au sujet du français, l'avis de Christoph Ozdoba
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écrit par villerville le 22 janvier 2006 11:42:39:
en réponse à: Zen de quoi ? écrit par jclaude le 21 janvier 2006 22:46:21:
Horology is my hobby - should I learn French?
Someone actually asked this question a while ago. First, I thought that it was a funny kind of question, but the more I thought about it, the more I found that it deserves a well-founded answer.
This answer is clear and simple:Yes.
Just as English is the lingua franca of air traffic, computer science, and banking, French is indispensable if you want to seriously enter the realm of horology. Switzerland has four official languages - French, German, Italian, and Rumantsch (a very special language spoken in the Grisons) -, but, with one exception, all Swiss Horology Schools are in the French-speaking area of the country. (The exception is the school in Grenchen in the canton of Solothurn where German is spoken.)
So, should you ever decide to learn the Art and Craft of watchmaking in Switzerland, French would certainly be useful ...Furthermore, a lot of literature, both classic and contemporary, is only available in French. Imagine to be able to read Berthoud's "Essai sur l'Horlogerie" in the original version!
If you collect Omega watches, the book "Omega Saga" by Marco Richon is a must - this book is only available in a French edition. Raymond Nardin's "Les Chronomètres de Marine Ulysse Nardin" is another example of contemporary literature that a collector of either marine chronometers or of Ulysse Nardin watches will want to add to his collection and that has not (yet) been translated.At the time of writing, there is an interesting exposition about Balinese calendars in the Musée d'Horlogerie in Le Locle. At the entrance, you get one of these small devices that look like a cellular phone - you hold it to your ear, and you get a detailed explanation about every single item in the exposition. The narrator speaks - right, French!
Last not least, travelling in the "Watch Valley" in Western Switzerland can become difficult if you can't communicate with the people there ...
Now please don't think that I speak fluent French - I took French in school, back in the early seventies, and occasionally, I need it on the job. I read it far better than I write it, and I understand it far better than I speak it, but it's not a language with which I feel totally comfortable.
In July 2002, I was invited to a personal guided tour through the Zenith factory in Le Locle (a richly illustrated report will appear on my Zenith pages soon). The gentleman who had invited me and who showed me around was kind enough to speak German, his German being much better than my French. All the people in the factory that we talked to and who demonstrated to me what they were doing, however, spoke French, and I even found that I was able to follow their explanations ;-)
When I read French books that interest me, I always have my copy of Berner's dictionary and a voluminous French/German dictionary beside me.
You don't have to try to achieve perfection - but a working knowledge of the language opens new worlds!Alors, mes chers amis, commencez à étudier une des plus belles langues du monde!
So, my dear friends, start learning one of the most beautiful languages in the world!
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