French Pavilion

[3dstage]

I have been studying French for about a year. I thought while I'm in Orlando this summer that I would visit the French Pavilion at Epcot and attempt to practice my French with some native francophones.

I was wondering if anyone here has done that and what kind of experiences you may have had? Are the people working there generally open to speaking French with a novice? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

 

[englanddg]

Dunno about France, per se, as I've never tried it there. But in the UK pavilion, they love to speak English with me <kidding>

Actually, when we are in the Germany pavilion I speak mostly German whilst there, and no one bats an eye at it except for other park guests .

 

[Stellajack]

Why not give it a try? I think you would find the CM's receptive, but you should know that one of the CMs in Le Plume et Palette is from Cuba! I met him in April and still haven't figured this out.

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

It should be fun but don't be surprised if they have as much trouble understanding your French as you have understanding their English.

 

[3dstage]

Dunno about France, per se, as I've never tried it there. But in the UK pavilion, they love to speak English with me <kidding>

Actually, when we are in the Germany pavilion I speak mostly German whilst there, and no one bats an eye at it except for other park guests .

Actually I have already practiced my English in the UK pavilion, "Another pint please."

 

[3dstage]

Why not give it a try? I think you would find the CM's receptive, but you should know that one of the CMs in Le Plume et Palette is from Cuba! I met him in April and still haven't figured this out.

Interesting enough the teacher in my French class is from Mexico, I'm serious lol

 

[3dstage]

It should be fun but don't be surprised if they have as much trouble understanding your French as you have understanding their English.

That could make things fun

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

We bought a couple slices of cake to go and asked the CM to lay them over in the box. She looked confused so we repeated it and used hand signal, still confused. Before we could say never mind we would take care of it she asked another CM to come over so we could tell her what we wanted. After saying it once the second CM put the cake on it's side. Than the first CM realized what we wanted and how easy it was she stated to laugh and said "Oh." It was funny at the time and still a joke to us when ever we go back for cake.

 

[englanddg]

I think you should walk around the pavilion demanding (loudly and clearly) that you be served "Freedom Fries".

<runs away quickly>

 

[englanddg]

We bought a couple slices of cake to go and asked the CM to lay them over in the box. She looked confused so we repeated it and used hand signal, still confused. Before we could say never mind we would take care of it she asked another CM to come over so we could tell her what we wanted. After saying it once the second CM put the cake on it's side. Than the first CM realized what we wanted and how easy it was she stated to laugh and said "Oh." It was funny at the time and still a joke to us when ever we go back for cake.

I have had trouble communicating with CMs in that pavilion as well. Also, and I suspect this is cultural, but it seems to me that French speakers (from France, not Canada) seem to like to speak in very soft tones.

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

I'm sure they have dialects and accents in France just like we do in the US. Every watch one of those gator catching shows from the south and they put sub-titles on it because they think people watching won't be able to understand the accent. US can't be the only country with this issue.

 

[armyfamilyof5]

My oldest speaks limited Spanish and French but has no trouble communicating with the staff when we are in France at Epcot. They are always pleased. So funny but when she was a baby I taught her thank you, please and a few other things in sign language, she still does the sign when she says these things over 18 years later, LOL! My DH asked me not to do this with the other two as I wasn't teaching them to be deaf!!! He's so funny too!

 

[englanddg]

I'm sure they have dialects and accents in France just like we do in the US. Every watch one of those gator catching shows from the south and they put sub-titles on it because they think people watching won't be able to understand the accent. US can't be the only country with this issue.

Certainly, yes, they do have dialects and varied accents.

As a side note, I live in the south, and have no trouble understanding the people on "Swamp People" (I think that's the show you are referring to)...that being said, the South has extremely varied dialects and even whole pidgeon languages (Geechee, Gullah, Creole, etc.)

 

[3dstage]

We bought a couple slices of cake to go and asked the CM to lay them over in the box. She looked confused so we repeated it and used hand signal, still confused. Before we could say never mind we would take care of it she asked another CM to come over so we could tell her what we wanted. After saying it once the second CM put the cake on it's side. Than the first CM realized what we wanted and how easy it was she stated to laugh and said "Oh." It was funny at the time and still a joke to us when ever we go back for cake.

Now if I have an experience like that then I probably won't feel too self conscious about speaking French with my American accent lol

 

[DJMoore2011]

I've not done this but maybe if you say to them that you are learning French and would like to practice then they might help you some?

 

[3dstage]

I'm sure they have dialects and accents in France just like we do in the US. Every watch one of those gator catching shows from the south and they put sub-titles on it because they think people watching won't be able to understand the accent. US can't be the only country with this issue.

LOL I love when they do that, also the moonshiners show. Most of my experience is with French-French. If I watch a French movie, which I do often, I can usually understand what they are saying here and there. The other day I was watching a couple of Canadian-French videos on youtube, I couldn't understand a word lol

 

[3dstage]

My oldest speaks limited Spanish and French but has no trouble communicating with the staff when we are in France at Epcot. They are always pleased. So funny but when she was a baby I taught her thank you, please and a few other things in sign language, she still does the sign when she says these things over 18 years later, LOL! My DH asked me not to do this with the other two as I wasn't teaching them to be deaf!!! He's so funny too!

That's awesome that you did that. I've never been to France, maybe some day, but I've heard that if you at least try to speak some French, the reception you get is a lot better than what you might experience if you expect them to speak English. So I'm kind of hoping for that kind of experience.

 

[3dstage]

I've not done this but maybe if you say to them that you are learning French and would like to practice then they might help you some?

Initially that was totally my plan, but didn't know if they might just prefer that I speak English so that they can get on to the next customer.

 

[englanddg]

That's awesome that you did that. I've never been to France, maybe some day, but I've heard that if you at least try to speak some French, the reception you get is a lot better than what you might experience if you expect them to speak English. So I'm kind of hoping for that kind of experience.

I would hope so. While I've had some great experiences with CMs in the French Pavilion (purchasing perfume for the kid's mom and grandmother and at the bakery), I've had some terrible ones as well (only Pavilion I can say this about).

Last trip we did Chef's de France, and they seated another couple for my ADR. When I went to ask what had happened, after around a 30 minutes past ADR time wait sitting on the fountain outside, I was, quite literally, condemned to sit in the corner by the FOH Manager on Duty (not at a table...on a stool, in the corner.)

We were, however, seated soon after that.

I joked about it in my trip report that Disney is so keen to pay attention to details that they insisted they replicate the rudeness of the French as well!

 

[3dstage]

I think you should walk around the pavilion demanding (loudly and clearly) that you be served "Freedom Fries".

<runs away quickly>

LOL, they just call them "des frites."