Posted in Commentaires Inter-culturelles

Appel à la participation des amis … du Paris Savannah Connection!

The Paris Savannah Connection a besoin de vous !

Voici quelques indications et infos … qui? quoi? quand? comment? pourquoi?

qui? : toute personne compétente en anglais OU en français OU aspire à être bilingue … , celles et ceux qui aiment la photo, les arts, la littérature; celles et ceux qui ont des compétences en TEFL, en FLE, en programmation WordPress, PHP, en numérique, en graphisme …

pourquoi faire? rédiger, traduire, relire, programmer … ou contribuer un peu de votre temps dans votre spécialité – en anglais ou en français … ou par un “sponsoring” d’une newsletter!

quand? A votre guise … le matin, le midi, le soir! Quand vous disposez de quelques minutes et d’un accès à internet.

comment? en assumant une petit tâche – ou en créant quelque chose de votre propre gré … Il y a tellement de choses à faire.

pourquoi? parce que vous aimez le site et l’idée du Paris Savannah Connection et que vous aimeriez le voir évoluer … de façon bilingue. Parce que le monde enligne est un monde collaboratif … Parce que vous souhaitez élargir votre propre visibilité et ceci entre l’Europe et l’Amérique du Nord. Et qui sait? Il y a, éventuellement, d’autres formes de réciprocité !

Si vous souhaitez participez, n’hésitez pas à me contacter …>>> envoyez  un message à Mark

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Posted in Commentaires Inter-culturelles

Y a-t-il des photographes parmi vous?

Certainement! Si vous avez des photos de Paris ou de Savannah que vous aimeriez partager … faites-moi savoir! Je les ajouterai aux galéries! Bonne journée, Mark

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Posted in Music Cross Cultural Comments USA Audio Cinema Video

“Singin’ in the Rain”

If you need to get out of a rainy mood, or if you just happen to like movies, take a 4 minute refresher by watching this!

A. 0. Scott takes a look at the 1952 musical:

Singin’ in the rain !

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Posted in Commentaires Inter-culturelles

A voleur voleur et demi.

It takes a thief to catch a thief…

Listen …

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Posted in Cross Cultural Comments Popular sayings, proverbs & quotes

It takes a thief … to catch a thief.

It takes a thief to catch a thief …

Listen …

A few years back, I needed to replace a “burglar-proof” door. There were different models: some were 3-point systems, others were 5-point… and then there were others that had even more. When I asked how long it would take a professional burglar to get through … the answer was …

“a minute a point …

Apparently the best locksmiths … like those who can put a rubik’s Cube back to its original state in a few minutes … are those who’ve cracked the code … who have learnt the secrets.

There’s an old Eastern European proverb which says:

“Old highwaymen make the best police…

but … there are not only men on the road … 

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Posted in Cross Cultural Comments Reading

James Dyson, and building a better vacuum: newyorker.com

Bristish engineer and inventor James Dyson wasn’t so happy about his own vacuum cleaner … so he designed a better one. And opened up an entirely new market.

Knighted by the Queen … Engineer James became … Sir James!

A story worth reading:

James Dyson, and building a better vacuum: newyorker.com.

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Posted in Commentaires Inter-culturelles

Non … c’est non!

 

Après le premier vient le … ?

Il suffit de cliquer … d’écouter  … une fois … deux fois …. puis … !

[audio:http://www.paris-savannah.com/wp-content/uploads/ex18110d1.mp3|titles= …. ]

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Posted in Commentaires Inter-culturelles Les Newsletters

Newsletter du 27 septembre 2010

When I first began teaching English in France, I heard an expression I had never encounterd before: False Friends. What in the world could that mean? Only a Frenchman studying English would know … that he meant word look-alikes or even worse, imposters or traitors!

There are quite a few words which, in French and in English, have the same or similar spellings, maybe the same roots, maybe even similar pronunciations but which are not used in the same ways in the two languages.  As with wild mushrooms … some look-alikes … are dangerous.

If you hear a Frenchman say “actually” in English … you can be suspicious. The word slips into a sentence easily and isn’t illogical in most cases. If the Frenchman knows that the word means “in fact” and he uses it that way … that’s fine. BUT if he thinks that “actually” is the faithful translation of the French word “actuellement” … we’re mistaken and into … look-alikes: A fair translation of the idea of “actuellement” would be “now, at the present time.”

Not just two words but two different concepts.

The French word, actuel, expresses a concept in TIME; the English word actual expresses the concept of fact, of ACCURACY.

The same is true of the look-alike “eventuel” and the English “eventual.” The French word means … perhaps, maybe, possibly, could be, might be … The concept behind the word: what about … non-committment ?

And the English word “eventual” ? Sooner or later we’ll get to that one … when we’re into the concept of time … we’ll get there …. gradually.

Misunderstandings are born of … assumptions. Beware of look-alikes!

Tip of the day: In order to avoid misunderstandings, ask questions!  Just to confirm what you think you understood. It’s very … economical.

Fortunately … “false” friends aren’t the only kind … There are real and sincere friendships too, with long and deep roots, including one that is called Franco-American.

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Posted in Uncategorized

des chiffres ronds et des généralités!

What do round numbers and generalties have in common?

They’re always false!

And while I’m tempted to say that ‘down’ here in  Savannah everyone’s so nice … it’s probably because we just haven’t encountered the other kind! But kind they are.  And while that may be just the generality we want to avoid … the folk I’ve been meeting are hard-working, upstanding friendly souls … the kind Woody Guthrie could have sung about.

Yesterday, I met Lem for the first time. He comes from Darlington, South Carolina. A fine man, finer you’d probably not find: Stephanie said she didn’t take the first one that came along, and not the second or third either…. She waited for the best.  And they make a mighty fine couple.

Lem says there are about 6500 people in Darlington and that they’re good folk.

France, too, has lots and lots of real good folk.  Just got to get to know ’em.

Sit down to table. Share a few dozen oysters with a Muscadet or a “pot au feu” and a simple red wine and you’ll … start to get to know each other. Not just the appearances but what you’ve got in common … rather than what separates you.

And that involves one of the best qualites we can have:  knowin’ how to listen … and knowin’ when to talk.

And that ain’t no generality.  Just the plain simple truth.

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Posted in Commentaires Inter-culturelles

Wait a second!

une seconde n’en est qu’une parmi 60 …

[audio:http://www.paris-savannah.com/wp-content/uploads/ex18110c1.mp3|titles=Wait a second!]

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