Parlez vous Anglais?

The comfort of communicating in your own language has a strong pull; and is even more tempting when you receive an answer in your own tongue, as you so often do here.

Yet the French insist they would prefer it if we were the ones making the effort. And, as much as this seems like a typically continental contradiction, you can’t deny that they have a point. When in France and all that.

In our lead story this month, the politicians tell us that the Anglophone population act as a vital organ for the region’s economy. But for anyone who has chosen to make this part of the world their home, is this enough?

Often I hear anglophone residents complain that it’s hard to make French friends or to access the culture. But is it really? When you’re in someone else’s country, it’s down to you to integrate. With this in mind, I’ve recently replaced “Parlez vous anglais?” with “Je dois parler français”.

Hannah Marshall, Editor