【都市漫谈】伴随全球化发展 英语在法国接受度提高

A recent survey found that the French are the second-most insecure people in Europe after Italy about their proficiency in English. Only 13 percent of the French respondents believed they are proficient in the language, according to the European data agency Eurostat.

The situation is no better in business circles, where three-quarters of French executives feel unprepared to hold an interview in English and only 16 percent say they feel comfortable with the language, a separate survey showed.

The survey results aren't surprising. The French seem to have always had this cold and gloomy attitude toward the English language. But what struck me is that, despite the French pessimism, living in Paris without being able to speak the language of Moliere is easier these days than in the past.

New immigrants are part of the reason. I can have an easy chat with the owner of the laundromat in my neighborhood. Buying the medicine I need at the local pharmacy is effortless. Ordering a meal in English at the restaurant two blocks away from my apartment does not make me feel awkward. It is all because the people who run these businesses are immigrants.

With the world becoming smaller and the economic interests of countries becoming so intertwined, immigrants and foreign cultures are pouring into the country. Boundaries are becoming less visible, and it is much harder for people to live an easy life by simply clinging to their own language.

Greater tolerance and acceptance of non-French speakers is a reflection of the fact that France, willingly or not, has begun to embrace globalization more comfortably. For instance, you will never get the same look you would have had 15 years ago if you ask for directions in English on the streets of Paris.

I have also met many native French who are happy to communicate in English. They are usually the kind of people who are open-minded and are sensitive to the changes beyond their own territories. They are very interested in gaining insight into what is happening on the other side of the globe.

In May, the French Parliament passed a law to allow university classes to be taught in English in an effort to boost the attractiveness of the country's universities. The opposition and the controversy it generated showed that the French are still struggling with their insecurity toward English, the invasion of Anglo-American culture and the sense of decline in terms of international influence.

In my hometown, English is also being hotly debated since Beijing education authorities decided to reduce the importance of English proficiency in college entrance exams and simultaneously increase that of the Chinese language and literature.

The Chinese and the French share similarities in attitudes toward foreign languages. We are both so proud of our own languages and cultures that we can feel uncomfortable when we are forced to communicate in another language.

But like it or not, English is still the most widely used language in the world, at least for the foreseeable future. For some occupations, it is a must-speak language. The Chinese people have realized this fact since the country's opening-up in the late 1970s.

After all, it is not about abandoning one's own language but about being able to fit more easily into this globalized world.

By Li Xiang ( China Daily)

最近的一项调查发现，在欧洲法国人是继意大利人之后第二大对英语感到不安的人。据欧洲数据机构欧盟统计局调查显示，仅有13%的法国受访者认为他们可以熟练运用英语。

另一个单独的调查显示，这一状况在商界也不乐观，在法国商界有四分之三的高管对英语采访感到不安，仅有16%的人表示他们对英语得心应手。

这一调查结果并不让人意外，法国人看上去一直对英语持有冷漠、阴郁的态度。但是在我眼里，尽管法国人对英语抱有悲观情绪，不会法语的人在巴黎生活却比以前要容易得多。

一部分原因是新移民的影响，我可以在我家附近的洗衣店同老板轻松地聊天，也可以毫不费力地在当地药房购买到我需要的药品，用英语在离我家两条街道远的餐馆里点餐也不会让我感到尴尬。这都是因为经营这些生意的人都是移民。

随着世界变得越来越小，国家的经济利益变得相互影响，移民和外来文化正在涌入每个国家。语言的界限变得越来越模糊，对人们来说，想要仅依靠自己的语言过轻松的生活变得越来越难。

对不说法语的人更大的包容和接受反映了法国如今的现实，不论愿不愿意，法国已经开始更加自如地接受全球化了。比如，当你在巴黎街上用英语问路的时候，路人的表情不会再跟15年前那样。

我也遇到过很多法国本土人，他们很乐于用英语交流。他们通常是那种思想开放、对自己国家领域外的变化很敏感的人，他们很有兴趣了解发生在地球另一边的事情。

五月法国国会通过了一项法律，允许用英语讲授大学课程，目的在于提高国内大学的吸引力。这项法律引起的反对和争议表明了法国人仍然挣扎于对英语的不安全感、英美文化的入侵，以及法语国际影响力的逐渐衰退。

自从北京政府教育部门决定在高考中降低英语能力的重要性，同时提高汉语语言和文化的重要性之后，这一举措就在我的家乡引起了热烈的讨论。

中国和法国在对待外国语言方面抱有相同的态度。我们都以自己的语言和文化为荣，以至于当我们被迫用别的语言与别人交流的时候，我们就会感到很不自在。

但是不管喜欢还是不喜欢，英语仍然是世界上最广泛应用的语言，至少在可预见的将来是这样。有一些职业要求必须说英语。自从二十世纪七十年代末中国进行改革开放以来，中国人民已经认识到了这个事实。

总而言之，这不是抛弃自己的语言，而是让自己更从容地融入到全球化的世界中去。