Buffy la Executrice du Vampire

I think we might have found the very best method possible for improving my comprehension--episodes of Buffy en francais. Since I practically know every episode word for word (in English of course), it's been very beneficial to watch the same episodes in French, which helps me get a better sense for how the French would say the same kinds of ideas. It's definitely not a word for word translation, but I'm starting to get an idea as to how people talk in certain situations--mostly those among the main characters of course. I doubt that it's really going to help me very much to know how one might interact with a vampire or an Incan mummy brought back to life.

We've also started renting the Star Wars movies and watching them in French as well, which has been equally helpful for both John and I. Interestingly enough, the dialogue in the first three prequels is actually less painful to hear in French than in English, perhaps because when they translated it to French they did so in a way that didn't sound completely forced and ridiculous (esp the scene in Sith: "It's only because I'm so in love with you." "No, no, it's only because I'm so in love with you!") Even the voice guy who did Jar Jar Binks wasn't nearly as annoying as the English version, which goes a long way toward making the first prequel much easier to watch. Actually the most impressive thing was that either James Earl Jones can speak a little French, or the French voice guy they found for Vader's voice in Sith is the French equivalent of James Earl Jones.

On a side note, French cell phones apparently don't automatically adjust to daylight savings time like American phones do, which John and I found out the hard way when we arrived to school this morning thinking we were right on time, when we were actually an hour late.

Que la force soit avec toi (May the force be with you).