Quatre vingt dix-neuvime Leon Le Travail

99th Lesson - Work

Jean-Michel et Claude habitent Vannes en Bretagne,

une belle rgion dans louest de la France.
1 Jean-Michel and Claude live in Vannes in Brittany, a
beautiful region in western France.
2 Claude est institutrice. Elle travaille dans une petite cole
une trentaine de kilomtres de Vannes.
2 Claude is primary school teacher in a small school about
30 kms from Vannes.

Jean-Michel, lui, est ingnieur informaticien. Mais il y a

trois mois, la socit pour laquelle il travaillait a ferm
ses portes
3
As for Jean-Michel, he is a computer engineer. But the
company he used to work for closed down three months ago

Et Jean-Michel sest retrouv au chmage. Depuis, il

cherche du travail.

And Jean-Michel found himself unemployed. Since then,

he has been looking for work.

Encore une lettre de refus. a fait la quatrime depuis

le dbut du mois.

Another letter of refusal. That makes it the 4th since the

beginning of the month.

Cette fois-ci, parait-il, je suis trop qualifi. Tu vois

maintenant les boites embauchent les jeunes avec bac
plus trois, qui sont moins chers.
This time, it appears, I am too qualified. You see now
companies hire the young people with high school diploma
plus three, who are les expensive.

= Companies hire young people straight out of universities

because theyre cheaper.
videmment, avec mon diplme dingnieur et mes dix ans
dexprience, je suis presque trop vieux dj.

Evidently (obviously), with my engineering diploma and my

ten years of experience, I am almost too old already.

Ne te tracasse pas, chri. a ne fait que trois mois que

tu cherches. Tu trouveras bientt, jen suis sre.
Dont fret (yourself), dear. Its only been three months
since youre looking. You will find (something) soon, I am
sure about that.
9 Au point o jen suis, je suis prt accepter nimporte
quel petit boulot. la limite, je donnerais des cours de
math.

Its got to the point where Im ready to accept any odd

job. If it came to it, Id give math lessons.
10 Tu dis nimporte quoi. De toute faon, tu dtestes
lenseignement.
10 youre saying anything. Anyway, you hate teaching.
11 L, tu as tort. jaime assez donner des cours. En tous cas,
jaime bien les jeunes.
11 there, you are wrong. I quite like giving lessons. In any
case, I like young people.
12 Je naime pas lide dabandonner mon mtier, mais
quest-ce que tu veux? Ce que je ne peux pas accepter,
cest de ne rien faire.
12 I dont like the idea of giving up my trade, but what do
you want? What I cannot accept is doing nothing.

13

Pas question dabandonner ton mtier. Si besoin est, on

peut quitter la rgion. Je nen ai pas tellement envie,
mais sil le faut
13 theres no question of you giving up your job. If need be,
we move away from the region. I dont particularly want
to, but if we have to
14 bon, pas de prcipitation. Attendons encore un peu.
14 well, lets not rush into things. Lets wait a little longer.
1 Serge est bibliothcaire. Nathalie, elle, est assistant
sociale.
1 Serge is a librarian. As for Nathalie, shes a social worker.
2 Depuis la fermeture de lusine, il cherche du travail.
2 Since the closing of the factory, he has been looking for
work.
3 a fait trois mois quelle est au chmage.
3 It has been three months that she has been unemployed.
4 Je naime pas lide de quitter la Bretagne.
4 I dont like the idea of leaving Brittany.
5 Il na pas tellement envie de changer de mtier.
5 He doesnt really want to change professions.