Archive for 'Culture'
French Music – Hélène Ségara Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 9, 2009
Hélène Ségara was born on February 26, 1971, on French soil to an Italian father and an Armenian mother. Growing up on the French Riviera, Hélène suffered the divorce of her parents and her beloved grandfather’s death. After winning a local music contest at age 11, she left her family and studies at the age…
French Names Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 5, 2009
Tonight, I’m thinking about French names. Why? Well, one of my best childhood friends is pregnant. She told me today. And her name is Anne, which is apparently the French spelling for the standard English name ‘Ann’. So, I was thinking that she could give her daughter or son a French name. According to the…
Like Quizzes?? Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 18, 2009
I love to complete quizzes and surveys of all kinds – especially those you find in magazines. Hmmm…yes, I do have plenty of other things to do (work, study, take care of kids), but don’t we all need a bit of distraction in our lives? Well, I was just reading the French magazine Elle…
French Music – Garou Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 17, 2009
Another of my favorite French-language singers is Garou. As did many French people, I first fell in love with this Quebec-born singer listening to the Notre Dame de Paris CDs. He played Quasimodo in the musical drama that toured Paris, Montreal, Lyon, Brussels and London. The winner of many international music awards, he got his…
L’Auberge Espagnole …un film à voir Posted by Transparent Language on Jan 28, 2009
I mentioned in an earlier post that one of my very favorite films of all time is a French film that was released in 2002 and I would recommend it to everyone, especially anyone who has ever studied abroad or even just anyone who wishes to remember their college years. Nominated for several French César…
Why Learn French -Top Ten Reasons Posted by Transparent Language on Jan 15, 2009
Sometimes in our language-learning processes with all the ups and downs that go with it, we forget why we wanted to start learning French in the first place or especially why we want to continue studying and improving. Was it because it was a high school requirement, a college requirement, we wanted to maybe someday…
French Christmas Carols and their English Equivalents Posted by Transparent Language on Dec 15, 2008
As promised, here are the French Christmas carols again and their English equivalents or translations… Vive le vent Jingle Bells Douce nuit Silent Night Le divin enfant He is Born, the Holy Child Noël blanc White Christmas Rodolphe Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer Venez divin Messie O Come, Devine…