(2021 edition, to be updated)
In that section, you will find questions I often get asked in the comments & in the context Blogger Awards. I normally do separate posts for Blogger Awards but sometimes I get nominated twice so in order to keep the blog posts short, I answer the question I left behind here. Usually, these are questions I also get asked regularly in the comments anyway. Enjoy! ♡
How did you learn English?
I am not a bilingual child, my parents only spoke French at home. I have always felt attracted to English. I can remember my 10-yo-self trying to understand English words on ads. When I turned 13, I discovered the wonders of TV series and rather, I came out of series to watch. Actually, I had already watched so many of them that I had to wait until the French translation would go out. I was no patient. At all. That is why I started watching those series in English and, quite miraculously, I started understanding words, sentences and, eventually, the whole episode.
Why do you write mainly in English?
Contrary to what most people would think, it has nothing to do with page ranking, lol. I am just a big fan of that language. I want a place where I can express my thoughts in English and this blog is the perfect way to do just that in my opinion.
Then, if you love English that much, why do you translate some of your posts?
There are two reasons for that. As you may have noticed, I translate my posts and call it a day; my pages aren’t all translated. First reason: I want to have a place on the Internet where I can show my translations because, among lots of other things, I am a freelance translator. Second reason: I want my French mom to be able to understand my posts and have an idea of the things I share with you here. ♡
How many languages do you actually speak?
I would say that I speak, in the sense that I am absolutely fluent, two languages: French and English. I am intermediate, but on the “higher level” of intermediate, in Spanish and German. I am also a beginner in Russian and Estonian. Together, it is 5 languages. Keep in mind that it is my passion and that it is not something I force myself to learn. Learning languages takes time and if you are in the process of learning one, know that it is perfectly fine if it takes you several years to feel at ease. There is such a trend lately in saying that one can learn a language in 7 days but do not trust those people. You need time to let the language flourish in your brain. ♡
You can download my FREE eBook Learn Any Language in 11 Steps by clicking here.
You give study advice, but what do you actually study?
First, I want to say that I am a study-enthusiast: I genuinely love learning and I genuinely love college. Let’s go back to High School: I took a Literature major. I graduated in 2017 and then went for a bachelor’s degree in Literature. I did not enjoy that degree so I turned to my absolute passion: (you guessed it) English. I can now say proudly that I have a bachelor’s degree in Languages, Literature and History of the English-speaking world.
I plan on finishing a master’s degree in the realm of Museology & Library Science in 2 years ; I can’t wait to share with you that new page of my life.
I feel confused, how many different projects do you work on on a weekly basis?
That can be a confusing point for many readers as I seem to say that I am a student in 50% of my posts, and something else in the 50% left. Well, I am a full-time student and I have a student’s job every week-end for 10h.
You may also like: A complete guide to an organized and balanced life.
Above it all, I post two blog posts a week on that blog and another one here. I also translate papers, usually for non-profits and I review one to two books a month for the website Booksirens.com. Occasionally, I may proofread a manuscript for an author or write pages of my own book, but those two are more “free time” activities.
How are you so good at saving money?
I do not know if I am actually that “good”, but I have managed to save quite a bit of money even though I started with absolutely 0 euros. I would say that minimalism helps a lot as I do not really want anything fancy. I am also rather frugal naturally and live with my boyfriend who is just like me. Living together also helps a lot with money, and basically, I think a healthy relationship with money altogether and being able not to spend it all mindlessly can do wonders.
How did you become a minimalist?
It all started when I was in boarding-school. I had just turned 18 and had to start everything over in a city I did not know and… living at school. I had never done that before and there, I have been forced to part with many items I used to own at my parents’: my room was comfortable, but rather small. Thus, I got used to live with very few items and to be honest, I never looked back.
What is your minimalist personality type?
As it is a question I get asked quite often as well, I consider myself to be mostly a practical minimalist, but also a green and a frugal minimalist.
Why did you write a free eBook when you could have earned money from it?
I feel like we live in a marketing-driven society. I personally love marketing, but I think it does not have to take a big place in my blog. That blog is a hobby above everything else and a place I want to use in order to share advice with you, reader. If I can make a little extra money from it, fine as I spend numerous hours on it every week, but I do not want to use the blog as a marketing platform. I love publishing content for FREE, and I want my book to be a gift for you guys.
What does “balance” mean to you?
That blog is all about the theme of “balance” so, I agree, it is important to discuss it somewhere, and why not here? To me, balance is at the heart of our lives, or must be. We live in a fast-paced society and it is easy to get caught up in its traps: eating unhealthy food, burning yourself out at work &c.
I want this blog to be about balance, a point you can find in your life that is between a successful life and a slow life. On the internet, we usually come across “all slow life” or “all hustle” content and as I missed something a little more realistic and applicable to my own life, I decided to create it myself: The English-Speaking Frenchie was born.
What sports do you practice?
I practice quite a lot of sports and I know it can get confusing. Sport is big part of my life: I love cardio, weight-lifting, martial arts, boxing and, actually, far more. I want that blog to be a place where, once more, you guys can discover that a healthy relationship with sport is possible and that it does not a-have to be “all 7 days of the week” or “no sport at all”; it is all about balance. ♡
When did you start your blog?
I started blogging in 2015 & I used Blogger at the time. I soon felt limited by the platform and moved to WordPress.com. I then blogged quite sporadically and without a clear plan in mind for about five years. I have started being consistent in 2020 and I have seen such a drastic difference in my life. Blogging has become such a big part of my everyday life.
The reason behind your domain?
My domain is theenglishspeakingfrenchie.com, simply because I am French (aka “Frenchie”) and I speak English (aka English-speaking). For the little story, I was looking at the ceiling in my hotel room in Lisboa when that naturally came to mind after four years of blogging. It is never too late!
Can you give some tips, especially for newbies?
If we are talking about blogging, I have actually a million tips to give, that is why want to write more posts for my blogging category in the future. If I needed to give a few essential tips, these will be:
- Be consistent. One post every Monday is better than three posts in a row once every two months. The algorithm sees consistency, and your audience does as well.
- Be passionate about your niche. If you are not, you won’t be consistent, and that will never work. In this day and age, every niche can make it, I truly think that as long as you are genuinely passionate, you can attract a loyal audience.
- If you are a blogger on WordPress.com, take advantage of the Reader as much as you can.
- Do collaborations with other bloggers and do not be too shy to ask for them.
Three of your favorite films?
- Interstellar.
- Shining.
- American Beauty.
- (Eyes Wide Shut, because I could not give only three).
As you can tell, I am all about dark & rather psychological films.
If you had to be a character of these films, who would it be?
Given the films I just gave, I would not want to be any of the characters as their lives are beyond chaotic.
Can you describe the chaos we are experiencing in 2020?
Making History.
If you had the chance to skip a year, what year would it be?
Honestly, the same way I would not want to change anything from the past, I would not want to skip any year. I love the idea of experiencing life the way it is and seeing where it brings us.
What is your Myers-Briggs personality type?
I am happy to say that I am one of the least popular personality type: ESTJ. Bu really, I am far more than happy about it lol.
The English-speaking Frenchie 