Oh, mon Dieu! French is so difficile!

Maybe you moved to France for the love of old stones or for a certain art de vivre. Maybe you visited Bergerac on your last holiday and fell in love with the Dordogne.

 

But now you're feeling a bit stuck because you can't speak French well enough to get your point across in complex situations when the people with whom you need to interact do not speak English.

 

So you get by however you can, mostly with your phone's translation tool but you never know what it might be saying to that poor plumber and frankly, it's a bit obnoxious.

photos conversation interpretation aide linguistique anglais français bergerac

Try Interpretation+

Interpretation+ is designed to turn interpretation services into a teachable and empowering moment for you.

When you call me to come and help you out with complex conversations, I take note of the whole conversation and send you a list of vocabulary, expressions and grammar notes tailored to your level of mastery of the French language. So you kill two birds with one stone as you get something necessary done as well as learn from it.

Which situations are appropriate for Interpretation+?

- Any situation where you need to interact with a French speaker at your home, such as builders, electricians, plumbers, gardeners, etc.

- You rent out luxury gîtes and wish to offer a top-notch welcome to your guests.

- You love shopping or cultural visits and want a personalised experience.

- Any situation which occurs on a regular basis!

How does it work?

It is preferable if we get to know each other before an emergency arises. We'll talk over the phone and figure out your needs and the topics that could arise. There are thousands upon thousands of words and phrases in a language as well as an infinite number of situations in which you might need help, so it is a lot of work to create the perfect glossary for you!

Then, when the need for interpretation arises, you give me a call a few days beforehand to try and work out a day and time when you, me and the third party are all free to meet. If this is not possible, it might have to be done in several stages over the phone but it is doable.

On the day, I take note of the linguistic hotspots of the conversation and translate the conversation between you and the third party.

A few days later, you will receive a bilingual summary of the conversation as well as a glossary which you will be able to re-use in the future if the same situation arises again. 

Are there situations or places where this can't be done?

Yes. This service is intended for everyday situations and cannot be used in hospital or legal settings or any context in which extra skills are needed such as knowledge and practise of certain sports. Visits to the vet are ok though. Do feel free to inquire and I will see what we can do!

How is this better than automated interpretation?

Automated interpretation slows down conversations quite a bit and becomes messy when extra clarifications are required. While impressive when translating simple strings of speech, automated interpretation struggles to grasp context and anything which needs to be understood ''between the lines''. It has no access to the real world on which speech heavily relies!

Also, automated interpretation will not give you extra linguistic information. With my approach, you can learn from our interaction and hope to reuse what you have learned over time. While this service is not intended to be a language lesson per se, you will benefit from the real-life situation setting as it will make it easier to understand and remember new vocabulary and phrases.

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