How useful is French?

noobie

I am thinking of taking french next year, but I will have to sacrifice other electives of interest. But how much benefit can I really get from taking French? I know my opportunities will definitely increase, but would that only be in Quebec, NB, and/or government jobs?

BTW I plan to go into med school, does a bilingual doctor really have a significant upper hand or not? French is interesting and all, but now that I have a limited number of electives its a little difficult to decide. Any help appreciated, thanks.

Helen

I don't think your job opportunities increase until you're perfectly fluent in french, which you won't become by just taking 1 course...

PoliChic87

Having a second language will ALWAYS work to your advantage. Go for it!

~Becs~

noobie

Helen said:

I don't think your job opportunities increase until you're perfectly fluent in french, which you won't become by just taking 1 course...

i have been taking french throughout high school aswell and if I decide to take it this year, I will then commit myself for the next 4 years because you are absolutely right, 1 course is useless. but again, it would cut down my elective opportunities every year for more interesting stuff

babygurl

To be honest, when you are working in Canada being multi-lingual is very useful.

Although I can't speak for all professions, I know that having French under your belt is very useful, especially if you have to deal with companies in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and New Bruswick. All have French-speaking residents, not just Quebec.

Plus if you are working student jobs, sometimes companies pay those who are bilingual a bit more than those who are not.

Other languages that I think would be useful would be Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Urdu, German, and Russian. They are all on my list of languages to learn. :smile:

Honestly, it really depends where you live or where you want to work.

madscientist

its always a benefit to learn a new language, not jus for your job but its useful throughout ur whole life, ie. when going traveling and stuff, also knowing another language fluently opens u up to many more doors, you are able to take up opportunities in say other countries, or with other groups of people that you couldnt have otherwise... i dun see any problems with it... anyone know of any?

Mikaela

hey noobie im actually minoring in french so if you do end up taking the course (which i think you should!) then u can always hit me up with some questions:smile:

Smartso

You want to go into medicine, and you're thinking... how will French help me? It will give you the opportunity to not only work here in Canada (QC and all), but to do jobs for international organizations - try the UN, the WHO or Doctors Without Borders (MSF). MSF was actually founded by a group of French doctors, hence the French name Medecins Sans Frontieres.

I'm taking french next year, and I want to add a few other languages to my list before I'm graduated (Greek, Spanish, and Mandarin for starters). The world is becoming so much more integrated, and I find it amazing how North Americans are always seriously underestimating the value of multilingualism. Get out there into the world!

tkedmunds

I agree with whoever said that a second language will always help you. Not only does it help you get a job, it also broadens the number places you can get work.

tater03

I'm glad i read this because i always wondered why we needed a second language.

affinity

obviously french won't help everyone with their careers, but within canada it will definetly help with quite a few careers. Being able to put on your resume that you understand another language is just going to put you one step above another person in line for the same position. Most government jobs require it as well as other jobs you'd never even think of.

With that being said, French isn't easy. You'll have to take up to at least Fren 221 to probably start understanding things fluently. if you start from scratch, that could be quite a few semesters. But the french faculty is very nice and it could be quite a few nice semesters. (also, it might be worth investigating the french fluency certificate that SFU offers.)

hope that helps! (note that i'm a french intended major...this is probably very biased)

karenlyn

I think Helen is right the being fluent is what counts. But it's also true that learning another language is helpful in making you a well-rounded person in general. Learning a second language is NEVER a waste of time (or electives). I say go for it.

illicit

valuable asset for career

personally, helps me raise my GPA

Jimmy

With the asian population taking over Canada, I think learning Chinese (mandrian or Cantonese) would be a great asset

cyclonejk

Most government jobs require french as a requisite for the job. Plus having a second or third language is always a great asset. And interpreters get paid A LOT!!!

imelting

Jimmy Tung said:

With the asian population taking over Canada, I think learning Chinese (mandrian or Cantonese) would be a great asset

acutally i think that only applies for TO and vancouver really

in the company i work for.. we're trying to get another fluent french speaker.. we hav lots of customers from quebec, even tho they can speak english.. they are much more comfortable speaking with someone in french, can definately boost customer relations

Insatiable

It's all locational if you ask me.

French is next to useless on the westcoast, but an asset on the east. However, knowledge of any additional language will always do one good.

There are probably more speakers of Chinese dialects (Mandarin, Cantonese, etc.) than there are speakers of French on the westcoast, so Chinese would make one more employable.