French Facts
From the 1600s to the 1800s, France was the dominant European nation, and French was the common tongue for matters of culture, diplomacy and art
With 175 million worldwide speakers, French is an extremely popular language to take up as a second language
French was the most popular global language for many years, but gave way to English during the early 1900s
French
Glossary
INES
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Remplacer les classiques papiers d’identité par des cartes à puce sécurisées n’est pas un projet nouveau. Mais aujourd’hui, les plans de sécurisation électronique de tels documents se font de plus en plus pressants, notamment suite aux attentats du 11 septembre 2001.
De tels projets consistent à remplacer cartes d’identité, passeports, permis de conduire ou autres documents aisément falsifiables, par des cartes à puce contenant les identifiants biométriques du détenteur, en d’autres termes les éléments propres à chaque individu, tels que la morphologie du visage, les empreintes digitales ou le dessin de l’iris de l’œil.
Le but d’une telle manœuvre est double : d’une part accroître la sécurité afin de contrer la fraude documentaire dans les filières terroristes et criminelles et dans l’immigration clandestine, et d’autre part, simplifier les procédures administratives.
En France, le projet d’administration électronique porte désormais le nom de INES : plan d’Identité Nationale Electronique de Sécurité. Esquissé au début des années 1990, il devrait prendre forme en 2006, voyant apparaître les premiers documents à puce.
Pour l’heure, tant sur le plan international que sur le plan européen, les pays doivent s’accorder sur des normes à adopter afin que les systèmes soient compatibles entre tous, ce qui, est actuellement sujet à débat.
En effet, chaque technique biométrique a ses partisans.
Les Etats-Unis militent pour une empreinte de la rétine, au détriment de l’empreinte digitale, qui, pour eux, a une connotation pénale.
La France, l’Italie, la Suède, l’Espagne et la Belgique, qui ne s’opposent pas au scanner de l’iris de l’œil, préfèrent néanmoins la reconnaissance par empreinte digitale, affirmant que ce système est déjà arrivé à maturité puisque les services de douane et de police du monde entier disposent d’un tel système.
L’Allemagne, la Norvège et l’Islande reconnaissent le nécéssité d’un second identifiant obligatoire.
Ce projet d’administration électronique s’avère être plus que complexe : non seulement sur le plan international les techniques biométriques devront interopérer entre les différents pays, mais sur le plan national, elles bouleverseront tout un ensemble de procédures administratives déjà ancrées. Une difficulté manifeste à surmonter pour des pays bureaucratiques tels que la France et l’Allemagne.
French Courses in El Paso
You and your group can be trained by our native speaker qualified French teachers, and can meet at your place of work or home at a time convenient to you. Tutorials can take place any day of the week, including weekends, and can be scheduled for the morning, afternoon or evening. If your home or office is not suitable for you, you can attend the course at the teacher's offices. You will be provided with all relevant course materials.
Book now / InquiryFrench 1 to 1 Business
French courses of this type are aimed towards those that need to learn French to aid them with their employment. For those just starting out, it is integral to learn basic greetings and business etiquette; and reading and writing can be adopted once the simple precepts are out of the way. Success has come from students who are involved in import/export, international negotiations and acquisitions, those seeking jobs in multinational companies, and those working with foreign colleagues, academia and bureaucracy. Just our most basic beginners course will have the student finishing the course with basic telephone/e-mail skills in French, as well as survival French should a short stay in the country be needed.
Book now / InquiryFrench 1 to 1 General
These courses in French are wider-ranging in their nature, and are driven towards students who have a variety of differing needs. All beginner students will expect to study enough survival French to get them through a short visit to the country, those staying on with the course can progress differently, depending on their individual requests and requirements. Whether you are buying property in a foreign country, married to a foreign national, planning a round-the-world trip, interested in French history and culture, or if you simply want to attain a particular level of French, this is the choice for you.
Book now / InquiryFrench Group Lessons
Those wishing to learn French in groups of 2 or more together (Two-to-One French Courses or Small Group In-Company French Courses) can sign up for our group classes. All students must be at nearly the same level of French proficiency, must have the same needs from the language, and must be able to study at the same time and place as the others. Bookings must be made for all students simultaneously. Listen & Learn do not propose group sizes or more than 6-8 people, but In-Company Taster French Courses can occur with up to 12 people.
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El Paso
At the geographical crossroads between the United States and Mexico, El Paso is a fascinating urban centre. At various times in history, it has been the territory of the pre-Columbian Manso, Suma and Jumano Indians, Spanish explorers, and 'Wild West' gun-slingers. Indeed, today's 'Sun City' was once regarded to be the 'Six Shooter Capital' of the lawless south. The emergence of the railroad in the 1880s brought in a constant wave of itinerant gamblers, outlaws, thieves, religious types, Chinese railway workers, self-made men, and women of easy virtue. While this very romantic vision is now consigned to the history books, El Paso is still a colorful and cosmopolitan place to learn languages today. The city's range of linguistic diversity ensures that you are able to find a qualified tutor, teaching in their mother tongue, to guarantee you exact expression and correct pronunciation.
French Testimonials
"I needed to learn some French because I'll be relocating to Canada next year. My Business French course was great - my teacher was real professional, and if I had any questions she was happy to answer them. Can't believe how quickly I got into it."
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