Bonjour
I am always amazed that I have learned Russian – well, “sort of” learned Russian.
I am not particularly proficient in the language, but I know enough to get by. I can understand most of what I hear, and most people can understand me when I talk – although my accent and pronunciation can be difficult to cope with and my vocabulary a little limited. I watch local television and films in Russian – although, if I can find a version in English I naturally prefer to watch that. I can read an get the gist of many texts, especially where the language is fairly stylized such as legislation and regulations, although newspapers reports can sometimes be difficult.
The thing is – I was never very good at languages. At school we learned French. Most of it was written French, although there was an element of oral work, and I can understand some documents written in French, such as a guide book or tour itinerary, and sometimes even newspaper reports. When we have French tourists I can follow the conversation even if I don’t understand everything and I wouldn’t claim that I speak in French – and writing French is certainly a non-starter.
At school I missed the cut for the O-level exam and had to sit the CSE exam instead. At that time the system was such that there were two exams which 16-year olds sat: there were GCE (General Certificate of Education) O-level’s (which were the academic examinations, taken by pupils in Grammar schools and those wanting to continue their education in the sixth form) and CSE’s (the Certificate of Secondary Education – which was for everyone else). Officially the top CSE grade, (a Grade 1) counted as the equivalent of a pass at O-level. I was incensed and in the sixth form went back to have another go – even though I didn’t do very well the first time round, and this time I manage to improve my grade – but missed the target and ended up with a Grade 2. Now, I am not the sort of person to give up – so I went back once more and tried again. This time I made it and got the elusive top grade.
That didn’t mean that I was proficient in the language, but gave me a useful basis and, incidentally, taught me most of my English Grammar. Although we obviously took English lessons, I think we were supposed to pick up our grammar by osmosis, rather than by formal teaching, simply being exposed to the use of the language. It was thanks to the formal instruction I got in my French lessons, that I learned why certain forms were “correct” and others not.
Anyway, I didn’t really expect to use my French – I never went to France and had little opportunity to use the knowledge and skills that I was acquiring. It was all, really, an academic exercise … like a game … like learning that a minus times a minus equals a plus – I knew the rule and was able to apply it, but it was only much later that I understood why it was so.
It was several years later when I did finally get to go to France … and suddenly found a practical use for what I had managed to assimilate sitting at the back of Room 8 for five 45-minute lessons a week for seven years. It all began to fall into place – but I would never claim to be proficient.
The visit was as part of a school trip. I went as the “statutory male”. If the party is mixed then there has to be both at least one male and one female teacher. I enjoyed the experience and subsequently went on many trips to France – many of them were school trips, but I also went quite often on a private basis – especially in the lead up to Christmas to stock up on French wine – something which I miss here, although it is possible to find.
The last time I was in France was in 1999. It was a crazy experience in some ways. Although I could understand what people were saying to me, I couldn’t get a reply out in French. Every time I tried to say something it came out in Russian. Even, bumping into someone on the street and wanting to say “Excuse moi”, it came out as “Izveniti” – “sorry!” or “excuse me” in Russian.
So you can imagine my surprise when, a week ago, Marat brought into the office a copy of the Kyrgyzstan Travel Guide that I wrote – in French! It’s not a big book, just ninety pages of text and photos in a pocket sized format. I didn’t write it in French, of course. I wrote it in English a few years ago, but it has now been translated into German, Japanese and Russian as well – French is just the latest version.
If anyone wants a copy, drop me a line and let me know and I’ll send you a copy.
Bishkek