Another French Lesson For Y’All

I have been busy translating my resume into French.  Translation is an art and I am no Da Vinci.*  I met with someone (a native French speaker) to review a draft of it.  There were two points where he laughed out loud (not a good sign).

In trying to describe myself as professional, I wrote “Je suis une professionelle”.  I said that I was a professional.  The problem with this is that it is slang for a certain occupation and really only used in that context.  Needless to say, I revised it.

When talking about reviewing something, I used the word “revue“.  Unfortunately, a common connotation of the word “revue” is familiar to many Americans who go to Las Vegas and see shows with dancing ladies.  It goes without saying that when that connotation of the word dawned on me, I didn’t want it anywhere near my professional qualifications.

*If you want further confirmation that translation is an art, “The Situation” from the Jersey Shore, Michael Paul Sorrentino‘s nickname is translated into “Le Problème”.