Language at Work

Language of Work

Understand the term ‘Le monde du travail’ which translates to ‘The world of work’. This is a commonly used phrase in the context of employment in French-speaking cultures.
Be familiar with the term ‘un emploi’ (a job), and know that someone seeking employment may be referred to as ‘un demandeur d’emploi’.
Understand ‘le bureau’ as the French term for ‘the office’, while ‘un ouvrier’ and ‘un cadre’ are ‘a worker’ and ‘an executive’ respectively.
Remember the term ‘un entretien d’embauche’, meaning ‘a job interview’. ‘Embaucher’ means ‘to hire’ while ‘licencier’ translates to ‘to fire’.

Learn how to discuss workplace interactions including the verb ‘travailler’ (to work), ‘collaborer’ (to collaborate), ‘diriger’ (to lead) and ‘obéir’ (to obey).
Familiarise with the phrase ‘prendre une pause’ meaning ‘to take a break’, and understand that ‘le déjeuner’ refers to ‘lunch’.
Be able to discuss work tasks using verbs such as ‘faire’ (to do/make), ‘écrire’ (to write), ‘créer’ (to create) and ‘analyser’ (to analyse).
Understand the concept of ‘le travail d’équipe’ meaning ‘teamwork’ along with relevant terms such as ‘un chef’ (a leader) and ‘un(e) collègue’ (a colleague).

Remember the terms ‘profession’ (job), ‘carrière’ (career), ‘avancement’ or ‘promotion’ (promotion), and ‘retraite’ (retirement).
Understand common job titles such as ‘un ingénieur’ (an engineer), ‘un médecin’ (a doctor), ‘un avocat’ (a lawyer), ‘un enseignant’ or ‘un professeur’ (a teacher).
Know that a trainee is referred to as ‘un stagiaire’ and a traineeship as ‘un stage’.
Understand that a CV is referred to as ‘un curriculum vitae’ and a cover letter is ‘une lettre de motivation’.

Familiarize yourself with important business terminology such as ‘entreprise’ (business), ‘société’ (company), ‘patron’ (boss), ‘client’ (client), ‘produit’ (product) and ‘service’ (service).
Learn important financial terms such as ‘salaire’ (salary), ‘impôts’ (taxes), ‘bénéfices’ (profits), and ‘dépenses’ (expenses).
Be able to discuss the business environment with terms like ‘concurrence’ (competition) and ‘marché’ (market).