P
R E S S R E V I E W S
Business
Review,
Australia
The Fast Track to French
Businessmen do it, sheiks do it, even Gough Whitlam did it
- Total immersion in the French language on the Riviera-
by Maureen Bang
"...I was in France and no one would speak to me in anything but
French. Not only that, they expected me to talk back to them in
their own language.
The people were, in fact, teachers at the Institut de Français
in Villefranche-sur-Mer, a small town overlooking one of the loveliest
bays on the Riviera.They are specially trained to teach adults to
speak French as correctly and as fluently as possible, and to teach
it in the shortest time.
The four-week course
runs for eight hours a day, five days a week. It is a total immersion
into the French language. The results are stunning; within days
even beginners are conversing in French.
Such is the success of the methods that people have been coming
from all over the world to the school since its establishment 28
years ago. It is recognised by the diplomatic corps, the United
Nations, and international business organsations.
This total approach
to French is the only way to learn French in a hurry, and it can
be fun.Sometimes the "immersion" is so great that you sink, but
it soon passes. The teachers know all about it - they even warn
you of it.
If you cannot speak
French at the beginning, you are advised not to speak at all until
you can. And that is where the "miracle" takes place. You soon can.
Emphasis is on the oral rather than the written word.
The teachers talk only
in French. If you do not understand the first time, they simply
keep on explaining it in different ways until you do. They use a
basic vocabulary of 1500 words, those most used in everyday French.
The great drawcard of
doing the course at Villefranche is that you are in France. Once
school is out, you are out among the French of Villefranche-sur-Mer.
You continue to speak to them in a real-life situation. And you
find they are only too delighted to help you in your efforts to
speak French; they are used to students from the institute.
Villefranche is a gem
of a place, sitting tranquilly between the two giants of the Riviera,
Nice and Monte Carlo. Across the water is Cap Ferrat, where Somerset
Maugham and David Niven once lived.
Despite its position
in such a famed area, Villefranche has not been taken over by the
20th century. There are no huge hotels, no discos, no casinos, no
shops full of luxury goods. It has retained the atmosphere of its
beginnings as a 14th century free trading port, with its fishing
harbor, 16th century citadel and old streets. Therein lies its charm..."
For
more detailed information: info@institutdefrancais.com
 |
-
23 Avenue Général-Leclerc - 06230 Villefranche-sur-mer
- FRANCE |
Tel: +33
493 01 88 44
- Fax: +33 493 76 92 17
|
