Thanks for this post. I agree with a lot of what’s being said here. I grew up as a PE Trudeau liberal, with this idea of Canada as something built from both English and French culture. That always felt important to me, and honestly part of what makes the country more interesting.
I’ve tried a few times in my life to get better at French. Most recently last year with Babbel. It didn’t stick, and I came away feeling like I was falling short of half my own heritage. That part actually bothers me more than I expected.
I don’t want a Canada without Quebec, and I wouldn’t want Quebec without the rest of Canada. That mix, even when it’s messy, feels like a uniquely Canadian feature. I embrace it.
On translation tech, I agree it will help a lot at a practical level. It can close the gap in terms of understanding and bridge a real divide. But it doesn’t fully solve the human side of it. People will still know it isn’t really you speaking French, it’s a tool helping you. That distinction seems like it still matters. At least I feel like it will still matter for many people. A few generations perhaps?
Language is more than just information transfer. It carries effort, identity, and a kind of mutual respect. Translation tech might make things easier, but I’m not sure it replaces what you get from actually trying to meet someone in their language, even if you’re not great at it.
But didn't you notice in the conversation that no one ever asked how that CEO had been for Quebec? Was there ever a question of the number of French jobs he created? For contracts with Bombardier he may have championed? I'm not beating the drum for this guy I'm just saying that technology is going to leave language as a non entity It will be impossible to tell the true from the false. I'm just saying there's more to being Canadian and a supporter of French than the language.
Thanks for this post. I agree with a lot of what’s being said here. I grew up as a PE Trudeau liberal, with this idea of Canada as something built from both English and French culture. That always felt important to me, and honestly part of what makes the country more interesting.
I’ve tried a few times in my life to get better at French. Most recently last year with Babbel. It didn’t stick, and I came away feeling like I was falling short of half my own heritage. That part actually bothers me more than I expected.
I don’t want a Canada without Quebec, and I wouldn’t want Quebec without the rest of Canada. That mix, even when it’s messy, feels like a uniquely Canadian feature. I embrace it.
On translation tech, I agree it will help a lot at a practical level. It can close the gap in terms of understanding and bridge a real divide. But it doesn’t fully solve the human side of it. People will still know it isn’t really you speaking French, it’s a tool helping you. That distinction seems like it still matters. At least I feel like it will still matter for many people. A few generations perhaps?
Language is more than just information transfer. It carries effort, identity, and a kind of mutual respect. Translation tech might make things easier, but I’m not sure it replaces what you get from actually trying to meet someone in their language, even if you’re not great at it.
But didn't you notice in the conversation that no one ever asked how that CEO had been for Quebec? Was there ever a question of the number of French jobs he created? For contracts with Bombardier he may have championed? I'm not beating the drum for this guy I'm just saying that technology is going to leave language as a non entity It will be impossible to tell the true from the false. I'm just saying there's more to being Canadian and a supporter of French than the language.