Shebrooke, QC anyone?

[Carol]

I'm planning an overnight photography trip to northern NH in late May. I'll be within a short drive of Sherbrooke, Quebec and would like to drive across and visit. Is Sherbrooke a largely Francophone town? I'm a wee bit worried that I'll get there and no one will understand me.

 

[CoryKS]

Wikipedia says you better bring a translation guide.


Language Population Percentage (%)
French only 129,970 89.89%
English only 5,735 3.97%
Both English and French 640 0.44%
Other languages 8,245 5.7%

 

[Carol]

Craaaaap thats exactly what I was afraid of. I hate not being able to talk to people

 

[CoryKS]

Craaaaap thats exactly what I was afraid of. I hate not being able to talk to people

Don't worry about it. If living in Okinawa for a year taught me anything, it's that there is no communication barrier so vast that can't be overcome by sufficient amounts of alcohol.

 

[Carol]

Don't worry about it. If living in Okinawa for a year taught me anything, it's that there is no communication barrier so vast that can't be overcome by sufficient amounts of alcohol.

Hilarity could ensue :lol2:


Hey I might create a new art form. Drunken Photography..

 

[Ken Morgan]

Quebec has a bilingual rate of 60% or something Carol, you should be fine. Anything near Montreal is generally very bilingual, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. French-English relations are generally a non issue right now, but you will always get Asses who give the others a hard time.

If you have money, try hard with some basic french and are not arrogant, they shoudl treat you very well.

 

[Gordon Nore]

Quebec has a bilingual rate of 60% or something Carol, you should be fine. Anything near Montreal is generally very bilingual, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. French-English relations are generally a non issue right now, but you will always get Asses who give the others a hard time.

If you have money, try hard with some basic french and are not arrogant, they shoudl treat you very well.

I visited the Eastern Townships of Quebec some years back and had no particular difficulty. At one point, though, I remember order a coffee at a McDonald's drive-thru in French. The staffer at the other end of the speaker huffily switched to English -- I guess she picked up on my Torontois accent -- but that was the worst of it. Flipside is that I've seen French speakers treated very rudely in other parts of Canada.

On that particular trip I was working for an adult literacy agency and was meeting with elementary school principals in an English language school board. The principals themselves were fully bilingual, and I made a few remarks in French, which they appreciated.

 

[Carol]

Quebec has a bilingual rate of 60% or something Carol, you should be fine. Anything near Montreal is generally very bilingual, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. French-English relations are generally a non issue right now, but you will always get Asses who give the others a hard time.

If you have money, try hard with some basic french and are not arrogant, they shoudl treat you very well.

I think I'm going to have to learn some French. I can read a good bit of it (because of the similarity with Spanish) I just can't speak it worth a darn. I am probably going to spend my entire time taking photos around Cité des Rivières, it may be handy to at least know some basic phrases...including an answer to "what are you doing with that camera"

 

[SensibleManiac]

You'll find most people very friendly, especially in a smaller town like Sherbrooke, (compared with larger Montreal) some though do take offense when spoken to in English even in Montreal which has alot of English speaking and bilingual people.

Have fun, some basics in french should help though, and people always apreciate it if they feel you're trying.

 

[marlon]

Are a lot of English speakers in Sherbrooke. Next time let me know and perhaps I can arrange to meet you there
Marlon
bien sur

 

[Carol]

Are a lot of English speakers in Sherbrooke. Next time let me know and perhaps I can arrange to meet you there
Marlon
bien sur

Marlon that would be magnifique! I'll drop you a PM.