After years of mastering French and Spanish, both at school and in the big wide world, it’s now time for me to get back to the books. I thought I was finished with learning complicated grammar rules, difficult-to-pronounce sounds and culturally charged expressions. But, being with a Franco-Tunisian born and brought up in Tunis, it…
Blog
English Copywriter in Paris: Easter meanings
Easter will soon be busily celebrated across the world with a multitude of church services and even more chocolate gobbling. But, where does the word “Easter” actually come from? 1.) According to some sources, the word Easter has its origin in an Anglo-Saxon goddess called Eostre (also Estre, Estara, Eastre & Ostara). It is believed…
English Copywriter in Paris: 5 Parisian signs of Spring
Summer is glimmering far off on the horizon. The first energizing rays of sunshine are gently falling. The clocks have raced back an hour. It’s official. Spring is here! In the French capital, this means… 1.) Long lunches basking at outdoor tables with chilled bottles of chardonnay. It is important to realise that as temperature increase, so…
English Copywriter in Paris: French attitudes to job security
The last few weeks have been filled with red-hot striking and protests here in Paris. This time, it’s all about, amongst other things, proposed labour reforms. What kind of radical changes have the French government cooked up to incite so much anger? Hollande & Co. are trying, among other things, to make it is easier…
English Copywriter in Paris: the French art of striking and protesting
Strikes from air controllers, train drivers, metro workers, teachers and students mean things have been grinding along at an excruciating pace in Paris in recent weeks. The latest instalment involves blockading oil refineries to disrupt petrol distribution! And, in many cases, patience is wearing thin among the famously strike-happy French who feel that they are being…
English Copywriter in Paris: To Brexit or not to Brexit?
The big day we’ve been talking about for so many months has finally landed. The clock is ticking for those who haven’t yet registered to vote. The opposing battle lines have been drawn (and redrawn). It seems that the media is talking about nothing else, certainly in the UK, with just a few lines dedicated…
English Copywriter in Paris: Post-Brexit musings
I haven’t written for a while, since the big British Brexit drama to be precise. This is partly because of the intervening sunny “holiday” months, but also, if I’m honest, because I’ve been feeling a little lost since we officially voted to jump the EU ship into unknown waters. Like many, I’d expected the status…
English Copywriter in Paris: 3 freelancing myths busted
Many people have an idyllic vision of what it means to freelance. These images often involve working in pyjamas, brainstorming on beaches and having meetings in trendy cafés. Working for yourself obviously means that you live in a very different working world without the fixed office, hours and holidays associated with more traditional jobs. But,…
English Copywriter in Paris: Paradoxical paradise of working from home
In my last article, I put some of the most prevalent freelancing myths under the microscope, so to speak. But, I deliberately left out one of the biggest. What is this massive myth that deserves an entire article to itself? The widely held belief that working from home is simply amazing, paradisiacal and blissful. Let me set…
English Copywriter in Paris: The Pregnant Freelancer
The autumn was characterised by chill winds, colourful leaves and erratic posting on my part. I usually dust off the excuse of “too much work, too little time”, but, this time, I decided to be a little more inventive. I’ve added a new layer to equation, that I’m pregnant. 7 and a half months to…