Why do we speak so much English at work?

“Save the date. Meet at our co-working space on Monday, December 12th at 8pm for an after-work session. Deadline to confirm your attendance: December 8th. We’ll have a little feedback for those in full remote. Except for a few words, you’ve probably already received this type of message. Team (Team) HR, from you boss (Boss), or even Chief Happiness Officer Your company’s (responsible for happiness) invitation full of English!

“This kind of borrowing from Anglo-Saxon is not new, but will increase in organizations,” notes Marcel Bouton, deputy general manager of brand-naming firm Nomen, when French words mean the same thing. -Rugel adds: “The borrowing of words from one language to another is perfectly natural. It is a flow, there is no boundary. The question is why we resort to Anglicism rather than the words of our closest Italian and Spanish neighbors.”

A form of dynamism…or laziness?

There are several possible explanations for this massive and persistent use in conversations and professional writings. First, it cannot be denied that English is the language of business. When companies have subsidiaries around the world or work with foreign partners or suppliers, transactions take place in this language. In conversations between French collaborators, there is always something left.

“Innovations mostly come from America. So in France Make it modern, we use more and more English. Especially from English, words ending in -ING can be found, for example in Grading, Brainwashing, emphasizes the process, the fact that the action is happening. It tends to show a certain kind of dynamism,” analyzes Agnes Vandevelde-Rougaele, and “words and illusions. When the language of administration rules us” (Versions 10/18, September 2022).

People like Marcel Botton see a form of “laziness” in English. “We use tools created by Anglo-Saxons like Google or Microsoft on a daily basis that actually use terms. English. We no longer even attempt to translate them,” he regrets.

A “Culture of Business Revitalization”

Is there a danger that these Anglicisms will become more prevalent in the professional sphere? Really, it all depends on the context. If everyone in the company understands them, there’s no point. However, it is more Touchable If not everyone understands. “This will become a symbol of recognition among Englishmen Those who know. It can be a sign of exclusion for those who don’t understand them. If the latter is pass has been (Ignorance) If they ask for the clarification of this word, it becomes a problem,” insists Agnes Vandevelde-Rugel. Because it excludes a certain number of employees and makes management less altruistic.

Camille Taboulot, translator/interpreter, goes even further by seeing that there is a “culture of business revitalization”. “By using these anglicizations, companies a Cold Most loved by start-ups, their main drawback is lack of working hours. Period after work is also not insignificant. The use of English languages ​​is less innocent than it seems. You have to be aware of it,” he explains, recommending practice to erase differences in understanding.

But resolutely, Moliere’s language is not at stake in the work. “English and French have been exchanging vocabulary since the Middle Ages. It goes both ways. It was French in English until the 18th century. It has since reversed. If this substitution is only for the purpose of a sign of subjective and mutual recognition, it is an impoverishment. Conversely, if the borrowing of an Anglicism is objective, i.e. if it responds to a missing word in French, it is an enrichment,” concludes Florent Montcample, lecturer in English linguistics at the University of Artois (Hautes-de-France).

Top 15 English Language: Which French Version to Use?

Among the most frequently used words in creation, many are interchangeable. As evidence, this glossary of 15 frequent English idioms … can easily be translated by a French equivalent.

• As soon as possible (as soon as possible): As soon as possible, please (or “as soon as possible, thank you”).
• Grading: comparison, Comparative analysis.
• brainwashing: Brainwashing.
• Call: call
• Challenging: Incitement, incitement.
• Deadline: Deadline, deadline.
• Feedback: Comment, study, report.
• Newly: Literally “new”. Let be equivalent to the Latin ex nihilo.
• Full Distance: Full time telecommuter.
• Kick-off: Kick-off, the beginning.
• face to face: Head to head, one to one.
• Pitch: Presentation, Summary.
• Save the date: Take a date.
• Update: Upgrade.
• Workshop: Workshop.