How the French Language Struggles in the Technology Age
Take this from someone who went to college in a French-speaking country: no one takes la langue more seriously than the francophone. Heritage, cultural pride, and a sense of protection keep the government involved in the purity of francais, so much so that other languages have suffered in many francophone countries, most particularly France, itself. (Just ask the English-speaking Montrealers who were around in the 70's). In fact, linguistic delegation started in 1593, and 'La délégation générale à la langue française et aux langues de France,' or the committee that delegates the languages of France, ensures that signs, contracts, and advertisements all feature French prominently. Yet, with the rise of the Internet and rapidly developing buzzwords, the French are getting un petit perdu. The Wall Street Journal chronicles the long 18 months it took for a 17-member French assembly to suggest an adequate signifier for "cloud computing." Their nominee (informatique en nuage) apparently feels too confusing in French, and has been sent back for a review. Other terms that have been attacked by the specially designed Commission of Terminology and Neology are "emoticon" (frimousse, or literally 'show off), "Trojan horse" (cheval de Troie, or 'horse of Troy') and "World Wide Web" (toile d'araignée mondiale, or 'global spider web'), all terms that Louis VIII certainly never had to tackle.
It's an interesting conundrum, and one that many languages face in a rapidly globalizing world. The French, however, have a history of guarding their language, which is certainly good news for future French speakers. However, 18 months on "cloud computing" does seem a little excessive -- especially since the term means nothing to most Americans, either. [From: WallStreetJournal.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mark Carlson said 7:27AM on 10-20-2009
Dear Ms. Brillson,
Take it from someone who has lived and worked in France for two decades: "someone who went to college in a French-speaking country" should be able to come up with a better translation of "a little lost" than "un petit perdu". Even Google Translate would have given you the right translation for that one.
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