Cultural Re-Awakenings
It was heartening to read about Ross McQueen’s cultural awakening in The Guardian recently. It reawakened my own cultural and linguistic memories I’d had as a linguist, particularly the foreign films I watched in my teens.
A more recent cultural re-awakening happened last summer, when Questions pour un Champion [Questions for a Champion] hosted by Julien Lepers, went on tour in northern France including a campsite I’ve visited every summer for many years.
Language Learning Experiences
McQueen recalled his school language learning experiences and how languages had become more relevant for him after watching an Eddy Izzard VHS on the quirkiness of learning French at school. McQueen then recounted how later, he had seen Izzard performing in both France and Germany in each of these respective languages. These experiences had inspired McQueen to learn and use his languages in his daily life and had ended up working in the European Commission.
Early Language Immersion
McQueen’s experience brought to mind all the late-night French and Russian films I’d watched as a late teenager on Moviedrome on BBC2 during the 1980s.
I specifically remember Alex Cox introducing Diva one evening, explaining that the entire film had been styled around a packet of Gitanes cigarettes. The film itself was about a Parisian postman who had illegally recorded an opera singer at a concert and then had got mixed up in the Parisian criminal underworld. That really got me hooked (and on cigarettes as well!). As part of my personal criteria for choosing a university language course, the year abroad had to have the option of studying in Paris.
Another film I watched around the same time, was Маленькая Вера (Little Vera) (1988). It was set during Glasnost’ and focused on youth rebellion within the Soviet Union’s collapsing social system. Vera, the protagonist, had just finished school and there were very few opportunities available for her. The film depicted many social issues, including alcoholism, unemployment and growing up in late Soviet society.
In fact, there were many parallels with growing up in late 80s Britain. The soundtrack was memorable – 80s Soviet punk. I couldn’t wait to study the language at university and go there myself.
Nostalgia
I had another cultural and linguistic re-awakening late last summer (2025) in northern France. My husband and I arrived at our usual campsite, near Cayeux-sur-Mer. It’s a beautiful part of France and largely unvisited by tourists. The campsite is situated on the coast of the Baie de Somme and has many cycling tracks and paths linking together coastal towns and beaches.
On our arrival last summer, I noticed a huge marquee had been set up in the recreation area of the grounds. I didn’t think anything of it until the next day, when my husband and I went on our first shopping spree in the local town. This is our usual habit when we first arrive. In particular, I always seek out the local newsagent and buy a pile of French newspapers and magazines to read on holiday. In last year’s pile, I bought a copy of L’Express, which I started to flick through at the campsite.
To my amazement, there was an article about the Camping Paradis chain of campsites, one at which we were staying. Only a week earlier our campsite had hosted part of the summer tour of Questions Pour Un Champion [Questions for a Champion]. I couldn’t believe it! I had watched this show on France 3 and later on TV5Monde as a student at university during the 1990s and into the 2000s and it had been right there at our campsite! This is why the marquee had been set up.
The show was hosted daily by Julien Lepers, famous for his bright-orange screen make up. Each episode had four guests who answered cultural questions and could win cash prizes. Lepers retired from the show in 2016 after a 30-year run.
What I loved about this show was the fact that I could not only understand the questions but also answer them in French! It was such an inspiration as a language learner to be able to participate and really brought the language to life for me.
So, in summer 2025 the French Camping Paradis franchise had organised a summer entertainment programme for holiday campers called Paradis des Stars [Stars’ Paradise]. According to the article in L’Express, the aim of the programme was to socialise holiday makers in the campsite. Staff had noticed that after COVID, people were afraid to socialise in the campsites’ bars and recreation areas. This tour was a golden opportunity to bring people together and was a huge success. The show was free for holidaymakers and had really given an economic and cultural boost to the whole region.
Just knowing that Julien Lepers had been at our campsite the previous week brought back fond memories of discovering another culture and gave me an instant boost to get my freelance translation and copywriting business off the ground after my holiday.
This cultural re-awakening had reaffirmed that I had made the correct decision to leave teaching after 30 years (almost as long as Julien Lepers had hosted his quiz show).
Even though it is pretty tough starting out freelancing at this time, it is moments like these that spur me on to make a success of my efforts.
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