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Meet Gérald Darnis, a French marine biologist who studies zooplankton in the Arctic on the Canadian icebreaker Amundsen.

After completing a PhD in oceanography, Gerald went on his first expedition in the Arctic. I asked him to share his first memories of going into a place of the world where very few of us will ever go.

What is plankton? How and why is it interesting to study these tiny organisms? Why studying it in the Arctic? These are some of the questions we’ll answer to in this first episode with Gérald.

Plankton is an essential part of the marine ecosystem while the Arctic region is directly impacted by climate change. Therefore, studying the impact of the global warming on the zooplankton in the Arctic helps scientists to understand how all the ecosystem may be impacted.

azote (nm) = nitrogen

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Joseph Puzo is the CEO (in French, “PDG”) of AXON’ Câble, a very high technology entreprise producing cables. These are not just any cables: Axon’ is the provider for the French Ariane space rockets, Airbus aircrafts, the camera on the Discovery robot sending pictures of planet Mars to the world, and many other fascinating projects!

Coming from an Italian family, Joseph Puzo came to France as a young child and therefore French was, like you, a foreign language he quickly learnt. In this episode, discover Joseph’s life journey: you’ll get to see how his early studies and trainings were already telling that he’s always had an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset. Mr Puzo became the manager of Axon’ during the early 1980’s financial crisis. The only way to save the factory from bankruptcy then was to differentiate it from its many competitors and start producing high-technology cables. This became a turning point for the entreprise.

Joseph Puzo will share his valuable experience of the business world. How to stimulate innovation ? How to find engineers willing to work in a rural area? Why is it actually a good thing when your boss is bad?

You can also read more about Joseph Puzo in the short book “Réinventer l’industrie : les aventures de Joseph Puzo”. Listen to the episode to hear anecdotes about how the book was written and why the name “Axon'” may be a revenge on Joseph’s difficulties with French pronunciation when he was a child!

chef (nm) = boss, manager

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What do airbags, artificial hearts and the Discovery robot have in common?

Joseph Puzo is the CEO (in French, “PDG”) of AXON’ Câble, a very high technology entreprise producing cables. These are not just any cables: Axon’ is the provider for the French Ariane space rockets, Airbus aircrafts, the camera on the Discovery robot sending pictures of planet Mars to the world, and many other fascinating projects!

This world class industry is actually established in my small hometown, Montmirail, bordering fields in the Champagne region.

An episode about electric cables? Fear not, this interview is far from being boring!! Listen to find out about more projects that require high precision cables, sometimes thinner than a hair. You’ll be impressed at what humankind is now able to do to push the boundaries of space exploration and medical science.

For instance, France has developed the “cœur Carmat”, the first artificial heart that replaces the actual heart and Axon was involved in this project.

If you’ve always thought that “a cable is a cable” (or if you hadn’t given it any thought before!), Joseph Puzo will share with you its industrial secret: the very recipe to make unique, high technology cables. How specific do they need to be compared to standard cables? What do they need to resist to? And how to test them in environment where Man has never been?

Joseph Puzo definitely has a real talent at explaining technical, complex information in a very clear, simple manner. Follow his fascinating stories and journey in the first of this 2-parts episode!

brevet (nm) = patent

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The post FV 089 : (Part 1) The success story of entrepreneur Joseph Puzo appeared first on French Your Way.

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This is the second part of my conversation with Maryse Mounier, a hard-working French woman growing bourbon vanilla on the Réunion island.

Maryse will tell us in details about the process vanilla beans go through from the harvest until they are ready to be sold on the market. You’ll probably be surprised by how precise each stage is! (temperature, time, etc.). Vanilla from La Réunion is unfortunately on the decline despite its excellent quality as it suffers from competition from Madagascar.

Maryse will share her best tips on how to tell a good quality vanilla from a mediocre one – if steps are skipped in the process, the end result won’t be as good. Pods looking big and fleshy can actually be deceptive: they’ll be attractive to the customer who may think that they’ll get more out of the pods but these pods haven’t been dried properly and may just rot before you use them!

How best to store your vanilla pods? What’s the difference between vanilla extract and vanilla essence? How can you use vanilla more creatively in your kitchen? Vanilla is often associated to sweetness because it is traditionally used for baking desserts. However, vanilla itself is not sweet and can be used in your next carbonara or mayonnaise recipe! Let the expert tell you more about this!

affinage (nm) = maturing ; refining (sugar)

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The post FV 088 : (Part 2) How to tell a good quality vanilla? With Maryse Mounier from plantation Vanilla Bourbon appeared first on French Your Way.

I have released “How to sound like a native French speaker“, my online course to help you with EVERYTHING you need to know about French pronunciation, intonation and rhythm.

www.frenchyourway.com.au/nativespeaker

The idea for creating a dedicated course came from the many questions that students have asked me over the years and the recurring struggles that I noticed they were facing. For example, with the French liaisons, the nasals, how to pronounce the accents above some vowels, etc.

There are 2 dimensions that will help you sound more French:

The course covers years of learning (when it comes to correct pronunciation and intonation).  actually believe that it is THE most comprehensive course you can find on this topic.

When you buy the course, you get:

All lesson videos also available in audio format so you can listen again on the go!

Special offer to celebrate the launch (if you get the course before May 21st )

I’ll send you:

SAVE THE DATE! I’ll answer your questions about French phonetics live on Facebook on  Saturday May 19th at 1.30pm (AEST) Melbourne Australia time… See you then? ?

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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Today’s guest Maryse Mounier is a very energetic woman who is passionate about vanilla. She is working, on her own, in the forest where she grows Bourbon vanilla, a type of vanilla which is famous worldwide for its high quality and strong flavour.

Bourbon was actually the former name of La Réunion island and we call “vanille bourbon” the vanilla beans coming from the vanilla planifolia plant. You can also find vanilla planifolia in other areas such as Madagascar or the Comoros but they are grown differently. For example, Maryse Mounier’s plantation is located on a very old lava track Réunion, which means her vanilla grows on very little soil but on a volcanic land.

Vanilla is a climbing vine which is quite fragile and growing it takes a lot of care and patience: you’ll need to wait several years before getting your first vanilla flowers! In addition, growing vanilla also requires hard physical work, is entirely done by hand – which explains why vanilla is the second most expensive spice after saffron. Although vanilla has become an emblem of the area, this plant is actually not native from La Réunion and there are no insect pollinating the flower on the island. Fecundation must therefore be done by hand in order to get the vanilla pods!

In this episode, you’ll also learn that Maryse is comes from Métropole (= Mainland France) and fell in love with vanilla when she moved in La Réunion. After growing it in her garden for her own consumption, Maryse got the opportunity to get a long-term lease of land in a primal forest which she had to clear out herself. Being a woman and a “Zoreille” were initially a challenge for her. What’s a “zoreille”? Listen to find out!

agriculteur, -trice = farmer

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The post FV 087 : (Part 1) How to tell a good quality vanilla? With Maryse Mounier from plantation Vanilla Bourbon appeared first on French Your Way.

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Frenchwoman Stéphanie Brillant is the director (= réalisatrice) of documentary film “Brainious” – “Le cerveau des enfants” in French.

I first watched the documentary because as a parent, I want to be the best possible guide for my daughter, develop and maintain a strong bond with her based on trust so she can become a confident and independent person.

Although the film gives food for thought about how to best help children to reach their full potential, it is not only aimed at parents or caregivers: it is also an invitation to understand oneself, to explore how our present behaviours have been shaped by your own upbringing. The approach is never dogmatic and doesn’t tell you how you should raise your child – each way of doing being unique, just as every human being is. It is however fascinating to shed light on how the brain is naturally wired – because what seems like pure psychology is actually related to how the brain works and develops.

The very culture in which you grow up plays a role in how you respond to events. Stephanie will give examples illustrating how and why French pupils are afraid of making mistakes whereas in the US – where she now lives- she observed these mistakes were being embraced as fully part of the learning process.

Relationships are key to an individual’s psychological development. Words are powerful and can make or break a sensitive person. Stephanie will share her very own example of how she sabotaged her school years because of the way influential people were seeing her.

You’ll also understand why you are actually NOT doing children a favour by praising how smart they are; you’ll find other alternatives to help stimulate their resilience and problem-solving skills.

We’ll discuss why traditional classroom settings are in total contradiction with the way children learn – through movement. Why is it then that they’re asked to stay still for hours at a desk? What does research say and how can we address this paradox?

Stéphanie interviewed many experts (neuroscientists, researchers, psychologists, specialists in behavioural science, in parenting, etc.); she went to visit and film schools in which the children are learning to be mindful and emotionally healthy. There are very simple tricks that can be taught to children so that they learn to identify and handle their emotions – these should be taught in every classroom!

“Brainious” explores so many concepts we didn’t have the time to touch on all of them in the interview. I simply encourage you to watch this one of a kind documentary!

acquis (nm, adj) = learned knowledge; acquired, learned

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For the first time in French Voices, I’m interviewing a guest from La Réunion! Réunion Island is a tropical French department (un département d’Outre-Mer = overseas region) located in the Indian Ocean. It is known for its beautiful landscapes, with volcanoes, rainforest, coral reefs and beaches.

Guest Aline Peltier is a volcanologist (=volcanologue) working at the Observatoire Volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise. Aline specialises in geodesy, the science of measuring and understanding the earth’s geometric shape. What does that mean, in the context of volcanoes? It means that by using very precise sensors (= capteurs) and GPS devices, the volcanologist is able to notice the distortion, the swelling of the earth –indicators that magma and gas are gathering under the volcano and that an eruption may be imminent. This data is very important to ensure the safety of the population and decide on a potential evacuation of the area.

What are volcanoes? Why are there even volcanoes? You’ll find that there’s a surprisingly high number of them on the planet, usually located along the tectonic plates although that is not the case at La Réunion. Le Piton de la Fournaise, an icon of the island, is an active volcano with about 2 to 3 eruptions a year and it is well monitored, which makes it a great volcano for study according to Aline.

Listen to understand what makes some volcanoes more dangerous than others, what magma is made of or when we can consider that a volcano is extinct.

Of course, as a teacher passionate about etymology, I also got interested in the meaning of the name “Piton de la Fournaise” (you’ll get to learn a bit of Creole there!)

Aline Peltier will also share with us how she first become interested in volcanoes and what the work at l’Observatoire Volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise consists of. It is very varied, with some analysis and research work, communication and education of the public but also the impressive and dangerous task of getting as close as possible to a 1200°C lava flow (= une coulée de lave) to collect samples.

We’ll end the discussion talking about the geology of the island…and why La Réunion is actually growing!

anomalie (nf) = anomaly, irregularity

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This is the second part of my conversation with Frenchman Alain Collas, passionate about the Napoleonic Era and a cuirassier during the historical reenactments of the battles of the Napoleonic army.

What’s exactly happening during the reenactments? I was curious to find out whether they were above all a show for the audience to see action and costumes or whether they were precise and based upon actual facts and details. Historical reenactments really are a passion for which many enthusiasts from all countries gather together, meeting on the very sites where Napoleon fought his battles. They are also a way for them to share their findings and reads on their favourite topics!

During these events, and during the Journées du Patrimoine (a yearly event in September), the audience gets to see how war surgery was performed before the invention of anaesthetic – we’ll talk about this a bit too!

Alain will also describe his impressive cuirassier uniform (see photos in the shownotes of the episode). You’ll learn that each feature has a specific function going way past ornamental purposes; indeed they can add extra protection to the soldier. For instance, the long ponytail falling at the back of the helmet protects the neck of the cuirassier from sabre blows.

We’ll end the conversation with a quote from Englishman General Wilson and discuss why French soldiers are said to be particularly brave and determined – they defend the hard-won values and principles inherited from the French Revolution.

à blanc = blank (blank bullet, shoot blanks)

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Today (as well as in the next episode of French Voices), Frenchman Alain Collas will tell you about his passion for the Consulate and Napoleonic eras.

In the early 19th century, Napoleon led some important battles in my hometown (Montmirail) and its vicinity. When I last went to France to visit my family, I set up to find a passionate person to take you back in time. When I was a child, I loved to go see the historical reenactments of the hussars during the “Journées du Patrimoine”, a yearly event in France held in September. I therefore contacted Alain Collas as he is part of the local association “Les Hussards de Lasale” to learn more about them.

Originally Hungarian, the word “hussar” (“hussard” in French) also describes soldiers in light cavalry regiments in Napoleon army. I’ll actually let Alain Collas explain to you in more details what hussars were and the different components of a Napoleonic army, but I can already tell you it was fascinating to get to understand the different types of soldiers! Depending on their roles and position on the field, their mobility, speed and equipment would differ. They would ride horses meeting these needs, for instance quick thoroughbreds for the light cavalry and scouts, robust horses for the heavy cavalry. During the historical reenactments, Alain Collas actually plays the role of a cuirassier, one of the components of the heavy cavalry – the equivalent of modern war tanks. Because of the weight of his breast plate and equipment, his horse is stocky and short so that he can mount it more easily. However, because of their outfit and reduced mobility, a cuirassier fallen from his horse would for sure lose his life.

In this first episode, we’ll also discuss what makes Napoleon so famous worldwide. We’ll talk about his legacy, both on the civil and military points of view. Did you know that the very prestigious order of merit called “la Légion d’Honneur” (= Legion of Honour) was established by Napoleon himself?

armure (nf) = armour

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