Guest Stephanie Newton: Parlez-vous francais?

by Stephanie Newton

This picture is me in Paris with my husband, Spring 2008.

When I was younger, I studied French for six years and spent a semester in college there, so I used to speak French really well. My experience with the language on our last trip went something like this: I would begin speaking. The person I was speaking to would stare and her eyebrows would draw together in confusion. Within a few seconds, he or she would either laugh and kindly switch to English, or gently correct my French until I was saying the right thing. Generally our conversation was accompanied by blushing (me), lots of hand gesturing (the French), and a few chuckles (my husband).

My husband and I love to travel but we travel very differently. He likes an itinerary mapped out minute by minute. I like to wander down side streets and into shops and bakeries (lots of bakeries). After twenty years of marriage, we’ve finally figured out that for a successful vacation, we need to build time into the schedule for both of us. That way he doesn’t panic when I start down a hill because I see a cute window-box and I don’t get stressed because my free-wheeling personality is being curtailed when every minute is planned. But it took some serious talking to get to this point.

Language is important for one reason. Communication.

But sometimes words just aren’t enough for good communication. So here are a few things I learned from my trip to France:

• Know what you want to say--this is especially important when you’re speaking a foreign language like man-speak (if you’re female) or female-speak (if you’re male).

• Listen carefully--no matter how temptingly distracting those chocolate croissants are, nothing can replace good listening as a communication skill.

• If you’re not sure you understand, ask for clarification. Répétez s’il vous plaît became my favorite words in France, but in day to day life, asking for more information also helps make misunderstandings avoidable

• Pay attention to nonverbal cues--words may be different around the world but facial expression and body language isn’t.

• Mind your manners--being polite is always in good taste.

• Be patient--in fiction, characters say whatever the author wants them to. They always understand what the other is trying to say (or not, if that’s the way the author wants it). Characters can sometimes even read facial expressions as if they were paragraphs. But let’s face it, in real life, situations often call for more patience

With some communication, we figured out the secret for a successful vacation. Our trip to France was the best.

I did great with the language, by the way. I only ended up with raw fish on my salad once.

I’d love to hear your stories about miscommunication or overcoming miscommunication!

Stephanie is giving away a copy of her current release, Flashpoint to one person who comments before Sunday midnight, July 25th. Please include your email address using (dot) and [at] so the net spiders don't nab you.

You can read an excerpt here.
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Award-winning author Stephanie Newton lives in Florida with her husband and two teenagers. She regularly practices her language skills on unsuspecting foreign exchange students and tourists. Flashpoint, the latest book in her Emerald Coast 911 series, is available now.

You can find Stephanie at http://www.stephanienewtonbooks.com/

Thank you for spending the day with us, Steph.