Thursday, October 18, 2012

Anglais, English, Français, French | Paris Travel

A plaque that reads:
"In homage to the students and citizens who defied the German Occupation Army at risk of their lives."
At l'Arc de Triomphe.


Our Silver Paris

Welcome to my Paris travel journal,
where I share our experiences of our special journey to Paris.
Please use these posts as a guide for your own travels
to this amazing and wonderful city!
Or simply read, and dream...


For all you lovers of words and languages, here is a little fun for you.  :)

If you travel to Paris, you should learn at least a little French.  Many signs are in English, but you should at least be able to read street signs--whether cars are allowed, if it's a one-way street, etc.  There are, of course, the obvious signs and words:

Métro sign.

Street sign in St-Germain.

Street sign at the end of a bridge.

Hopefully you know where this is.  :)

Hopefully you know that this is a bakery!  The types of bread sold are posted on the wall.

Even though it's in the metric system, you should be able to figure out the gasoline pump pretty easily.

This works out to about $8 per gallon, so don't complain!

Then there are the signs for which you need a little stronger command of French:

A little park along rue du Faubourg St. Antoine.

The base of a statue at place des Vosges.

Okay, here's the fun part--the signs that are translated for those who don't speak French.  Sometimes the translation is quaint, or just a little off.  Since I'm a lover of languages and accents and words, I happen to notice these.  Here are a few for your enjoyment.

A sign at the Eiffel Tower.

Sign on a door at the Louvre.

Everyone knows that that circle with the minus sign means "no entry."  Or, maybe not.


In case you didn't know, there's an English translation to help you.


No, I'm not making fun of French translators!  I love the fact that they've taken the trouble to communicate with us English-speakers so that we can more easily enjoy their city.

I encourage you to learn a little French before you visit, so that you may enjoy and appreciate their city even more.  Trust me, most Parisians will appreciate you right back for taking the time to learn even a smidgen of their beautiful language!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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1 comment:

  1. Interesting translations. :) I love how those people just ignored the sign. lol

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