5 Changer le travail, changer la

vie  Changing work, changing life

5.2 Translation of Conversation 1: Agents d’entretien
du bien-être ‘Caretakers’ of well-being
I had this conversation with Théo and Juliette about how work, instead of
being boring drudgery, could become exciting and satisfying, releasing our
human potential. Théo is a historian, and Juliette, an erstwhile cleaner at
a Paris hotel, has now opened a ‘Cat café’ (a café where cat-lovers can go
spend time with cats without having to own a cat). The first time you listen
to the conversation, try and work out what the rat could come to represent.
 track 05.02
 

Théo Yummy! Thanks, Juliette. What a brilliant idea, this cat café!
And to think that you spent 20 boring years as a janitor at a
hotel, before you went for it!
Juliette You can say ‘cleaner’, you know! Though I did work as a
tourist guide, translator, nurse, marriage counsellor …
Théo How d’you mean? You changed jobs that many times …?
Juliette Several times a day! You hardly realize how easy it is to play
the shrink, or philosopher, in the corridors. But whatever I
did, I got little appreciation from the manager. You’ve seen
Ratatouille? Well, I was Rémy, the sewer rat, who dreamt of
changing the world!
AB In practice, he managed to tame the cats! And the cuisine’s
perfect too! There’s hope now for a rehabilitation of the
rat’s image!
Juliette Some day …! As it is, it hasn’t been very long that people
have loved cats as pets! This ‘demonic’ beast which they
burnt at the stake on St John’s Eve gained in dignity
when poets like Chateaubriand and Baudelaire turned it
into a symbol of the independent spirit they claimed for
themselves!
AB So, once the ill-famed rat has had a makeover of its image,
and is recognized as intelligent and affectionate, it will
become a symbol too, er … of the revolt against disdain,
for the recognition of our true capabilities!

28
Théo For sure! To recognize and free up true skills, you’ve got to
break the stereotypes! Managers are supposed to be smart
and cleaners stupid? You realize how much we’re learning
with Juliette?
Juliette Believe me, I wasn’t the only one who could do more
than use the vacuum cleaner! What’s silly is this idea that
each of us should stick to their ‘core business’. Why would
an hotelier not offer more than a bed and a meal to the
traveller? It’s up to him to be the go-between between the
traveller and the city!
Théo Yes, so many missed opportunities, when you think of all
the interests and skills hidden away in each of us, whether
we’re staff or clients. The travel industry is booming. And if
everyone is so keen to travel, it’s not just to get a tan on yet
another beach.
AB In fact, what we need is a new kind of guide. Instead
of dragging us around to show us some more stone
monuments, they’d take us to meet their families and their
friends! And instead of coming back with photos of the
pyramids, we’d come back with ‘portraits’ of Egyptians, real
monuments in flesh and blood …!
Juliette Yes, it’s in the world of work itself – in hotels, railway
stations, cafés – that we’ll have to create new professions,
to meet the challenge! Otherwise, we could just plod on,
keeping step like robots, with our noses stuck to the screen
of the latest gadget!

Question: What could the rat come to represent?

Answer: It could represent a revolt against the lack of appreciation; a
symbol of recognition of our true skills.
Le rat mal famé, si intelligent et affectueux, deviendra lui aussi un
symbole … euh, de la révolte contre le mépris, pour la reconnaissance de
nos vraies compétences !

Translations and answers 29

5.2.1 Conversation 1: Did that make sense? Check your
understanding!
 track 05.03
1 Quand Juliette était femme de ménage à l’hôtel, à quoi
ressemblait sa journée de travail ?
Elle faisait le ménage, mais elle s’improvisait aussi guide touristique,
traductrice, infirmière, conseillère conjugale, psy et philosophe pour les
clients de l’hôtel !
2 Dans quel sens peut-on comparer la situation de Juliette à celle
de Rémy, le rat des égouts ?
Comme dans le cas du rat, les qualités et les compétences de Juliette
étaient gravement sous-estimées ! Elle était capable de repenser le
métier de l’hôtellerie et du voyage, comme Rémy le rat a su repenser la
cuisine.
3 Comment pourrait-on renouveler les métiers du voyage et de
l’hôtellerie ?
Les hôtels pourraient être plus que des endroits pour dormir. C’est là
qu’on pourrait jouer le rôle de médiateur entre le voyageur et la ville,
l’aider à découvrir la société et la culture locale, autour de cours de
langue, par exemple.

5.3 Language plus

5.3.3 Exercises
 track 05.06
1 Juliette peut nous dire beaucoup de choses sur Paris, bien
qu’elle ne soit pas guide.
Juliette can tell us a lot about Paris, even though she isn’t a guide.
2 Quoi que nous fassions, nous avons l’impression de ne pas être
assez appréciés.
Whatever we do, we feel we aren’t appreciated enough.
3 Elle ne le reconnaît plus, cet enfant qu’elle avait tant aimé !
She can no longer recognize this child she had loved so much!

30
 4 Juliette se plaisait bien à l’hôtel, mais pas autant
qu’aujourd’hui, avec son café des chats !
Juliette quite enjoyed herself at the hotel, but not as much as now,
with her cat café!
5 Elle a perdu le contact avec l’hôtel, mais son directeur serait
maintenant à la retraite.
She has lost contact with the hotel but the manager has apparently
retired now.
6 Diane has taught me a lot about life, although she isn’t a
philosopher.
Diane m’a appris beaucoup sur la vie, bien qu’elle ne soit pas
philosophe.
7 I’ve learned some Italian, but if I lived in Italy I would speak it
better!
J’ai appris un peu l’italien, mais si je vivais en Italie je le parlerais
mieux !
8 Why shouldn’t she change jobs again to become a marriage
counsellor?
Pourquoi elle ne changerait pas encore de profession pour devenir
conseillère conjugale ?
9 Why shouldn’t hotels be cultural centres, organizing cooking,
dance or language classes for their clients?
Pourquoi les hôtels ne seraient pas des centres culturels, organisant
des cours de cuisine, de danse ou de langue pour leurs clients ?
10 Maurice was reassured after the conversation. But then
again …!
Maurice a été rassuré après cette conversation. Quoique … !

5.4 Translation of Conversation 2: Jamais trop tard

pour vivre ! Never too late to live!
Now you’re going to hear the conversation I had with Diane and her
great-nephew Stéphane at Diane’s old people’s home about how ageing,
and even dying, can be part of the beauties of life. The first time you listen
to the conversation pick out the advantages Diane lists of the home she’s
living in.

Translations and answers 31

 track 05.08
 

Stéphane Happy birthday, Diane! Almost a hundred years old and still
alive and kicking! I heard you on the radio, about your last
book, Somewhere Towards the End, and your wonderful old
people’s home.
Diane You can see I wasn’t making it up! There’s not one thing in
this room that isn’t my own, and no one comes in without
my permission, except the cat. They don’t force you to take
part in any activities … I’ve spent the morning chatting
with old Maurice, who’s just arrived. He was going on
about how it was no use going on living, but he was also
terrified of the idea of dying!
Stéphane I bet you gave him a piece of your mind, and a dose of
moral support!
Diane He’s like, ‘Diane, what’s going to happen to me afterwards?’
I said, ‘Maurice, as long as you’re here, you’re not dead,
and when you’re dead, you won’t be here to see it!’ Not
sure I convinced him! We watched the film Il Postino, ‘The
Postman’, and he made up his mind to join me in learning
Italian!
AB Really! That’s going to give him something to occupy him
for a good while! Hey, it’s funny how the bloke who played
the postman died the very day after the end of the filming!
He had cancer, and it’s almost as if he’d decided not to go
before having finished work!
Diane There you are! People, even when they’re old or dying, like
to live right to the end for something that goes beyond
their narrow selves. For a cat, to write their memoirs, to
finish a good film … In the end, there’s no point battling
to prolong a sick person’s life. People have other priorities
than to undergo a few more operations, to add a few more
days to their lives.
Stéphane Oh, I saw the documentary you mentioned, you know, by
the surgeon, about the failure of modern medicine to deal
with death and end of life. It’s true that we young people
like to think we’re immortal, but one thing’s for sure … not
one of us is going to avoid it!

32
Diane You remember the old grandfather Jeff, who was saying that
the last days of his life, with his family and friends around
him, were the best days of his life? ‘Aren’t you sad, Grandpa,
to know you’ll be missing out on so many good things when
you’re gone?’ – ‘You know, I’d missed many good things before
I was born, without being sad! I love you, and I’m happy to be
here with you, but don’t worry, I won’t be sad when I’m gone.’
The little boy gives him a big hug and says, ‘I love you too,
Grandpa.’ Next day he was gone with a smile, old Jeff.

Question: What are the advantages Diane lists of the home she’s
living in?
Answer: She says that the residents furnish their rooms entirely with their
own things, open the door only to those they wish to welcome in, and do
what they please.
Il n’y a pas un objet dans cette chambre qui m’appartient pas, personne
peut entrer sans mon autorisation [ … ] Aucune activité n’est imposée.
5.4.1 Conversation 2: Did that make sense? Check your
understanding!
 track 05.09
1 Comment Diane a fait profiter les autres de son expérience et sa
façon de voir la vie ?
Elle a écrit un livre sur la vie et la mort intitulé « Quelque part vers la
fin », elle en parle à la radio, et à tous ceux qui veulent bien l’écouter:
les autres résidents, les visiteurs, etc. Grâce à elle, ils apprennent à voir la
vie et la mort avec sérénité et humour !
2 Comment a-t-elle répondu aux inquiétudes d’un autre résident,
Maurice ?
Elle l’a rassuré en plaisantant à propos de la mort qui ne lui fait pas
peur. Elle l’a tellement encouragé à vivre qu’il a décidé d’apprendre une
nouvelle langue à son âge !
3 Comment le Papy Jeff dans le documentaire rassure-t-il son
petit-fils inquiet ?
Papy Jeff lui dit que ses derniers jours, entouré de sa famille et de ses
amis, sont les meilleurs jours de sa vie, qu’il est content d’être là, et qu’il

Translations and answers 33

 n’est pas triste de partir. Il ne « ratera » rien après la mort, n’en sera pas
triste, tout comme il n’avait rien raté avant sa naissance !
5.5 What do you think? Time for you to take
part in a conversation!
 track 05.10
1 Est-ce que la vieillesse et la mortalité sont des problèmes à
confier aux médecins ?
La vieillesse et la mortalité, loin d’être des problèmes que doivent
résoudre les médecins et les hôpitaux, ne sont pas des problèmes du
tout, mais font partie intégrante de la vie pour chacun de nous, même
si on feint d’être immortel. Nous devrions apprendre, ou réapprendre,
à ne pas tout confier à la médecine, et de faire de ces moments une
partie significative et merveilleuse de la vie.
2 A-t-on trop cloisonné la vie selon les stéréotypes des professions,
de l’âge, etc. ?
Au delà des qualifications formelles, des professions et des âges
de la vie, les gens ont beaucoup de passions et de compétences
qu’on devrait valoriser, apprécier et mieux utiliser. On pourrait alors
complètement repenser et refaçonner le travail pour satisfaire les vrais
besoins humains, rendant le travail plus intéressant et satisfaisant.
3 Pourrait-on faire profiter les enfants et les vieux, souvent
enfermés dans des institutions, de leur présence et de leurs
qualités mutuelles ?
En effet, avoir une école maternelle, une maison de retraite et des
animaux au même endroit pourrait enrichir et apporter un nouveau
sens à la vie de tous !

34