps that could make the biggest difference. Hopefully my experience will make me learn a lot of things without being too stressful. After all, I DID get the internship I wanted, so what can I say?

What did I notice on the first day?

Within the moment I entered Éco-Quartier's building, I first noticed how narrow the place seemed. Upon my visit though, I felt at ease since there was a very smooth atmosphere and it was also a cosy environment. I noticed that other students from other countries were currently in the same internship. We share the same goals for our job: to improve our language skills, develop our fluency in our second language and acquire knowledge in the English culture.

 

LANGUAGE: I did not learn any new written strategies or structures yet although I noticed that I have a much more pitched voice when I speak English than when I speak French. I also noticed how difficult it is to maintain a professional dialect whilst being interviewed under pressured circumstances.

CULTURE: People seem more outgoing when speaking in English. At least that is the impression I had during the short time I was interviewed. In spite of the subject in question, the place inspired a homely sense which gave the impression that anyone could join in the ¨family¨. It is not in the English culture per say although it is in the group’s nature it seems that they encourage a warm welcoming to everyone.

 

 

These are idioms which could potentially help my writing in my articles throughout this blog.

I.A leopard can't change his spots: You cannot change who you are.

II. A penny saved is a penny earned: By not spending money, you are saving money (little by little).

III. A piece of cake: A task that can be accomplished very easily.

IV. Add fuel to the fire: Whenever something is done to make a bad situation even worse than it is.

V. Against the clock: Rushed and short on time.

VI. Variety is the spice of life: The more experiences you try the more exciting life can be.

VII. Crack someone up: To make someone laugh.

VIII. Cross your fingers: To hope that something happens the way you want it to.

IX. Cut to the chase: Leave out all the unnecessary details and just get to the point.

X. Drastic times call for drastic measures: When you are extremely desperate you need to take extremely desperate actions.

XI. Keep your chin up: To remain joyful in a tough situation.
 

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First, you should know that I am bilingual and speak fluently in English. Consequently, my goals for this internship (academically speaking) is to learn new expressions and apply them into my everyday speaking habits. Furthermore, I aim to improve and expand my vocabulary. Being a shy person and always doubting myself (more so in English than in French, especially in a new environment), it could help me become a more self-assured speaker to express my thoughts more clearly and freely.

Learning strategies could definitely help me in my process to improve my speaking.

I. Speaking to myself might sound crazy though it could be very effective if I do. When speaking alone, I wouldn't be shy or afraid to say what I want and repeating my speech might stop me from stuttering when the time comes for me to communicate a message to someone.

II. I should also interact in any way possible. Let me explain: I stammer a lot when I am nervous, especially when I'm speaking to people I don't know. It probably distracts the receptor when I do so, thus deepening my obvious discomfort. That is when I start using hand and body gestures to get my message accross.

First meeting with my host

Now, I've had jobs before but I have never yet had an interview. Well, this was my first one ever. I met with my host Nicole on Friday, September 27th at 2pm. It went fairly well although my uneasiness got the best of me. I tried to stay calm and she really helped to soothe my anxiety. She was very kind and explained the goal of the company while giving examples of the prevention they do. It is a great way of thinking and I'm looking forward to working with her and the team.

Pre-internship Impressions, concerns &expectations.

I really think that I will get along with my boss and colleagues since they were so friendly and polite with me. Also I feel that I might accomplish a variety of different tasks (such as doing some prevention in the outdoors, translating at a desk, do some composting, etc). My main concern is the people that I will work with. I hope that I won't feel secluded. Eventhough it sounds like it's a stressful event, it's a new experience that I will learn from and hopefully it will help me reach my goals.


Well, here goes nothing!