French: the language of the Olympics – The Beijing Olympics will be speaking our language
February 2008
By Sylvie Thomas-Barbe
The "French: the language of the Olympics" campaign was launched at the Expolangues show. The aim of this comprehensive package of powerful measures, developed in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is for French to be restored in practice to the status of official language conferred on it when the modern Olympic Games were created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1896. This summer, Beijing will be speaking French!
There was a triple celebration to mark the opening day of Expolangues in Paris, as 6 February was also the first day of the Chinese New Year and, by happy coincidence, China was the show's guest of honour.
Good-humoured red and gold dragons strolled down the aisles of the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Centre whilst table-tennis champions Jean-Philippe Gatien and Xiao-Ming Wang put on stunning demonstrations. Another star attraction was "French: the language of the Olympics", whose logo peppered both the floor and the stands. Abdou Diouf, the general secretary of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, which represents the French-speaking world, launched this large-scale campaign during his inaugural speech.
The Chinese representatives, for their part, emphasised the extent to which the organisers of the Beijing Olympics were determined to ensure the use and visibility of the French language during the event. It was in order to support their efforts that the "French: the language of the Olympics" initiative was developed, in partnership with the French ministries of Foreign Affairs, Culture and Sport.
All of the measures put in place will restore French to its rightful place as an official language at the world's biggest sporting event. Our language will be spreading its net throughout the Chinese capital between 8 and 24 August this year! The official speeches made at the opening and closing ceremonies will be displayed on giant screens in the Olympic Stadium in French. Both the official information platform set up for the Games and the website will include a French version that will be simultaneously updated with all the information found on the English version.
Written announcements at sporting venues and in the official Olympic compound will be produced in French. Panels designed to help pedestrians find their way around these same places will also be produced in the language of Molière. Publications designed for the general public, volunteers (who will receive training in French), the officials of the Olympic Committee and tourism professionals will also be translated, including the spectator's guide, “all-purpose” guide, programmes for the ceremonies and events, guide to cultural activities, official magazines, leaflets, posters and postcards. In a word, French will be everywhere!
Numerous interpreters will be recruited and assigned to the Olympic Committee. The costs will be split between the Committee and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Finally, there will be a whole programme of French cultural events on offer.
Of course, all of this could not have been dreamt up in a single day – even if it was New Year's Day. "French: the language of the Olympics" is the result of fierce determination and a long-term plan of action that has been implemented since an important first step was taken: the signature, on 26 November 2007, of a Convention on the use and promotion of French at the Beijing Olympics between the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, representing 68 countries and governments, and the Games' Organising Committee. The Convention was handed to Jacques Rogge, the President of the International Olympic Committee, by Abdou Diouf on 23 January, in Lausanne.
Jean-Pierre Raffarin has been appointed as "Grand Témoin" (Chief Representative) for the French-speaking world. His role, in conjunction with the group of French-speaking ambassadors in Beijing, is to report on the fulfilment of the programme set out in the Convention.
There will be a major ceremony in Beijing on 9 August, bringing together the French-speaking political, diplomatic and sporting community, in the presence of Jacques Rogge. 2008 should therefore be a "rat-tastic" year for French, at least according to the pun made by the Chinese ambassador at Expolangues (for those who were not already aware of it, we are now in the Year of the Rat). In this warm and friendly atmosphere, Abdou Diouf was however keen to underline the fact that the promotion of our language has nothing to do with sectarianism or conservatism of any kind. As the general secretary of the international Francophone organisation pointed out, it is first and foremost a matter of "respecting the principle of linguistic diversity: a single language would detract from values that are inseparable from the Olympic movement, namely humanism, respect for difference and the mutual enrichment engendered by cross-cultural encounters." As the Chinese ambassador said in his speech, "language is a decisive element in building closer ties between nations".