French and English

Zut alors!

My friends all ask whether it's hard to get by in Mont Tremblant if you don't speak French. And considering this is an English blog, I suspect many of you are wondering the same thing. The answer is, most people in the Mont Tremblant area are bilingual, capable of switching to English if they need to. Some are better at it than others, but you generally won't have a problem. If you're in the mountainside village, Vieux Tremblant or the restaurants in St. Jovite, you'll have no problem at all. I have run into some French-only speakers at the grocery store or the Giant Tiger, which is understandable because they cater to the locals and less to the tourists. Go outside the prime tourist areas to places like Val Davide, and the results will be mixed.

If you do speak some French and wish to try it out in Tremblant, it's a very safe place to do so. I've heard many theories about how the French respond to our attempts to speak their language and would offer my perspective:

• Theory #1: the French appreciate it if you try to speak French. I don't know that I've ever sensed appreciation...I have had a couple of wait staff in restaurants compliment me on my French, but they may have just been doing it for tips.
• Theory #2: the French hate it if you try to speak French. I don't know that I've ever sensed hatred...I've sensed confusion, and I've certainly seen a couple people try to hide a grin when I made a pronunciation mistake, but nothing mean-spirited.
• Theory #3: as soon as an Anglo speaks French they switch immediately to English out of disgust. I have definitely experienced the switch, but more in Montreal than in Mont Tremblant. Here, I find they're far more prepared to go along in French with you, or if they hear you're struggling, they ask in French if you'd prefer English. As for switching because they're disgusted with your French, my understanding is that the switch is a courtesy, meant to put you at ease.  I also find that many locals are so comfortable in both languages, they readily switch between French and English without a second thought.
• Theory #4: the French are insulted if you walk up to them and start speaking English. This one I'm not sure about. Again, in the tourist areas, the locals are quite accustomed to English-speakers so it's no big surprise for them to be addressed in English. Personally, if I feel I'm going to need to use English, I prefer to negotiate that with a "parlez-vous Anglais?" before jumping in.

Overall, if you have any trepidation about your lack French language skills, you can leave that at home and enjoy!

May 2014 Update
Inasmuch as my French isn't always the best (and I know I've induced some giggles from Francophones), their English can also be entertaining.  A couple examples:

• See the article in the Tremblant Express (local bilingual newspaper) that encourages you to ski the resort's back country slopes, which they refer to as Tremblant's Backside.
• On one of the showshoe trails in the Domaine St. Bernard, there's a cosy warming hut equipped with a wood-burning stove.  There's a sign next to the stove asking you not to put garbage in the bin..."This is for ashes, not for trashes".  Full marks for the faithful rhyming! 
• A local children's charity announced they were raising money for "infantile causes"