2024-03-15 05:10:17
” I learn French. Please speak slowly! » The small blue badge pinned on the uniform alone sums up the challenge of immigrant workers. Carried by employees in a Boucherville store, this call for patience resonates in many other retail businesses in Quebec.
Somayeh Safa speaks in clear French, but is still searching for words. “When customers talk quickly, I show that,” says the Iranian native, pointing to her badge. “They speak slowly. And there, I understand. »
For a week, around ten workers have been displaying this distinctive sign in the aisles of the Provigo grocery store in Boucherville. Delivering this message cuts short any misunderstanding, says Martine Coulombe, responsible for the Frenchization of her colleagues who otherwise speak Ukrainian, Turkish or Spanish. “It was either a button or a t-shirt. They had to be identified. »
The staff shortage has continued to worsen over the past year, explains the supermarket’s owner, Mona Turbide. Hiring staff who are uncomfortable with French has become essential. ” We do not have a choice. It’s that or there isn’t [d’employés]. » They were initially assigned to tasks without interactions with customers, but, even there, contact with the public was necessarily required.
This is the case for Oscar Maximiliano who, while placing the items on the shelves, inevitably has to answer questions from customers. “My first words, [c’étaient] “one minute”, for [aller] ask [de l’aide] has my [patron] », he says in broken French. He struggles to express himself clearly, but understands customers well enough to direct them to the right row if they speak slowly. ” Today, [je parle] A little. [Je suis arrivé] in Quebec [il y a] six months. I hope to speak better in six months. In French… a lot of people, not enough capacity. For me, it’s good. I need to practice. »
An idea that speaks to the world
This initiative was launched last week and has already enjoyed tremendous popularity. Once relayed on the social network Facebookthe image of the badge attracted the attention and approval of hundreds of netizens.
Martine Coulombe says she has received dozens of requests since this publication. Merchants from across Quebec want to emulate this approach which calls for patience. “We might sell some, but we won’t,” said the Bouchervilloise. During his interview with The Dutyhis phone rang because a company in Sainte-Thérèse was looking to obtain these now famous insignia.
Grocery stores in Lévis and Chambly have already followed suit. They contacted the Quebec Food and Commerce Training Center, partner of the Boucherville initiative, to obtain badges.
Just exercise, just exercise…
This initiative is not the first of its kind in Quebec. A similar program was launched in 2016 at the instigation of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM). After a break that began suddenly in 2020, the “I’m learning French, encourage me” project was relaunched in 2023.
This program allows hundreds of businesses in the city to benefit from badges or signs inviting customers to speak French, but also to have access to the help of linguists to accelerate learning the subtleties of the language of Tremblay.
More than 900 businesses benefited from the CCMM initiative between 2016 and 2020, and nearly 400 businesses raised their hands when it restarted in 2023.
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.
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