More about the Guardian's online language learning challenge
Why Matt is learning French
It probably doesn't pay to dwell on the past but last week's blogpost effort would have received, at best, a D+, not least because of the mistakes in tense and grammar that found their way into my copy between reading them on screen and typing them on to the page. There was even a spelling mistake in English. Ouch. It's quite an experience, submitting your French homework to the nation, but a valuable one, nonetheless. And while my mistakes could have been solved by paying closer attention to the screen in front of me, it does highlight one of the problems inherent in learning a new language: making a tit of yourself in public.
The British tendency to shout a bit louder in order to be understood is well documented, as is the French (and indeed most nations') willingness to meet us halfway, smile comfortingly, and then launch into English that's often better than our own. It saves everyone time and embarrassment. Except that, really, we shouldn't rely on the kindness of strangers or the quality of European education. What we should do is be prepared to put the effort in, to make mistakes.
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