So much for that!!
It's probably not what the Irish want to hear.
Or all those Netherlanders and Scandinavians who've learned to speak English very well.
Because the UK is leaving. Too bad. I’ll bet his French is a bad as his English.
No one had greater disdain for the French than Mark Twain
And no one ridiculed the French language better than Mark Twain.
Twain discovered a French translation of his story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”.
He back-translated the story into English, word for word, retaining the French grammatical structure and syntax.
He then published all three versions: the original, the French translation, and his re-translation of the French back into English.
Here it is in published form:
Read it online here:
SAMPLES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Original: The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Rev. Leonidas W. H’m, Reverend Le—well, there was a feller here, once by the name of Jim Smiley, in the winter of ‘49 —or maybe it was the spring of ‘50—I don’t recollect exactly, somehow, though what makes me think it was one or the other is because I remember the big flume warn’t finished when he first come to the camp; but anyway, he was the curiousest man about always betting on anything that turned up you ever see, if he could get anybody to bet on the other side; and if he couldn’t he’d change sides. Any way that suited the other man would suit him any way just so’s he got a bet, he was satisfied. But still he was lucky, uncommon lucky; he most always come out winner. He was always ready and laying for a chance; there couldn’t be no solit’ry thing mentioned but that feller’d offer to bet on it, and take any side you please, as I was just telling you. If there was a horse-race, you’d find him flush or you’d find him busted at the end of it;
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The same paragraph clawed back to English from the French translation:
Back Translation - The Frog Jumping of the County of Calaveras
It there was one time here an individual known under the name of Jim Smiley; it was in the winter of ‘89, possibly well at the spring of ‘50, I no me recollect not exactly. This which me makes to believe that it was the one or the other, it is that I shall remember that the grand flume is not achieved when he arrives at the camp for the first time, but of all sides he was the man the most fond of to bet which one have seen, betting upon all that which is presented, when he could find an adversary; and when he not of it could not, he passed to the side opposed. All that which convenienced to the other to him convenienced also; seeing that he had a bet Smiley was satisfied. And he had a chance! a chance even worthless; nearly always he gained. It must to say that he was always near to himself expose, but one no could mention the least thing without that this gaillard offered to bet the bottom, no matter what, and to take the side that one him would, as I you it said all at the hour (tout a l’heure).
Europe is losing importance, Clod.
This from 2013 directly refutes his claims,
“President François Hollande’s government takes on a contentious issue: how to persuade — or even allow — the French to speak more English, while preserving their own cherished language.”
http://world.time.com/2013/06/21/the-anglo-invasion-france-debates-teaching-courses-in-english/
Did you hear that,Ireland? Now that you know how unimportant *you* are to your German masters in Brussels maybe it’s time for *you* to withdraw as well.
In pre- WWII days French was the language used in diplomacy and international affairs. In the years since it has switched to English. The French elite think English, especially American English is low class.
As long as you Frenchies know the word for “I surrender” you know all you need to about any language.
The Kuwait refinery being constructed for operation by Royal Dutch shell who hired a UK engineering firm to look after their interests monitoring the American design engineers that has parts of the work done by engineers in India to be constructed by two Korean mega construction firms is accomplished communications in English
English is the business world’s lingua franca (pun intended) for a reason.
Take a look at any of the instruction sheets that come with “some assembly required’ furniture or electronics, just to name two. If they are in many languages, check out which one is the shortest - always English.
In the business world, time is money and if you have to go on and on to get your point across, you lose out.