I recently heard Kerstin Cable, in an interview by Géraldine Lepère, talk about the importance of specific long-term language goals as well as a plan to reach them. A goal to get “fluent” is way too vague. French has turned out to be a lifelong enterprise for me, which I started when I was a teenager and will probably never end until I die. After listening to Kerstin, I thought about French and realized that I have quite a few specific goals which I would like to meet in my lifetime. In case anyone is interested, here they are. Writing them down like this will help me to think about my goals for each of my other languages. Reading about them might help you to think about your own goals for each language and make them clear in your mind. 

First, I have several goals which I can group…

With the hope of saving a few pennies, I scoured the Edmonton-area public and university libraries in search of DELF preparation/teaching materials–alas, I couldn’t find anything that held much promise.   Before rushing out to spend my hard-earned money on the first book I bumped into, I thought it would be worth it to check in with a friend in France who is somewhat familiar with the publishing industry– perhaps she could recommend something?

True to her style, she responded with a ‘to-the-point’ four word message:  » Of course Hachette FLE », and included a link to the book cover you see here.

After poking around their website, I called one of their North American distributors in Montréal (Librairie MICHEL FORTIN)to place my order.

I have to be honest, when given the choice, I called the English number—I know, lame, eh? However, when the guy answered the phone in French it felt…

A couple of months ago I threw a book into the dustbin. I have never thrown a book away before, but then again I have never disliked a book enough to warrant doing so. What was the book, you might ask? Humiliating an author is not very ‘bon esprit’ but some may recognise the book  nevertheless.

Every so often I pick up a book written by an author who has started a new life abroad. Most are amusing or heart-rending or downright outrageous tales of  courage or mishap in the face of adversity. The particular tale that ended in the waste-paper basket was one in which a woman had simply given up her life abroad. Of course many have given up on a life inundated with drama and catastrophe, and there is nothing wrong with that; but the author of the book in question had given up on their dream…