Parler Paris Newsletter, Paris France

FRANCE: A PASSION FOR PEOPLE

A Frenchman's look at his own people
by Pascal Jacquelin

Part I in a series...

Are the French Really Hypochondriacs?

Statistics show that my compatriots and I are avid consumers of pills. We are well-known for contributing profusely to the "trou de la Sécu," the deficit of the French welfare system. We send for the doctor at the slightest sign of an illness and although the placebo effect of the doctor's sheer presence does admittedly alleviate some of the pains and fears that we may have, who would ever think of letting the doctor leave without making sure he or she has first prescribed a couple of fully reimbursed médicaments? Is one to infer from this that the French are hypochondriacs? Maybe not, but one thing is certain: French culture is half Mediterranean and, as such, is prone to gregariousness.

Two Bises or Not Two Bises?

Contact is extremely important. For example, you just cannot meet a French friend without starting off with a few bisous (kisses). (This applies to women meeting women and men meeting women, and more rarely, but increasingly so, men meeting men.) By the way, the number of bises in Paris is generally two - one on each cheek. But there is no hard and fast rule, so you often end up on the horns of a Shakespearean dilemma: Two bises or not two bises? In any case, the bisou ritual is a perfect way to let someone into your intimate "space bubble" -- and exchange a few germs in the process.

Too Close for Comfort?

"Space bubbles" show the distance individuals maintain around them on different occasions. It is customary for Americans to remain approximately an arm's length away from the person they are conversing with, while the French, as a rule, will tend to stand closer to one another. The more Mediterranean the culture, the smaller the intimate space bubble.

La Maladie Française: "Meetingitis"

Talking of France's penchant for illnesses and contact, I would advise you to be particularly careful not to catch a widespread French disease called réunionite, which one might translate as "meetingitis:"-- a sort of inflammation of the organ regulating the urge to get together with one's peers. Just as we have an irrepressible need to see our doctor in person on a regular basis, we cannot help getting together at work for one of our sacrosanct réunions. French meetings are a bit like Saturday Night Live's "Coffee Talk." A vague topic is chosen and participants talk amongst themselves. Nobody's really verklempt, though. Especially not about the conspicuous absence of a genuine agenda. Why would we need an agenda, anyway? We let our thoughts meander and stray until we have explored all the possible avenues of the subject matter. Basically, who cares if participants don't know much about the topic in hand as long as they can express themselves using the occasional big words that will make them sound like experts. Incidentally, phrases like "Vous n'êtes pas sans savoir" (literally "you are not without knowing" for "you know") are very popular since, although they add nothing to the meaning of our message, they make it considerably longer. And the meeting drags on and on!

Relish the Thought

Another main difference between the French and American cultures which can account for this "réunionite" disease is that the French are generally more process-oriented than Americans. In France, we are all bons vivants (and not bons viveurs). We enjoy life…every moment of it. Hence we relish the prospect of a good conversation or debate. The mere thought of exchanging ideas makes some of us quiver with anticipation. Therefore, the point of most meetings is not primarily to reach a result (other meetings can be called for that)! Réunions offer us an opportunity to get together with our co-workers and engage in a long-standing social ritual. For result-oriented Americans, this might seem like a total waste of time - which, undeniably, it sometimes is.

Is the French Bureaucracy Really Just a Way to Have More Contact with the People?

This overwhelming desire that the French have to meet others is particularly acute when you are dealing with France's administrative services. An American friend once asked me to find out what documents were required to apply for la nationalité française. I very naturally started by signing onto the Préfecture website but the only thing I could find there was a telephone number. Thinking I would finally get an answer to my question, I called the number. The man who answered was surprisingly courteous; however he explained to me that such information was not available over the phone. I suddenly had the impression that I was negotiating with the secret service. That made me feel like James Bond for a moment-- what thrills one gets from calling the Préfecture! The long and short of it is that you need to go there in person and meet the very moody fonctionnaires (civil servants) behind their counters who will make a point of sending you back home -- probably so you they can see you a second, and more often than not, a third and fourth time. I suppose that, too, stems from the love that we French people have for other human beings.

But, frankly, "ce n'est plus de l'amour, c'est de la passion!"

About the Author

Pascal Jacquelin of Delta Training, has over 15 years' experience under his belt both as a translator and a trainer. At the age of 17 while pursuing his translation degree, he was quickly singled out for his exceptional linguistic abilities and had no difficulty finding a job as an English teacher and translator with a major language school in Paris. His eagerness to diversify his experience led him to move on to teaching young adults. After passing the prestigious Agrégation teaching diploma with flying colors (he came in 10th in France), he worked his way up as course organizer in a fast-expanding university outside Paris where he taught Translation, Business Negotiation and Public Speaking for five years.

Click here for more information about Pascal Jacquelin's translations services.