ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE DES  BAHAMAS        

Around 136 million people worldwide speak French as a first language. Moreover, roughly 110 million people learn French as a second or third language. French speaking communities are present in 57 countries and territories. Today, more than 200 million people speak French. It is the only other language, apart from English, that is spoken in the five continents.

Together with English and Spanish, French is also the language of the Caribbean Region. French is indeed present in the waters of the Caribbean Sea (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Haiti, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy). Learning French will allow you to facilitate trade and communication with your neighbours when you visit their islands.

It also gives you the edge over other persons as you have made te effort to try and communicate with potential clients in their language.

French is the official language for international organizations such as the United Nations, NATO, the International Olympic Committee, the European Union, the World Trade Organization… If you are thinking of an international career, French can be a real advantage to you.

The ability to speak French and English is also an advantage on the international job market. Knowledge of French opens the doors of French companies or companies trading with French speaking countries (Haiti, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, and North and Sub-Saharan African countries). As the world’s fifth largest economy and number three destination for foreign investment, France is a key economic partner.

In The Bahamas, it is difficult to find persons who speak French, so you will have an advantage in the Tourism field.

French is the international language of cooking, fashion, theatre, the visual arts, dance and architecture.

Knowledge of French offers access to great works of literature, as well as films and songs, in their original language. French is the language of Molière, Victor Hugo, Charles Baudelaire, Arthur Rimbaud, Jacques Stephen Alexis, Léopold Sendar Senghor, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Jacques Prévert, Aimé Césaire, René Depestre, Maryse Condé, Simone Schwarz-Bart, Réjean Ducharme, Amadou Hampâté Bâ, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Assia Djebar Alain Mabanckou, Antonine Maillet, Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Céline Dion, Félix Leclerc, Maurice Béjart, Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, François Truffaut, Luc Besson, Les frères Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Sembane Ousmène, Gérard Depardieu, Christophe Lambert, Catherine Deneuve, Yannick Noah, Zinedine Zidane…

France is top tourist destination and attracts more than 70 million visitors a year. A little French makes it so much more enjoyable to visit Paris and all the regions of France and offers insights into French culture and way of life. French also comes in handy when travelling to Africa, Switzerland, Canada, Indian Ocean and Pacific islands and many other exciting places.

It's so much easier to understand people and their culture if you can communicate with them!