Essential French - Hôtel

1 Valet Parking - Service (m) de voiturier

2 Doorman - Portier

3 Lobby - Hall d'entrée, hall

4 Bell Captian - Porteur, groom

5 Bellhop - Chasseur 

6 Luggage Cart - Porte-bagages

7 Gift Shop - Goutique de cadeaux

8 Front Desk - Réception

9 Desk Clerk - Employé de bureau, employée de bureau

10 Guest Room - Chambre d'amis

11 Guest - client 

12 Room Service - Service de chambre

13 Hall - Salle, grande salle

14 Housekeeping Cart - ménage-kart 

15 Housekeeper -  gouvernante

16 Pool - Piscine

17 Pool Service - Piscine Service 

18 Ice Machine - machine à glaçons

19 Meeting Room - Salle de réunion

20 Ballroom - Salle de danse

Lounge (Vocabulary)

Lounge /laʊndʒ/

Principal Translations
lounge n	UK (living room)	sala nf
		salón nm
lounge n	(casual bar)	bar cafetería loc nom m
		estancia nf
lounge n	(in airport) (voz inglesa)	lounge nm
		sala de viajeros loc nom f
		sala de espera nf
lounge vi	(sit relaxing)	vaguear⇒ vi
		apoltronarse v prnl
		holgazanear⇒ vi
		gandulear⇒ vi
Additional Translations
lounge n	(waiting room)	sala de espera loc nom f
lounge vi	(in lounge chair)	recostarse v prnl
		reclinarse v prnl
		arrellanarse v prnl
lounge vi	(waste time)	holgazanear⇒ vi
		perder el tiempo loc verb
	Jim lounged around all day instead of working.

Lounge

• idle
• kill time
• loaf
• laze
• lie around
• loll
• loll about

• Sense: A bedlike seat
  • couch
  • divan
  
  
• Sense: A social room
  • cocktail lounge
  • bar
  • public room
  • hotel lobby 

Structure and Content (TOEIC)

Of the four major language skill areas (listening comprehension, reading comprehension, speaking, and writing), TOEIC only evaluates two: reading and listening comprehension.

Section	Parts	Númber of Questions	Time
Listening Comprehension	Scene-sentence matching	10	45 minutes (100 questions)
	Questions-Response	30
	Short Conversations	30
	Short Talks	30
Reading Comprehension	Sentence Completion	40	75 minutes (100 questions)
	Text Completion	12
	Comprehension Textos	48

Score descriptors

TOEIC Listening and Reading test questions are based on a variety of real-world settings and situations:

• Corporate Development — research, product development
• Dining Out — business lunches, banquets, receptions, reservations
• Entertainment — cinema, theater, music, art, exhibitions, museums, media
• Finance and Budgeting — banking, investments, taxes, accounting, billing
• General Business — contracts, negotiations, mergers, marketing, sales, warranties, business planning, conferences, labor relations
• Health Care — medical insurance, visits to doctors, dentists, clinics and hospitals
• Housing/Corporate Property — construction, specifications, buying and renting, electric and gas services
• Human Resources — recruiting, hiring, retiring, promoting, job applications, job advertisements, salaries, pensions, awards
• Manufacturing — assembly lines, plant management, quality control
• The Office — procedures, board meetings, committees, letters, memos, telephone, fax and email messages, equipment
• Purchasing — shopping, ordering supplies, shipping, invoicing
• Technical Areas — electronics, technology, computers, laboratories and related equipment, technical specifications
• Travel — trains, airplanes, taxis, buses, ships, ferries, tickets, schedules, station and airport announcements, car rentals, hotels, reservations, delays and cancellations

Source: http://gmatbarcelona.com/en/toeic-test-center/structure-and-content/

I Learned to Speak Four Languages in a Few Years: Here's How (lifehacker.com)

Lifehacker reader Gabriel Wyner was tasked with learning four languages in the past few years for his career as an opera singer, and in the process landed on "a pretty damn good method for language learning that you can do in limited amounts of spare time." Here's the four-step method that you can use, too (and you don't have to invest hundreds in a language course like Rosetta Stone).

 

This is the method I've used to learn four languages (Italian, German, French and now Russian); it's the method that got me to C1 fluency in French in about 5 months, and I'm currently using it with Russian (and plan on reaching C1 equivalent fluency by September).

I go in four stages. The stages will take different amounts of time for different languages and depend on how much time you have available per day, naturally. The US Foreign Service Institute makes estimates for language difficulties for native English speakers, and they seem to be spot on in terms of comparative difficulty—Russian seems to be taking twice as long as French did for me, and they estimate languages like Chinese to take twice as long as Russian. That being said, let's say we're talking about a language like French, and you have 30-60 minutes a day to spend on it, I've included estimates for how long each stage might take.

Stage 1: Learn the correct pronunciation of the language.

Time: 1-2 weeks (or longer for languages that have a new alphabet that will take some time to get comfortable with)

Starting with pronunciation first does a few things—because I'm first and foremost learning how to hear that language's sounds, my listening comprehension gets an immediate boost before I even start traditional language learning. Once I start vocabulary training, I retain it better because I'm familiar with how words should sound and how they should be spelled. (Correct spellings in French, for example, are much easier to remember when there's a connection between the spelling and the sound), and once I finally start speaking to native speakers, they don't switch to English for me or dumb down their language, which is awesome sauce.

If you're learning a language with a different alphabet, this is where you learn the phonetic alphabet(s) (Kana, for Japanese or Pinyin for Chinese, for example).

How do you learn pronunciation?

There are a few routes here, and a lot of excellent online and in-print resources (Pronunciation guides with CDs or mp3s are usually very good). Personally, I think it's worth the (short) time to learn the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) for the English language first (Wikipedia / some video tutorials I've been producing), and then see what sounds are different in your target language. In the process of learning IPA, you learn the components of each vowel and consonant and you'll really understand what makes a French word sound French, and a Chinese word Chinese.

Stage 2: Vocabulary and grammar acquisition, no English allowed.

Time: About 3 months. This stage involves two different time commitments: building your vocabulary and grammar flashcards and reviewing the deck.

This stage takes advantage of a few valuable tricks:

First, I'm using Anki, a wonderful, free flashcard program that runs on smartphones and every computer platform. Anki is a spaced repetition system, which schedules reviews of flash cards based upon how often you've successfully remembered a card. In the end, it helps you put a huge number of facts in to your long-term memory very rapidly—you can typically learn 20-30 new words a day in about 30 minutes on your smartphone.

Second, I use a modified version of Middlebury College's famous language pledge—No English allowed! I use pictures and whatever limited vocabulary I have to build the rest of my vocabulary. By skipping the English, I'm practicing thinking in the language directly, and not translating every time I try to think of a word. This results in quicker learning and better vocabulary retention over time, and a much faster transition to comfortable fluency in the language.

Third, I'm using frequency lists to guide my vocabulary acquisition. These lists show the most common words in a given language, and learning those words first will be the best use of your time—after 1000 words, you'll know 70% of the words in any average text, and 2,000 words provides you with 80% text coverage. It's not enough for fluency, but it's a pretty phenomenal base!

Since I'm starting out with zero words, I have to go in a few steps:

• To save time, I start with a basic list of 400 words that are common in English and extremely easy to picture - things like man and woman, dog and cat, to run and to cook, etc. I find good (!) translations of these and put them in my Anki deck without any English - just the word and its picture.
• After those, I grab a frequency list and mark off any remaining words I can portray with pictures alone (basic nouns and verbs), and put them in my Anki deck. Once I have some words to play with, I start putting them together. I use Google translate (Exception to no English rule - just be careful there's no English in your Anki deck) and a grammar book to start making sentences, then get everything double-checked at lang-8.com before putting them into my Anki deck. Fill-in-the-blank flashcards let you drill your grammar and connecting words, and you can usually just type these straight into Anki from your grammar book.
• As vocab and grammar grow, I eventually move to monolingual (French - French, for example) dictionaries and writing my own definitions for more abstract words (again doublechecked at lang-8.com). This builds on itself; the more vocab and grammar you get, the more vocab and grammar concepts you can describe in the target language. Eventually you can cover all the words in a 2000 word frequency list as a foundation and add any specific vocab you need for your own interests.
• Most people's eventual goals (by, say, the end of stage 4) will be ~2000-6000 words, plus around 1000 grammar cards, depending on how far you want to go (Here, we're talking about words that are in your Anki deck - you'll pick up a bigger passive vocabulary from reading). As a very rough estimate, if you end up with ~5000 cards, it will take you a bit less than 6 months to learn them with Anki if you're doing 30 minutes a day (half that if you do 60 minutes/day).

Stage 3: Listening, writing and reading work

Time: This stage overlaps quite a bit with stage 2 and 4. Once you're comfortable reading or writing anything, usually a month or two into stage 2, you can start stage 3. Stages 3 and 4, the immersion part, combined took me about 7 fairly insane weeks where I spent any free time reading, watching TV, and writing.

Once I have a decent vocabulary and familiarity with grammar, I start writing essays, watching TV shows and reading books, and talking (at least to myself!) about the stuff I see and do. Every writing correction gets added to the Anki deck, which continues to build my vocab and grammar.

You should read and watch anything that's enjoyable to you—it's more about quantity than anything; I'm a big fan of the Harry Potter series in translation, and dubbed versions of the TV series 24 are insanely addictive and not that difficult to follow after the first few hours—you can literally spend all day in front of the TV, and it's actually productive! As for writing, you can (and should) write whatever you want—journals, opinions, what you did today, your grocery list, anything. The goal is to get something down on a page that you can submit to lang-8.com, get a correction, and put that correction into your Anki deck.

Stage 4: Speech

At the point where I can more or less talk (haltingly, but without too many grammar or vocab holes) and write about most familiar things, I find some place to immerse in the language and speak all the time (literally). No English allowed or else you won't learn the skill you're trying to learn, which is adapting to holes in your grammar or vocabulary by going around them rapidly and automatically without having to think about it). I prefer Middlebury college, but if you don't have 7 solid weeks where you can cut ties to the rest of the world and just speak the language, you'll still get a lot from even a couple of weeks in your target country as long as you stick to your target language and spend as much time as you can talking. There are internet exchanges and Skype videochats that will absolutely help you practice speaking, and if you surround yourself with foreign language TV and movies, read books and videochat with people frequently, you can sort of simulate the immersion experience on your own.

The more intense you can make it, the faster your brain will adapt and learn how to put all the info you learned in stages 1-3 together quickly enough to turn into comfortable, fluent speech.

Link: http://lifehacker.com/5903288/i-learned-to-speak-four-languages-in-a-few-years-heres-how

How Long Does it take to Become Fluent in French?

There are so many factors to consider when thinking about Fluency (hence, the 1,600 word article). First, I will present a "scale" of fluency, then we'll get into the details of how long and how difficult the road ahead would be. To start on the same page, almost everybody has a different idea of what that fluency means. Sadly, what most people consider "fluent", is really the definition of the word literate. Fluency is the ability to communicate (speak, read, write, listen, etc..) in French effortlessly and correctly... without extensive thought towards syntax. While literacy means the ability to communicate and be understood (however, it requires more conscious thought). You can gauge yourself from the fluency scale provided below:

Fluency Scale:
Beginner: (Tourist Class) 

Je n'aurais jamais cru que vous vouliez apprendre le français.

A beginner is limited with vocabulary and grammar. Beginners may know simple greetings and phrases (Hello, how are you? what's your name? how old are you? etc...). They also know numbers, can usually tell time, and talk about the weather. Beginners can ask simple questions about other people (small talk), and express a sense of like and dislike. They may be able to talk to natives with extreme difficulty, and often with aides such as a pocket dictionary or memorization of phrases. Understanding natives is also difficult for beginners in an everyday environment. If spoken to slowly and directly (with conscience effort from a native), a beginner may fair well. Beginners can typically read "everyday signs" such as "no parking", "no smoking", "keep left", etc... However, reading or writing long texts is difficult. An immersion situation would be difficult for a beginner.

Intermediate: (Survivor)
An intermediate language learner can construct phrases and statements. They can utilize phrases that deal with time, weather, location, desires, and dislikes with little to no difficulty. Intermediate speakers can use the present, past, and future tenses, however they still make errors. They can understand native speakers on certain topics, when spoken to directly. Intermediate learners can have simple transactions in shops, can order something to eat, and can use public transportation. They have sufficient vocabulary to deal with day to day topics, and can describe themselves (hobbies, backgrounds, personal experiences). These speakers can read familiar topics and get the gist about what occurs in a television show or film. Intermediate learners can survive in an immersion situation; however, they may still have difficulty understanding natives (and sometimes are hesitant to interact).

Advanced: (Skilled Survivor)
An advanced learner can understand normal forms of media (TV, films, radio, newspapers, music) with little trouble. They can maintain conversation with natives and even be a part of conversations within noisy environments (i.e, more than one speaker or literal background noise). These learners can construct many sentences correctly, and change with a conversation. They have no trouble with the present, past, future, conditional, and imperfect tenses. They may still have some trouble with the subjunctive, but can recognize its use. Advanced learners can use phrases like "that's difficult to answer" to buy time and formulate what to say. They can also keep track of "favorite mistakes" and monitor them from time to time, or correct themselves when a Native doesn't fully understand. Advanced learners can handle reading long, constructed French articles, books, directions, etc. with little difficulty. For example, read this "advanced-level" passage by Flaubert out loud and really test how much you know: Madame Bovary [extrait].

Advanced French learners can create short, clear narratives or compositions, and can debate a topic both on paper or by speech. They have a knack for picking up vocabulary within context, and know some specialized vocabulary for familiar topics. Advanced learners are confident with at least some aspects of their language, and can survive in an immersion situation with little to no difficulty. These speakers are technically "literate" and have the ability to communicate with Natives almost effortlessly.

Fluent: (Literate Individual)
A fluent learner can understand all forms of media, converse with natives, be understood, and figure out context with little to no difficulty. They can talk in vibrant situations and can express themselves with an advanced vocabulary. They understand a good amount of slang terms and idioms, and use them appropriately. They have a good accent (although it may not necessarily be native) and can understand some dialects. They are capable of reading long texts, sometimes having to look up a word or two at most. Fluent learners can express themselves in writing, where their language skills do not hold them back. A fluent speaker could live in an immersion setting, because they essentially have the tools to communicate with those around them on a daily basis.

Native: (Mother Tongue) 
The language is either your first, or you've been speaking it for the majority of your childhood. You understand vocabulary, you can make conversation effortlessly, and you can read and write. You do not have a "foreign" accent, and you can understand dialects. This language is yours.


Fluency depends on several factors. Living in an area where French is predominantly spoken and you can have a good handling of the language within a year or two, this situation is called immersion. If you aren't living in a Francophone area (such as France or Québec for example), then Fluency could take anywhere from 5 to 10 years, (or more!) depending on these other factors:

1. The age when you first started speaking French. The earlier it's introduced, the better.
2. How much effort and time you put into learning French. Practicing everyday versus weekly... taking formal classes, quality of said classes. Think about this, somebody who spends an hour a day should learn more than a person who commits an hour a week. 
3. How capable you are at learning another language. Some people just have a natural talent, or better methods of language learning. There are people out there who can easily speak four, five, or six different languages... then there are those who struggle at their mother tongue. 

Let me add that although age may slow down your language learning abilities or it may not hinder you at all. You are NEVER too young or too old to start a new language. Hell, I just started learning Italian to impress my Italian girlfriend and it's so similar to French. Some people might be starting French as their 2nd or 3rd romance language - they know the rules, the vocabulary is similar... it may be quite easy because they have the experience with understanding other languages.

Regardless, isn't Fluency just a title? I like to say I could speak both French and English... even though, I will gladly admit that I'm not fluent (I am ranked as a C1 French speaker, a.k.a between advanced and fluent, according to the guidelines utilized in Europe). Proficiency is a way for humans to try and quantitatively measure your language skills - certain levels of proficiency may be required or desired for certain employed positions. Otherwise, how do we know if Sophie is a better French Speaker than Jean?

How hard is it to become fluent in French? Well, let me say that it can be quite difficult at first. You literally go from gaining words and phrases (like a baby) to becoming a "French Adult" throughout the whole process. You may get frustrated. You may get impatient. You may get tired. You may quit. However, obviously I'll suggest that you stick with it! Trust me, eventually you'll have enough vocabulary that if you stumble upon a word you don't know then you can figure out the context. But, learning French is difficult... there are many nuances and differences to how the French language is setup as opposed to English. Thinking that the journey ahead is going to be easy would be foolish.

How long to be French fluent? If you're thinking "six months", then you have to wake up and smell the coffee. Practicing everyday is the best way to get better. Without living in a Francophone country and assuming you're taking formal classes, I would estimate that it'll take at least five years (recognize the at least part) to become "fluent". There are tons of n oun genders, verb conjugations, and pronunciation subtlties which need to be learned - let alone sentence construction and vocabulary... the French language isn't something you just breeze through. Now, if you want to be "conversational" or "literate" as discussed at the start of this article, an intermediate level can be obtainable at roughly one or two years of studying well. A beginner level can be obtained from anywhere between 3 to 6 months all the way to two years depending on how effective your learning is.

I would advise that if you don't have the time commitment to learning French, then you need to figure that out now. Let me add that learning isn't something that you just do and then stop; languages are constantly evolving, and there's always so much more to learn! If you're happy with just being able to communicate well, then  it's possible to do so within two years to three years. Being totally serious, I've been learning English all my life and there's still words out there that I don't know... To me, there's no time concern with learning French because I'm a French learner for life and you should be one too. 

If you're going to learn French in a half-ass fashion, then your French will always be substandard, that's just the reality. 

So yes, it is hard work; but I'm here to help. This website provides a  French Language Learning section and Online French Resources to advance in the right direction.

If you have any comments, I'd love to hear them below. 

**THE ESTIMATED TIME OF ACHIEVEMENT is for monolingual English speakers who plan on taking Formal French Classes while using some extra resources. Of course the times are approximate and vary depending on individual language acquisition, quality of the language course instruction, supplemental effort by the individual, amount of practicing etc...

Source:  http://www.frenchcrazy.com/2011/08/how-long-does-it-take-to-become-fluent.html

 Independent Speaker B1 Threshold or intermediate

Advanced Level - Confident Communicative Skills

Speaking

Advanced level English learners feel comfortable participating in most everyday conversations and can express themselves with ease and provide detail. They may feel challenged in situations where they are called upon to speak in public, but feel capable of doing so. At work, they can easily participate in every aspect of meetings, conference calls, etc. Their pronunciation only rarely gets in the way of comprehension.

Writing

English leaners at this level feel comfortable writing extended letters and e-mails, as well as writing business reports and shorter essays. They may still need proof-reading help from time to time, but are capable of complex structures and use a wide range of linking language.

Reading

Learners at the advanced level enjoy reading extensively in their own interests areas, and will sometimes read books in English for their own pleasure. When they come across challenging vocabulary, they have little problem in understanding the contextual meaning.

Listening

Learners can comprehend almost any conversation or entertainment format. They only rarely have problems when listening to very topic specific areas in which have little competence. They have no problem understanding others in both one to one conversations, and in more complex situations such as dinner with a number of friends, or business meetings.

Source:  http://esl.about.com/od/teachingenglish/a/ESL-Level-Rubric_4.htm

WHY LEARN FRENCH LANGUAGE

Knowing French will allow you not only to function but to compete effectively in the global economy of the future.

In many europeans countries, a second language is introduced in primary school and a third language, in middle school. International job applicants who are proficient in at least two languages will be at a distinct advantage in the global market.

When you know French, you can be a part of communications and transactions occuring daily in French on every continent.

Learning French will increase your job opportunities and salary potentials. And also increases your apreciation from other people, and from other countries, the traditions, the history, the culture, and you can meet new people and understand them without any problem. Something that is not well know if that Learning French will improve your vocabulary in English, this is because 40 to 50% of English vocabulary comes from French, to learn French will also enhance your grammar skills, and willl greatly improve your scores on the verbal section.

Learning French develops your critical and creative thinking skills, because progress is very easy to measure, you can quickly take pride in your new abilities. Proficiency in French will significantly improve your chances of being accepted to the university and to graduate school.

And the best part is that you can travel to Canada, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa and use your French for knowing more about these countries, France is the most visited tourist destination in the world. When you speak French you can ask for an address or comment about your trip or meet new friends. French is the language of culture, opening your door to art, music, cinema, dance, cuisine and fashion. 

Source:  http://www.learnfrenchguide.com/french/language/why.asp

Human Stress (Glossary)

A

Acute stress
Short-term activation of the stress response that can be helpful.

Anterior Pituitary
Region of the brain called the “master gland” necessary for the release of hormones

B

Basal
Baseline or normal every-day levels (e.g., basal cortisol levels).

Blood volume
The total amount of blood circulating in our body.

C

Cardiovascular
Refers to functions of the heart, arteries and veins.

Cascade
Series of biological events

Chronic stress
Long-term activation of repeated stress responses that can be harmful.

Circadian rhythm
Daily pattern of release and regulation of biological substances.

Cortisol
One of the primary mammalian stress hormones

D

Diuretics
Substances that reduce the amount of water in our body.

H

Habituation
Process in which we become used to things or situations.

Homeostasis
Normal biological set points that help to regulate bodily functions.

Hippocampus
Region of the brain involved in learning and memory

Hypothalamus
Region of the brain involved in the regulation of many body functions and the release of hormones.

HPA-axis
Our stress response system consisting of the hypothalamus, the anterior pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands that produce stress hormones.

I

Insulin
Hormone that helps lowers blood sugar levels and store energy for future use.

M

Mobilize energy
The act of getting fuel for muscles and other biological functions

N

Negative feedback
Process of shutting bodily systems off once a set level is achieved.

R

Receptors
Parts of cells that receive chemical messages, including hormonal messages.

Resilience
Capacity to confront with success a stressful situation and to overcome and adapt despite difficult circumstances.

S

Stress hormones
Adrenaline, noradrenalin and cortisol.

Synthesis
The process of creating biological substances through the combination of different molecules.

Source: http://www.humanstress.ca/glossary.html 

Different Kinds of Music That Affect Your Memory While Studying

“It occurred to me by intuition, and music was the driving force behind that intuition,” said Albert Einstein, who did badly in school until his parents bought him a violin that he played to help him decipher various equations. Einstein believed that music was a key factor in helping him become a genius. Music can not only influence emotions and behavior, but it also can stimulate the memory. Researchers throughout the world have conducted various studies to prove that music can improve childhood development and stimulate memory while studying. An experiment in Los Angeles revealed that after schoolchildren received keyboard lessons their spatial-temporal reasoning test skills increased by as much as 34 percent.

1. Baroque Music

   • In experiments conducted in the 1950s and 1960s, Bulgarian psychologist Dr. George Lozanov found that incorporating classical music from the baroque period that uses a 60 beat per minute interval helped students learn new languages. His method helped students retain vocabulary information for half of a school year in just one day; students could learn foreign languages in less than a month at an 85 percent to 100 percent rate of efficiency. Students who took part in this study were able to recall information almost perfectly after four years without having to review what they had previously learned.
     

   The Mozart Effect

   • Named after a 1993 experiment by Professor Frances Rauscher and Dr. Gordon Shaw, the Mozart Effect said that listening to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart can induce relaxation and increase the IQ, study retention and testing-taking ability of listeners. The Mozart Effect often proves to temporarily help increase memorization so that students can receive better results on certain types of tests. Researchers think this type of music releases chemicals in the brain called neurons that help the body relax so that students can study and retain information with greater efficiency. Listen to any of Mozart’s music, including Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, before studying or taking a test so that you can relax and increase your ability to retain process and recall information.
     

   Background Music

   • A test performed by researchers at the University of Texas in 1982 demonstrated how background music can help students memorize vocabulary words. The researchers separated students into three groups. The first group imagined the study words while listening to George Frideric Handel’s “Water Music.” The second group read the study words while listening to the same music as group 1, and the third group used no music at all. Students in groups 1 and 2 both received better scores than those in group 3.
     

Source: Different Kinds of Music That Affect Your Memory While Studying | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_5965674_different-music-affect-memory-studying.html#ixzz27n8MaEQy