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Meet Carole, a French speech therapist (“orthophoniste”). Carole will define what speech therapy covers and you may be surprised to find out that it is MUCH more than you may have thought! How did Carole choose to become a speech therapist, and how do you even become one? These are the questions we’ll answer first. We’ll also discuss the difference between clients (customers) and patients, and how a simple choice of word may impact the way we treat people. We’ll then start tackling the different fields that Carole specialises in, starting to issues related to speech and language among children. One of many interesting points made during the episode about vocabulary is the difference between the French words “langue” and “langage” – both translated by “language” in English. We’ll also talk about the written language (reading and writing components): how can they be addressed in speech therapy?

admissible (adj) = eligible

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To celebrate this 100th episode of French Voices, YOU asked me questions!

Episode outline: 1) a bit more about myself, my travel plans and leisure (also comes with a special announcement!); 2) my experience with language learning; 3) why I podcast and how I produce the episodes; 4) discussing my resources/content and how to best support my work.

This French-only episode comes with no transcript but has a video version (https://youtu.be/8cQvYivapho) which will allow you to take a peep backstage and see the desk where I create all the content for you!

Many thanks to Catherine, Tacicia, Janice, Nick, Fiona and Thijs for your great questions!

And merci to all of you for listening!

“How to sound like a native French speaker” (online course): https://frenchyourway.teachable.com/p/how-to-sound-like-a-native-french-speaker

Did you like this podcast? You can support my work by leaving a review on iTunes. Your kind words warm my heart and also help me be found by more passionate learners of French. Merci beaucoup!

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The post FV 100 : Special Q&A with Jessica! appeared first on French Your Way.

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Meet Audrey, a French researcher working at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, Florida. Audrey will explain to you what she does there! What I love with French Voices is that you get to hear a variety of voices and accents, but also learn about so many topics and professions. Today is one of these episodes dealing with a highly specific topic, something you may even not have heard of before, and it is a GREAT exercise for your comprehension skills.

From Grenoble in France to Florida: how did Audrey get into fundamental research? Audrey is testing and studying materials by submitting them high magnetic fields, extreme pressure and extreme cold in order to understand their properties. Listen to understand why this is done and why it is important! Audrey will give us some examples of practical applications so you can understand what types of materials are now used in daily life for their properties. You’ll find out how the hot plate of your stove works! MRI scans are another revolution made possible by this essential work of research.

If you’re in the US, you may want to visit the laboratory after listening to the episode. It is possible!

azote (nm) = nitrogen

Did you like this podcast? You can support my work by leaving a review on iTunes. Your kind words warm my heart and also help me be found by more passionate learners of French. Merci beaucoup!

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The post FV 099 : Experimenting with the world’s most powerful magnets appeared first on French Your Way.

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Stephanie is a professional make-up artist from France, now living in Melbourne Australia. She’s been fascinated by make-up her whole life. We’ll talk about how she became a make-up artist and where she studied and worked. You’ll get an interesting insight of how make-up trends evolved through the ages and what the modern Australian trend looks like today, according to Stephanie. You’ll see that social media are a major factor influencing what women want to look like! Stephanie specialises in special occasion make-up aa well as theatrical, dramatic make-up…the perfect solution to look spooky for Halloween! Find out how Stephanie keeps learning new techniques and training herself. Her work is a great mix between creativity and technique! Stephanie will also talk about henna, which she also loves. What sparked her interest for henna? And by the way, what is henna? Listen to find out! Last but not least, Stephanie will share her top tip to obtain great results with your daily make-up!

(se) maquiller = to make up (oneself)

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The post FV 098 : Life of a make-up artist appeared first on French Your Way.

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This is the second part of the interview with Matthieu Lliboutry, the most friendly, fun and passionate real estate agent you’d ever meet! I’ve discovered him some time ago on one of my favourite French reality TV programme, “Chasseurs d’Appart’ “, where three real estate agents compete to find candidates their dream home or apartment. Matthieu has regular appearances in the show, mainly in episodes based in the Bordeaux area, and had always struck me for his great personality and professionalism.

In today’s episode, find out why Matthieu loves his job so much. We’ll also discuss the important of interior decoration / home staging in making a sale. Matthieu will also share some fun and not-so-fun stories he experienced during his career. You’ll also get to know the surprising best way for an agent to hunt for new properties to put on the market – it sounds like old-school ways work the best! Matthieu will also run us through parts of the process and paperwork required to buy a property in France.

We’ll also talk about Lieu de Vie, Matthieu’s own agency, the philosophy and the ethics behind it. The French TV programme has been a great and well-deserved springboard for his career.

avoir quelqu’un (fam.) = to fool someone

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The post FV 097 : (Part 2) Buying Real Estate in France appeared first on French Your Way.

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Matthieu Lliboutry may be the most friendly, fun and passionate real estate agent you’d ever meet! I’ve discovered him some time ago on one of my favourite French reality TV programme, “Chasseurs d’Appart’ “, where three real estate agents compete to find candidates their dream home or apartment. Matthieu has regular appearances in the show, mainly in episodes based in the Bordeaux area, and had always struck me for his great personality and professionalism. I decided to try my luck and reach out to him to invite him on an episode for French Voices and was so happy he accepted straight away! We ended up talking for a little while, so the conversation will be over 2 episodes.

In today’s episode, you’ll learn how Matthieu became a real estate agent. We’re also talking about the negative image associated to the real estate world: are agents just sharks looking for your money? Matthieu is passionate about certain types of buildings / architecture: which ones and why is that?

You’ll find out more about who was “le Baron Haussman” and his legacy regarding the layout of cities like Paris as well as how lifestyle influences the layout of a building’s interior. Discover what the traditional houses from Bordeaux are called and what their characteristic features are.

Parisians, foreigners : who is interested in buying a property in the Bordeaux region?  Matthieu will brush up the typical profiles of investors.

Finally, how do you assess the value of a property? What are the different factors influencing the prices in real estate?

Listen to find out!

agglomération (nf) = conurbation, urban area

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The post FV 096 : (Part 1) Buying Real Estate in France appeared first on French Your Way.

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Meet Maxime Pouvreau, a former Michelin-starred pastry chef now based in San Francisco and founder of Petit Pot, a mouth-watering brand of French desserts!

I first heard about Maxime while listening to one of my favourite podcasts, “The Pitch”, in which real entrepreneurs pitch to a live panel of investors in the hope of raising venture capital. I loved his story and wanted to invite him on French Voices!

We’ll start the discussion with a linguistic note about the use of the “tu” and “vous” forms. Maxime will then tell us about his French homeland and career history, which led him to work in many countries and luxurious restaurants and eventually settle in San Francisco. There, in the US, this Frenchman was terribly missing the French style desserts you can find at any supermarket in France (I so miss them too!!) and decided to use his culinary skills to fill this whole in the market. We’ll compare what types of desserts you can find in the aisles of American and French supermarket and you may learn one thing or two about when we typically have these creamy desserts in France!

About Petit Pot: Find out which flavours are currently available, what ingredients they are made of and which substitutes are being used in the vegan versions! Petit Pots desserts are sold in glass jars which, as Maxime will explain, is both a reference to French culture and a token of quality.

On the business development side, you’ll learn which important change Petit Pot has adjusted to over the past few years. Maxime will also share how he started producing the range and how they’ve grown and needed to scale the business. What are the future projects and dessert ideas for Petit Pot? Does Maxime now want to go back to hand-crafted patisseries or is he happy as an entrepreneur? And, very importantly, where to find the closest store selling Petit Pot if you live in the US? Listen to find out!!

apprentissage (nm) = apprenticeship, learning

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The post FV 095 : Petit Pot – Bringing French Desserts to American Tables appeared first on French Your Way.

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This is the second part of Steve Morel’s interview. Steve is a young Frenchman who fell in love with Mongolian culture and traditional musical instrument, the Morin Khuur. He used to live a “normal” life, working for a job the meaning of which he was starting to question. And then there was the change, a calling, an irresistible passion for the music he discovered. Following his heart, he soon made the trip to Mongolia and never quite came back: Steve is now living in the country’s capital city, Ulaanbaatar (Oulan-Bator in French). Today, Steve’s purpose is to spread and share his knowledge of the Mongolian culture and the Morin Khuur. Both his personal story and insights are fascinating. I really wanted to invite Steve on the podcast to help spread his passion and knowledge for a people and traditions that are little known and also because I admire him for all the hard work and dedication he puts into his projects – I know too well how much time and effort he is investing to give a voice to Mongolia.

In this second part, you’ll find out that Mongolia’s weakest point (according to Steve) is that its tradition is passed orally. It is therefore hard to find accurate information and sources and Steve is doing the work of an investigator to try to put together fragments of songs and stories for his book project of sharing and spreading Mongolian culture.

We’ll talk about Mongolian language and translation challenges (some Mongolian words don’t exist in French or English and require lengthy explanations). Steve will share how he learnt the language and has some advice for those of you who plan to visit a country in which you don’t know the language. He finds that there are 3 benefits to learning the language as soon as possible. Proverbs and idioms are often used in the Mongolian language – Steve will explain why and share his favourite proverbs with us!

At last, Steve will run us through the type of content you can find on his website. You’ll see he has many strings to his bow! Steve sells his own calligraphies, his music, his carved stone seals and much more. These as well as the crowdfunding for his book and donations help him live in Mongolia and keep his research work going so he can share his knowledge about the Morin Khuur and Mongolian culture.

arnaquer (fam.) = to swindle,to scam, to rip off

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The post FV 094 : (Part 2) – Mongolian Culture and Traditional Music with Steve Morel appeared first on French Your Way.

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Steve Morel is a young Frenchman who fell in love with Mongolian culture and traditional musical instrument, the Morin Khuur. He used to live a “normal” life, working for a job the meaning of which he was starting to question. And then there was the change, a calling, an irresistible passion for the music he discovered. Following his heart, he soon made the trip to Mongolia and never quite came back: Steve is now living in the country’s capital city, Ulaanbaatar (Oulan-Bator in French). Today, Steve’s purpose is to spread and share his knowledge of the Mongolian culture and the Morin Khuur. Both his personal story and insights are fascinating. I really wanted to invite Steve on the podcast to help spread his passion and knowledge for a people and traditions that are little known and also because I admire him for all the hard work and dedication he puts into his projects – I know too well how much time and effort he is investing to give a voice to Mongolia.

In this first part, Steve will share how his life changed and how he discovered the Morin Khuur. He’ll also discuss the French name for Morin Khuur and will reveal which translation he finds to be more accurate. Steve’s fascination for the instrument couldn’t be limited to trying to play it. Indeed, if you want the Morin Khuur to show its moving soul, you need to be able to make people who listen to it feel the wind of the steppe, imagine the smells, etc. In other words, if you want to do justice to the instrument you need to understand Mongolia.

Steve will tell you what the Morin Khuur looks like and what the two different trends/schools are. These differences are very interesting on the historical and cultural points of view. You’ll find out which side Steve took regarding these two ways of playing.

I mentioned the soul of the Morin Khuur: Steve will give you an incredible example of how the Morin Khuur is sometimes used to save a baby camel that is being rejected by their mother.

We recorded this episode in July, just before the Naadam, the traditional festival in Mongolia that is also the National Holiday – so we’ll talk about this just a little bit too.

I also asked Steve about his first impressions when he arrived in Mongolia and this part will end after we talk about the development of the country as I wanted to know whether Mongolian people were still predominantly nomadic or were settling in large cities.

à l’oreille = by ear

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The post FV 093 : (Part 1) – Mongolian Culture and Traditional Music with Steve Morel appeared first on French Your Way.

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This episode is the second part of my conversation with Gérald Darnis, a French marine biologist who studies zooplankton in the Arctic on the Canadian icebreaker Amundsen.

We’ll start by talking about this incredible boat: Gérald will describe it in such a way that you’ll picture yourself onboard. You’ll also find how sensitive electronic instruments are being used in a way that protects them from the extreme cold.

I was also curious about what a typical day may look like on board, but there is no such thing! The scientists on board are experts in so many different fields that they all work at a different pace. In the case of Gérald, the rhythm can be quite intensive, sometimes with only a couple of hours for sleep here and there. Why? Because the Amundsen stops each year at the same places – Gérald and his team need to collect and study samples of zooplankton along this route in order to see the changes that occur over time.

In the previous episode, you’ve learnt about the importance of zooplankton as the basis of the marine biosystem. And you’ve also found out why studying it in the Arctic helps understand the impacts of climatic change on the planet.

In this episode, I’ve asked Gérald whether he’s witnessed any signs of global warming over the years during his expeditions in the Canadian Arctic. We’ll discuss a few examples such as the recent sighting of orcas / killer whales, which are not usually seen in this area of the globe. Indeed, because of their long dorsal fin, orcas cannot swim (and come out to breathe) in seas covered with ice. The melting of the ice is now opening the way to these predators, making animals who were protected from them until now vulnerable.

What’s more, the new routes resulting from the melting of the ice opens new opportunities to exploit natural resources and develop tourism. Gérald will share his opinion in the topic. It’d probably be better if these beautiful areas and pristine water remained the privilege of a few to see and enjoy in a respectful way. Getting stranded in the ice days away from rescue would endanger human lives. In the same way, any oil spill would have catastrophic consequences if they couldn’t be managed straight away.

Happy listening!

banquise (nf) = ice floe, icefield, sea ice, ice pack

Did you like this podcast? You can support my work by leaving a review on iTunes. Your kind words warm my heart and also help me be found by more passionate learners of French. Merci beaucoup!

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