Welcome, in world-English
For a hundred-or-so new French subscribers, a note about my English.
Dear subscribers,
Last week I was a guest on the French podcast Generation DIY, and since then about a hundred new people have subscribed to this newsletter.
Welcome!
Thank you!
I am genuinely surprised, and grateful. Surprised that anyone would listen to a 2-hour-long interview in my heavily-accented French. Grateful to have this chance to continue the conversation with you all.
In the podcast we talked about education in France and the US, the psychology of entrepreneurship, and the effects of tech on our brains. I struggled to explain an idea about inflation, in broken French, that must have seemed very confused and confusing to listeners. (I will write about it here soon, hopefully with some more clarity.)
Since you new subscribers are probably French-speakers, I’ll share this quick thought about the language I use to write this newsletter.
When the European Review of Books was created last year in the Netherlands, the editors made a bold choice: every article would be published in its native language and in English translation at the same time. A multilingual chorus, just like Europe itself, with English as the lingua franca.
But not just any English. The common language that’s used around Europe was called, by the founding editor Sander Pleij, world-English. It’s a version of English that people all over the world learn as a second language, sometimes in school, but more often from “Playmobil, Intertoys, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Superman and Batman, Michael Jackson, Rocky Balboa, the internet…” and the list goes on.
Pleij says that this world-English is “Clear and without the secret in-crowd nuances. Every controversial word we use has been pointed out—called out? You should try it: speaking world-English. No hidden or fuzzy meanings. Democratic. Accessible to all.”
I love the idea that world-English is democratic. Speaking and writing in America, I used to communicate so much more than the simple meaning of my words. I was playing status- and style-games (whether or not I intended to), every phrase had cultural implications, and the kind of jokes or idioms I used were tied to so many other unspoken associations. This is true in French, of course, too. (When I write in French, beyond the simple meaning of my words, people must think “huh, I guess Google Translate is broken today.”)
Since moving to Europe (almost seven years ago!) I have learned two new languages: French and world-English. I have adapted my English, slowly but surely, to be more clear to non-Americans. I have removed the idioms that don’t make literal sense, the references to old TV shows, the stylistic decorations that communicate something to Americans, but are just confusing or pretentious to everyone else. I try to just say and write what I mean.
It seems to me like the earnestness of world-English is one small ingredient in the complex soup of European culture. And I have to admit, I love it.
So I will continue to write in world-English, or do my best, and I hope that all the French subscribers will follow along.
More to come soon!
- Rob
Un grand Merci Rob pour ton partage sur le podcast de Matt Stefani, GDIY.
Je ne vais pas passer par 4 chemins, avec mon associé, Brice, nous souhaiterions te rencontrer et présenter qanopee.com dans le cadre de ton startup studio.
Comment faire de la manière la plus simple selon toi ?
Merci beaucoup
Q
Many thanks Rob for sharing on Matt Stefani's podcast, GDIY.
I will go straight to the point, with my associate, Brice, we would like to meet you and present qanopee.com. I think we can do something together.
What do you think is the easiest way to do it?
Thans a lot.
Q