https://www.christophejamot.com/blog daily 0.75 2021-10-16 https://www.christophejamot.com/blog/pro-tips-for-language-learners monthly 0.5 2021-10-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/1634412713520-5BSJ74K7OUNSHHS4FS9K/facepalm.jpg Blog - Pro tips for language learners Four years later, I was dating a girl in the US. I was at her parents’ house for Thanksgiving. After stuffing ourselves with roast turkey, green beans, and pumpkin pie, she and I decided to walk it out. I wasn’t acclimated to the cold weather of the Pacific Northwest yet and after about 20 minutes, I said: “Can we head back? I’m feeling a bit frisky.” For some reason, I thought “frisky” and “chilly” were synonymous. She laughed because it was the first time she heard me make a mistake. I’m just glad her parents didn’t go on that walk with us. I have dozens of examples like this, some more embarrassing than others but the point is, if you mess up, the worst that can happen is if no one tells you about it. When you’re in good company, just go with your gut. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/1634411647195-1G40GPXXR525OU23OU61/marcus-dietachmair-4JUscQ_9UrA-unsplash.jpg Blog - Pro tips for language learners Don’t run before you can walk This sounds like a no-brainer but it bears repeating. You can’t start studying chess strategy unless you’ve learned how the pieces move first. There is a method to the madness and students –especially out of frustration—- tend to take shortcuts, which is counter-productive in the long run. If you don’t know the basic rules of grammar and syntax, you should not be learning “fancy” words. For example, I have an elementary level in Spanish and a few months ago, I decided it was time to improve so I started reading Cervantes’ Don Quixote. If you’re not familiar with the book, imagine that you’ve just learned enough English to be able to read children's stories and that since you had no problem reading those, the only logical book to read after that was Hamlet. I quit after 50 pages, it was too much too soon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/1634409872385-CYHG6958JET1MXCUD7HU/Fiverr+Pro.jpg Blog - Pro tips for language learners I’ve worked all kinds of gigs in the language industry over the past 15 years or so. English teacher, interpreter, French teacher, and, for the last 18 months, I stopped wearing multiple hats and focused on being a translator. I’m not comfortable calling myself a pro but it’s a distinction that I just received on Fiverr (the main freelance platform that I use for work). According to them, only 1% of Applicants Earn Pro Status. All right, I’m done bragging, I promise. I do have a few tips to share on the topic of language learning, but first, let me tell you a bit about my own journey learning English. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/1634410886808-DBHHJTVX6TLPKIBJH1XZ/learning+curve.jpg Blog - Pro tips for language learners - Make it stand out Your typical language learning curve https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/1634410637170-IAPRB0W9C4Z374WHSL37/Kindle+screenshot.png Blog - Pro tips for language learners The words I looked up on my current book. Can you guess what it is? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/1634410762290-65F3UCR912SDYQDPKRA2/dmitrii-vaccinium-WZ7mxFs2f5g-unsplash.jpg Blog - Pro tips for language learners Language learner beware! In my experience as a teacher, if you’ve reached an intermediate level and you’re unable to practice for an extended period of time, it’s actually possible to regress. I’ve seen it with a number of my own students who took classes in college, graduated, started a job and for one reason or another, decided to resume learning French. After a few years without using the language, they had to re-learn some of the basics. In France, when you learn a language in school, the title of the class translates into “living language”. If the language you’re learning is not living,—at least in your mind—it will slowly wither. https://www.christophejamot.com/blog/post1 monthly 0.5 2021-09-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/1633023521617-H5BPA8D8S9VUHMJXY7MR/GRE+scores.JPG Blog - HOW I REINVENTED MYSELF AT 36 MY GRE scores over 3 years, I guess I’m not good at math. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/1633023646710-0DD4HLP2WM3F46VSK2BC/Ikigai+diagram.png Blog - HOW I REINVENTED MYSELF AT 36 - WHAT IS YOUR IKIGAI? You’ve probably come across this Venn diagram. It illustrates the Japanese concept of “Ikigai”, a word that essentially means "a motivating force; something or someone that gives a person a sense of purpose or a reason for living". I like to think of it as the joie-de-vivre derived from one’s work. The diagram is taken from a book called Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles. When I recall this conversation with my ex, I’m reminded of this diagram. It has its shortcomings but I think it’s a solid framework to consider your own career. Think about how you would rank these four categories by order of importance. Based on that ranking, you should be able to picture circles of different sizes, with different overlapping areas. Now, if you add the variable of time into the mix, the size of each circle will likely change over time. Perhaps—as you grow older and more altruistic—“that which the world needs” will overtake some of the other categories. I think that many of my failures arose from being too much of a romantic: “that which you love” was the lens through which I was looking at the world, “that which you’re good at” was a distant second. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/1633023937774-LRI78JY137PCRK3M7TVW/Procrastination.png Blog - HOW I REINVENTED MYSELF AT 36 - PROCRASTINATION, THE THIEF OF TIME Inside, I was scared. Fear of failure is a powerful thing. I always found excuses. I’m not ready, I thought. I listened to that voice in my head saying “you’re not good enough”. First, you must learn more about it, so instead of actually writing, I would read about how to write, or listen to people talk about the craft. As Bruce Lee would say: “Don’t think, feel”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/1633024621616-MUA6NNQPYUQH7C0KM2V9/ian-schneider-TamMbr4okv4-unsplash.jpg Blog - HOW I REINVENTED MYSELF AT 36 - MY ONE PIECE OF ADVICE Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash https://www.christophejamot.com/blog/category/career monthly 0.5 https://www.christophejamot.com/blog/category/Language monthly 0.5 https://www.christophejamot.com/blog/tag/Productivity monthly 0.5 https://www.christophejamot.com/blog/tag/productivity monthly 0.5 https://www.christophejamot.com/blog/tag/Language monthly 0.5 https://www.christophejamot.com/blog/tag/ikigai monthly 0.5 https://www.christophejamot.com/blog/tag/procrastination monthly 0.5 https://www.christophejamot.com/blog/tag/Tips monthly 0.5 https://www.christophejamot.com/webcontent daily 0.75 2026-01-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/1631372255318-0YAHCF4R5RQ6S30KUT8P/Paralegal.JPG Editorial & web content - Translation of a Paralegal Services website (English to French) Claire Joseph is a Paralegal based in Ottawa, Ontario. She provides legal services in diverse areas of the law but focuses more on immigration. Her cabinet contacted me to translate their website from English to French. Although I specialize in European French, I have worked on many successful projects with French Canadian businesses and I’m still learning about the subtleties of Canadian French. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/1631449270691-VOP5L4X26BC91M9KKXDA/Connecteam.JPG Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/1631371591102-BDZ0CBJNCSI69L2Z7QNE/Cocktail+Bomb.JPG Editorial & web content - Translation of a wholesale catalog (English to French) Cocktail Bomb Shop is a company from Montreal, Canada. They have taken Tik Tok by storm with their proudly handmade cocktail bombs. They strive to deliver a great tasting product that is both fun and environmentally friendly, using high quality and natural ingredients. I translated their entire catalogue from English to French. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/6171fb2f-7b5f-47b2-8f4c-5a35b29d199d/2.123.png Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/466e2dfc-7903-4ff0-b213-d18f0cf3291d/comic_ENG1.JPG Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/972806db-e6b0-46c4-9221-219e9876eb26/Eulodie+Cloutier+Antoine+Proulx+Marriage+-+1882.jpg Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/788e0683-cbc1-4905-8537-f22a1760fad5/4.JSG_Logo.png Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/b120e4e3-2c75-4fd4-a08c-bddd521963ae/comic_ENG2.JPG Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/82bfa1d3-08a7-43b0-b584-fea533b72063/Eulodie+Cloutier+Antoine+Proulx+Marriage+-+1882-FR.JPG Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/41a9189d-13b0-417f-bcca-359636f1c8f7/5.connecteamlogo.png Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/b4a2fa82-4d18-4994-bb8f-6fca1277c92a/comic_FR1.JPG Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/c2538e4c-d809-40eb-8cd3-83d7d9f3ced0/6.blueprint_logo_2021_A.png Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/d507e815-1f3e-47f2-a7a8-53599c38d0de/1.+big-think-big-think-png-3230_1024.png Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/56a5fbae-7d1c-419b-a354-190f29a39bd4/9.willow-full-mark+1.png Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/bda1c96f-4e77-4a9e-a326-974a81bd94b9/10.SUSA+logo+2016.png Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/6a3db15d-7875-4d57-a1f2-be1baec62140/18.logo+corporate.png Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/f7924e89-f172-4d32-bcf3-f057541b3d6b/21.euclidlogo-h600.png Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/fca359f9-d8d8-4939-8964-e4e80877bf4c/22.Photologo_2000x1000_B.png Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/ac2207cf-24cd-4e72-a74d-3ffa68615c54/1280px-Fiverr_Logo_09.2020.svg.png Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/ce02e608-0042-4943-ad37-73ffc1ab3847/8550d7_98ff9c8fd46047dc8d12d3019ec0d211_mv2.gif Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/348f436d-d740-44ab-bd39-d93aec347f7a/Signature_Center_Purple_Hex.png Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/4cd2aa04-4753-4242-ae57-efaaa23c4dd0/Zutobi.png Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/70a71c9d-2ef6-4e83-8061-a2cbabaa9194/evobend.png Editorial & web content https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/75781ed1-2fc9-41ea-b225-733cd4a11a2c/comic_FR2.JPG Editorial & web content https://www.christophejamot.com/home daily 1.0 2026-01-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/1631289011765-3VWNEAW9HU4F9NULZZY7/0010_Christophe_corporate19.jpg Home https://www.christophejamot.com/about daily 0.75 2026-01-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/1631298321872-X8NV8DCRFUQ9NINXN56C/my+story.jpg About - My Background I am a professional French–English translator and localizer with a long-standing academic and professional background in language, writing, and cross-cultural communication. I began working with the French language in a professional context in 2006, when I studied abroad at the University of Washington in Seattle. As part of that program, I taught French to undergraduate students while completing my studies. What began as a one-year experience became nearly eight years in the United States, during which I completed graduate studies and continued working in a variety of language-related roles within the university environment and beyond. This extended immersion in an English-speaking academic and professional context gave me a solid understanding of how language functions in practice — not only grammatically, but stylistically and culturally. It also laid the groundwork for the work I do today as a translator. After returning to France, I transitioned into freelance translation, focusing on French–English and English–French projects where clarity, tone, and consistency are essential. Over time, my work has increasingly involved editorial, creative, and long-form content, as well as texts that require careful localization rather than literal translation. I approach each project individually, with attention to voice, register, and audience. I work on a limited number of assignments at a time to maintain quality and coherence, and I value clear communication and long-term collaboration. Alongside my professional work, I maintain a strong interest in language, writing, and culture, which informs my approach to translation and localization. If you are looking for a reliable partner for French–English translation or localization projects where language quality matters, I would be glad to discuss your needs. https://www.christophejamot.com/new-page daily 0.75 2026-01-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60fd67aa6e7e057270e1ee4d/1631468889241-4QY93RXDMXCK2PEXA5TH/gloria-villa-J1RWWqyW2R8-unsplash.jpg Learn French - Make it stand out Photo by Gloria Villa on Unsplash https://www.christophejamot.com/videos daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://www.christophejamot.com/reviews daily 0.75 2026-01-06 https://www.christophejamot.com/contactme daily 0.75 2025-07-05 https://www.christophejamot.com/new-page-1 daily 0.75 2021-09-29 https://www.christophejamot.com/childrens-books daily 0.75 2026-01-06 https://www.christophejamot.com/correspondance daily 0.75 2025-07-06