Rugby World Cup 2023: Do Toulouse businessmen speak English?

The Rugby World Cup comes to Toulouse next September. An opportunity to welcome the foreign public to the Pink City. But can professionals who welcome the public talk to them? “I don’t know a word of English!” Young people adapt but I don’t deserve it. If I have a tourist in front of me, I like to let my interns speak,” explains Jérôme Donnazio, a butcher. Toulouse residents, like the French, are not known for their love of foreign languages. To solve this problem, the Toulouse Chamber of Commerce, the Capitole, the Attraction Agency and Trade and industry have been providing training together for over a year.

Training for Traders
“Our mission is to prepare professionals to welcome foreign visitors. How to behave in front of foreign people, what are the customs and protocols to follow… We give them all the tools to make it work when the time comes,” explains Benoît Auré. Coupe du Rugby World in Toulouse. Four dates have been chosen for 2023: May 15, June 12, July 3 and August 28. Welcoming each session, in the Salle du Sénéchal, 50 to 60 shopkeepers, restaurateurs, hoteliers, museum staff… will be trained by expatriates or expatriates to attract foreign customers. Through the training, some essential I hope to learn words,” explains Philippe Leon, manager of Toulouse Stylo. “I don’t like big conversations, but knowing how to say a few simple words would be nice,” says Jerome Donnazio. Professionals need to find themselves in a culture and in unknown languages. A chance for complete immersion.

“We know that language is a barrier for many Toulouse professionals. For this reason, we are going to create a dictionary with basic but essential terms translated into several languages,” concludes Benoît Auré. The language problems seem to be easily solved for the organizers. One thing is for sure, the people of Toulouse will be in English in a few months. They will check their status.