Vous etes malade?

As a Canadian, I feel a deep sense of shame whenever I need to use a French interpreter at the clinic. In Grade 10 French, I didn't have the slightest inkling that fifteen years later I'd be a physician to French-speaking Africans.

If only I had learned how to ask about chest pain or bowel movements, instead of memorizing all the items one would bring 'a la plage', and the gender of a hundred fruits and vegetables.

Comments

[nicolien]

Hihi! I did the opposite... Before I went on a long trip to Kenya & Tanzania, I took a language course. Unfortunately, the only thing on offer in the whole of Amsterdam was a course for medical students. So now I can ask about bowl movements and previous pregnancies in Swahili, but hardly know how to order myself some food :)

[Chandra]

Of course, it should be "Etes-vous malade", because you switch the subject and verb to create a question... :o)

[Lisa G]

I remember very little Spanish from my time in Belize. Unfortunately, if I ever plan on going on vacation in Mexico I doubt asking "Quantos emberazo?" (sp?) would be helpful. Somehow I can't see knowing how many times someone has been pregnant will help me get a Margarita!

[Jody]

Try this: Grow up in Northern BC, know not even one French speaking person, in high school complete French class through correspondance...and then move to Ottawa!!!

[Erica Feunekes]

When in Jakarta almost 2 years ago, we had to go to immigration to get some paperwork completed. There I met a woman from Mali who only spoke French and some Indonesian. I dug way deep into the back of my brain for the French that I learned up until grade 12 and the Indonesian that I had learned 4 years earlier and we actually had a conversation of sorts! I love talking with folks from different places!