Posted by ultraright (HSE-Toronto-ppp302693.sympatico.ca | 64.231.61.229) on June 02, 2003 at 13:28:32:
In Reply to: Re: forgot to mention / ask posted by Kitsune Sniper on June 02, 2003 at 10:07:10:
> > would foreign languages help me get a job or something? or would it help me out at the workplace? and how much french is actually used in canada anyways? i seen french stop signs at the border crossing, but thats about all the french i've seen there. but i haven't actually been out to the quebec/montreal area, so i wouldn't know i guess.
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> I had two Quebecan [is this correct?] classmates two years ago. They spoke little Spanish, normal English, and a shitload of French. I think that you do need a lot of French to be in Quebec - everywhere else, at least from what I've seen, seems more English oriented.
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> Down here in Mexicali, if you know English, that's bonus points for your job because we border the US of A and get a lot of customers from that side. But if you know French, German, Japanese, Chinese especially, you can get a VERY good job at a factory or company as a translator, interpreter, or an administrative position. I'd assume that knowing French is a bonus if you want to go to Canada. :)
Quebecer or Quebecois. Yeah, French would be pretty handy in Quebec. The language laws are fairly strict. You're an Anglophone in Quebec and you want your kid to go to an English school? It wont be on the state dime. Outside of Quebec, French is only really useful for politicians or people in customer service, especially for government jobs. In Toronto, the major population center, French would be less useful than Chinese, Hindi or Urdu. Plus you better speak perfect fucking French. They're really rude about it. My boss and his family grew up in Montreal as Anglophones. But even though they're very fluent in French, it's never good enough when they speak to anyone from Quebec.