You Can Tell a Person from Their Words (6/3投稿記事「文は人なり」の英訳）

You can tell a person from their words means that by looking at how someone puts their sentences together, you can find out what kind of person they are. It seems like something Georges-Louis Leclerc would say. While I was living in France, the international school which my son attended held a celebration. The head of education and the municipal head from the region invited several people and partook in giving speeches.

Although my French ability is not exactly perfect, they spoke in a straightforward and easy-to-understand way that even I could grasp. They presented their various views on matters such as school life, what the municipal government expects from schools and students, and so forth. It was not demanding, nor did it have an air of preachiness. To ensure nobody was bored, it was laden with humor and laughter, the contents of which gave an overall feeling of positivity and encouragement to students, staff, and parents.  I did not see anyone reading off of a script, and subsequent speeches referred to what the previous speaker had just said. Overall, it was clear that they were not just reading something prepared for them beforehand. As to be expected from well-educated and cultured people such as them.

At the international school, there was a French teacher who was renowned for her excellence, as well as her character. As luck would have it, that teacher ended up being my son's French teacher. She spoke and wrote simple words, easy to understand and full of culture. You could see her character in the precision of the words they chose. Her pronunciation was beautiful. Her way of speaking is also gentle and kind. Indeed, you can tell a person from their words. To get to that kind of level it must surely take many long years of training.

Similarly, when I was in France working as a guide on an open house bus tour, I once received a request. They told me at first that it would be in English; however, they suddenly said that since there were many locals there, they would like it in French. It was a totally unreasonable request at the time, but I got to work studying what I would say, and somehow or another, I could get through it and even answer questions. After I got home, my son said, "Good work, dad, but wouldn't it be better to prepare a script for what you would say beforehand?" Thanks, son. Well put. The day is short, and the work is plentiful. But let's see if I can find just a little more time.