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.