This text is part of the special Francophonie notebook
How important is French at work? This is the theme on which the web series focuses with humor Office Chroniclesproduced by TV5 and supported by the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF).
“In a context where the desire to strengthen the place of French as a working language in Quebec was very present, the subject was obvious,” explains Martine Veillette, communications agent at TV5 Québec Canada.
“It made me aware of the behaviors that we can adopt to facilitate the learning of people who do not speak French,” summarizes Émilie Ouellette, one of the two writers of the series. Available in eight episodes available for free on the TV5Unis platform, Office Chroniclesproduced by Olivier Gilbert, was designed to concretely reflect the linguistic difficulties of local businesses.
To appeal to their audience, the screenwriters worked to create endearing and realistic characters. “They talk like they do in real life,” emphasizes M.me Ouellette. If we want people to watch the series, they have to identify with it. » The result is light and catchy and gently makes you think about French. “We wondered how to be didactic without it taking us out of the story,” remembers co-writer Pier-Luc Lasalle. We had the idea of ending each episode with a song, during which we could really get the message across. »
There is an English-speaking boss, a nod to Quebec’s past, and French-speaking employees, including a French newcomer and an intern who has come to learn the language. A picky Internet user, Jacqueline24, completes the gang. “The choice of humor is not trivial. It allows us to take a step back from the situation,” underlines M.me Ouellette.
Words to work with
In addition to its funding for media productions, the OQLF also works internally to create French vocabularies for employees in various professions. Trucking, physiotherapy, circular economy, quantum computing, water treatment… The Office is collaborating with representatives from various sectors to develop “real terms that can be and are used”, summarizes the spokesperson for the OQLF, Chantal Bouchard.
The Office also regularly conducts campaigns to correct common workplace errors. This includes displays of opening hours or terms used for online purchasing. Should we say special or sale? “Sale, discount sale or promotion [sont à utiliser] instead of special or special, since the word special does not designate, in French, a product sold on sale,” we can learn.
Several researchers have established that the use of French requires in particular a positive vision of the language. If we believe it is moribund, why do we want to use it in our daily lives? Thanks to series like Office Chronicleswe can improve our mastery of the language while having fun.
From 2025, companies with more than 25 employees will have to demonstrate to the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) that French is used “generally” in their premises. This measure aims to strengthen the status of Anne Hébert’s language while, since 2016, the number of people speaking French in the workplace has been decreasing. In 2021, the proportion of workers using French predominantly in Quebec stood at 79.7%.
Beyond legal provisions, the OQLF also finances various projects which aim, in particular, to promote “the importance of working and doing business in French in Quebec”. The Savoir Média video capsules, The Word Clinica series deciphering medical vocabulary, as well as the platform My job is in French! of TV5 Monde received the support of the Office.
A Francolab to learn French
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.