LE COIN FRANCOPHONE: MICHELLE’S MINI-SERIES EP. 3: BORDEAUX
If you want to learn how to read, write or pronounce well in French, writing about a subject you want to learn more about is the triple threat.
Michelle took on a big challenge of writing about the places she’d like to travel to in France, In one year, she finished a 17-article mini-series for our blog, which we’re thrilled to share with you.
I’ll let her words tell you the story of the evolution of her writing in French – an inspiration for your own progress – and the story of her bucket list that will give you food for thought. Today, Bordeaux.
The Bordeaux region is a “must see” for any wine lover, and who isn’t a wine lover?
Its many vineyards, wineries, and renowned wines attract people from all over the world.
However, the beauty of the region will captivate you… from its majestic architecture to the river that divides it in two.
I can almost taste the wine and smell the fresh air. Can you?
Michelle R.
(January 2023)
Ep. 3: BORDEAUX
Elle est sur la Garonne, à environ trois heures de Paris, en train.
La région de Bordeaux a beaucoup de vignobles luxuriants, et elle est une capitale mondiale du vin. Quand vous la visitez, vous pourrez déguster des vins, séjourner dans des domaines viticoles, et rencontrer des œnologues et des sommeliers !
Cependant, parce qu’elle est la sixième ville la plus habitée en France, vous devriez découvrir la riche architecture et la culture. Il y a plus de trois cent cinquante monuments à voir. Bordeaux vous enchantera immédiatement.
Nous visitons Bordeaux pour le vin. Parlons de vin !
La vigne a été introduite dans la région de Bordeaux par les romans, au milieu du premier siècle. Le vin a été produit dans la région depuis. La région de Bordeaux produit environ neuf cent soixante millions de bouteilles de vin chaque année de plus de six mille vignerons. Le vin produit est le vin quotidien et certains des vins les plus chers dans le monde.
Le vin rouge et le vin blanc sont produits, mais environ quatre-vingt-dix pour cent du vin est rouge. Les vins de Bordeaux sont un mélange de raisins.
Les vins rouges sont un mélange de Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot et peut-être Malbec, Carménère, et Petit Verdot.
Les vins blancs sont un mélange de Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, et peut-être Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle, Colombard, Ugni Blanc, Merlot Blanc, et Mauzac.
Les vins de Bordeaux ont les classifications les plus détaillées au monde.
Il y a beaucoup à apprendre en visitant Bordeaux. Les régions viticoles à ne pas manquer sont le Médoc, l’Entre-Deux-Mers, et le Saint-Émilion.
Je suis impatiente de découvrir la beauté de la région de Bordeaux et de boire un vin exceptionnel !
France: My Written Journey
In January 2023, Llyane encouraged me to develop my French writing skills.
At the time, this seemed like an impossible request. You see, I have a hard time coming up with ideas to write or talk about in English. Figuring out what to write about AND THEN translate that into French made my head spin. However, I am not one to back down from a challenge. So, I embarked on a journey that has elicited emotions such as dread, fear, and frustration but has ultimately resulted in joy, satisfaction, and pride.
Here is my journey.
After many days of contemplation, I decided to write about the different places in France that I may someday like to visit. This seemed accessible to me and would also be beneficial later.
Llyane and I decided on a schedule that included submitting an article every three weeks. I won’t lie. I had no idea how I was going to do this. At the end, there are a total of eighteen articles, and my process has evolved over the course.
The first article – the introduction to the series – was one of the hardest. I had no idea how much research I needed to do, how to translate my written English into written French, or how many pages was adequate.
So, I closed my eyes and jumped in with both feet.
The Research
Initially, I began research for my articles the week before I submitted them to Llyane. However, I quickly realized that I needed to begin research as soon as the last one was finished which gave me three weeks from start to finish.
Since my research would determine where I wanted to visit, some articles took longer than others to research as it was easy to go down various rabbit holes!
Once I settled into a loose format for the articles, it was easier to keep the research on point.
The first few articles were three handwritten pages double spaced. By the end, the articles were six handwritten pages double spaced. I’m grateful Llyane learned to read my handwriting!
Translating the Research
When I first finished the research, I didn’t know what to do with it. So, I began each article by writing it in English. This was the easy part as I was able to use the full extent of my native language.
The hard part came next – translating into French.
The objective of this writing expedition was to learn the French language. I eventually developed my own method. I would take each English sentence that I had written from my research and simplify it into a sentence that I knew that I could construct in French. This meant one sentence became two a lot of times.
Llyane always encourages me to pretend like I was talking to my son when he was four or five. This reminder helped me simplify the sentences without feeling like I was losing the context and feel that I wanted. Once I had settled on a simplified sentence, I would write it in French.
This process included looking up words that I didn’t know or colloquial phrases in Reverso. My final step was to use Reverso in reverse. I’d type in the French sentence I had written to see how it was translated into English. This would allow me to understand where my mistakes were and to make tweaks, if needed.
The Final Product
After translating the article into French, I’d put it away for a while. A few days before I submitted the article to Llyane, I’d look over it one last time to check word agreement – subject-verb and adjective.
I would also read over it out loud to myself right before my next session with Llyane. When Llyane and I would meet, I would read the article to her, and she would provide pronunciation correction and suggestions for better ways to word some of the sentences so that they portrayed what I was trying to get across.
The final step was providing Llyane with a brief introduction in English and a typed version of the article in French.
I hope you enjoy the articles on the amazing country of France. They are truly a labor of love.
Michelle R.
(January 2024)
NOW IT IS YOUR TURN!
Tell us in the comments below what is YOUR list of places to discover in France?
Let me guess.
Do you constantly have the feeling that you can’t hear what the French say and you don’t know how to read all the French words because they are written so much differently than they sound?
Learn 3 secrets that will help you be self sufficient in the way you pronounce French words – even if you don’t know what they mean – so that you can read that sophisticated menu in your favorite French restaurant.
Immerse yourself as you FINALLY reach your dream of becoming bilingual, learn to speak Parisian French on Skype and BREAK your language barrier!
…and now, please SHARE this article with your friends. They’ll love you for it! : )
Always in your corner,
Llyane
Photo credit: Hotels.com
