WHY FRENCH? SOME NUMBERS
Some statistics
- In 2022, 321 million people spoke French in the world, 255 million of whom spoke it on a daily basis. (Source: Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie)
- French is the 5th most spoken language in the world, after English, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi and Spanish. (Source: Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie)
- French is spoken on all the 5 continents of the world. It is the official or co-official language in 29 countries, including France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Monaco, Canada (Quebec), Senegal, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and others. In many other countries, French is the administrative language, although not always official, such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Madagascar, etc. (Sources: Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and Wikipedia)
- In 2020, Spain was home to 11,722 subsidiaries of foreign companies, of which 3,183 came from French-speaking European countries (France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Switzerland). In other words, 27% of the foreign subsidiaries in Spain are French speaking. That is more than a quarter of them! (Source: The Spanish National Statistics Institute (- INE)
- France is the number one tourist destination in terms of the number of foreign visitors: 90 million in 2019. (Source: Wikipedia)
- In the field of oenology, France, Spain and Italy share the lion's share of the market. While Italy and Spain are competing to become the world's leading exporters of wine by volume, France is the world's leading exporter of wine in terms of value. It is also the world's second-largest wine consumer (after the United States). (Sources: Tecnovino and El correo del Vino)
Why learn French?
- Because knowing French offers a significant professional advantage as a great number of companies need staff who can speak French (both for the French-speaking European market and for the emerging North African market).
- Because it opens the doors of many universities around the world.
- Because you dream of spending your Erasmus year in Toulouse, Bruges or Geneva.
- Because you want to work for a European Union institution. Which do you prefer, Brussels, Luxembourg or Strasbourg?
- Because with Spanish, English and French, you can travel around the world.
- Because you want to visit Paris and interact with Parisians
- For the pleasure of discovering the rich culture of the French-speaking world: literature, cinema, philosophers, tourism, architecture, exquisite gastronomy, captivating folklore and vibrant traditions?
Why translate your materials into French?
- In the fields of gastronomy, oenology and tourism: to promote your products and services to a French-speaking European market with a strong purchasing power, but also to the rapidly growing market in Africa.
- In the fields of gastronomy, tourism and personal development: to reach a wider global audience and attract more readers or followers for your materials (blogs, articles, books, etc.).
- In the fields of tourism and hospitality: to attract a French-speaking public who will feel more welcome in their own language.
