Venue: Alliance Française, 3 Park Circus, Glasgow
Email: culture@afglasgow.org.uk
Telephone: 0141 331 4080
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Event Date: 17/03/2014 19:00
Celebrate the Francophonie with a special talk featuring author Thora van Male. Join us at the Alliance Française on Monday 17th March at 7pm for a special talk with author Thora Van Male who will discuss her new book ’French Idioms… and their English equivalents’.
Thora van Male is a native English speaker from Canada who has adopted France and the French language. Like all language learners, she is sensitive to what seem to be the “quirks” of her second language. In her latest book, ’Quand les cochons sauront voler … les poules auront des dents: Les expressions françaises and their English equivalents’, she presents some 200 French idiomatic expressions with their equivalents in English, explaining and commenting on both.
She will point out not only the challenges of finding illustrations for each English/French expression, but more importantly on the diverging ways English and French put their thoughts into images.
How is it that in English “forever and a day” is ’107 ans’ in French? What are tenterhooks, and how do they connect to red-hot coals ’(charbons ardents’). How come a French person gets a cat in their throat (’un chat dans la gorge’) but a Briton has a frog?
Free event in English/French, suitable for all levels. 40 Mins, followed by a Q&A with the audience.
Booking at the Language Office in advance is necessary.
Bring your own copy of the ’Quand les cochons sauront voler …’ if you’d like the author to sign it.