Friday, April 01, 2016
Best Table Topics Speech, in French, About a car accident
I went to the Francophone Toastmasters International club meeting at their new venue in Cairnhill Community Club. (Exit B from Newton station. Exit A is for the Sheraton Towers hotel where Singapore Club meets the first three Mondays of the month.)
Whilst Cairnhill Community Centre was being renovated the Francophile club had found a temporary home at the Alliance Francaise just the other side of Newton station, exit C. But in March we were back in the Cairnhill Community Centre grand modern renovated building.
I had printed out the agenda in advance. I was given the task of being Ah Counter. In French the Ah Counter is called Computeur d'hesitations. This job is listed as being for an invité which means guest (invited person) as opposed to a member.
Angela Lansbury with ribbon won for best table topic at Francophone Speakers, Singapore.
I volunteered to be the third and last impromptu speaker.
My topic was (I've translated from French): You are in a car accident. You are the driver. A person has been killed. The accident is your fault. The driver of the other car is in tears and thinks it is their fault. Do you admit that it is your fault or keep quiet?
I replied animatedly:
Vous ne direz rien! Jamais. Absolument pas. Ce n'est pas permis! Si vous avez regarder votre papier avec l'assurance vous devez lire des instructions. Vous ne devez pas admettre rien. C'est pour la compagnie qui va payer de decider ce qu'il fault dire.
Vous pouvez appelez pour la police, les pompiers, les gens pour vous aider, aider les blessée, mais vous ne direz rien au sujet de la cause.
C'est pour la police de trouver la faute. On peut voir, par les photographies, les marques des roues des voitures, pour savoir la vitesse des voitures. Ce n'est pas votre metier. Vous aider les blessée, mais vous ne dites rien. Moi, je crois toujours que les choses sont ma faute. Mais après un accident, c'est obligatoire de garder la silence.
Translation:
You say nothing! Absolutely not. It's not allowed.
If you have seen your car insurance document you must have read the instructions (of what to do in an accident). You must admit nothing. It's for the company which has to pay out to decide what you must say.
You can call the police, the firemen, the ambulance people, yourself help the wounded, but you must admit nothing on the subject of the cause of the accident. It's for the police (investigation) to establish the cause. That will be proved, seen from the photographs, the marks left on the road by the tyres of the vehicles showing their direction and speed. It's not your job. You are not an expert.
You help anybody who is injured to receive medical assistance but - you say nothing. (You might not remember. Be confused, in shock.) Besides, I always think everything is my fault! But after an accident, your insurance company says - you are obliged to stay silent!
Toastmasters Francophone de Singapour
Reunion
Vendredi 1 April
Cairnhill Community Club
1 Anthony Road
229944 Singapour
Whilst Cairnhill Community Centre was being renovated the Francophile club had found a temporary home at the Alliance Francaise just the other side of Newton station, exit C. But in March we were back in the Cairnhill Community Centre grand modern renovated building.
I had printed out the agenda in advance. I was given the task of being Ah Counter. In French the Ah Counter is called Computeur d'hesitations. This job is listed as being for an invité which means guest (invited person) as opposed to a member.
Angela Lansbury with ribbon won for best table topic at Francophone Speakers, Singapore.
I volunteered to be the third and last impromptu speaker.
My topic was (I've translated from French): You are in a car accident. You are the driver. A person has been killed. The accident is your fault. The driver of the other car is in tears and thinks it is their fault. Do you admit that it is your fault or keep quiet?
I replied animatedly:
Vous ne direz rien! Jamais. Absolument pas. Ce n'est pas permis! Si vous avez regarder votre papier avec l'assurance vous devez lire des instructions. Vous ne devez pas admettre rien. C'est pour la compagnie qui va payer de decider ce qu'il fault dire.
Vous pouvez appelez pour la police, les pompiers, les gens pour vous aider, aider les blessée, mais vous ne direz rien au sujet de la cause.
C'est pour la police de trouver la faute. On peut voir, par les photographies, les marques des roues des voitures, pour savoir la vitesse des voitures. Ce n'est pas votre metier. Vous aider les blessée, mais vous ne dites rien. Moi, je crois toujours que les choses sont ma faute. Mais après un accident, c'est obligatoire de garder la silence.
Translation:
You say nothing! Absolutely not. It's not allowed.
If you have seen your car insurance document you must have read the instructions (of what to do in an accident). You must admit nothing. It's for the company which has to pay out to decide what you must say.
You can call the police, the firemen, the ambulance people, yourself help the wounded, but you must admit nothing on the subject of the cause of the accident. It's for the police (investigation) to establish the cause. That will be proved, seen from the photographs, the marks left on the road by the tyres of the vehicles showing their direction and speed. It's not your job. You are not an expert.
You help anybody who is injured to receive medical assistance but - you say nothing. (You might not remember. Be confused, in shock.) Besides, I always think everything is my fault! But after an accident, your insurance company says - you are obliged to stay silent!
Toastmasters Francophone de Singapour
Reunion
Vendredi 1 April
Cairnhill Community Club
1 Anthony Road
229944 Singapour
Labels: a car accident, best impromptu speaker, do you admit it, Francophone, in french, your fault
