Assimil: when everything closes down, you open up to the world

At this particular time of year, everyone needs to find ways of keeping busy at home without feeling like they’re wasting too much time. For some, it’s an opportunity to read (we approve!), for others, to see if the Netflix catalog has an end (we’re not so happy about that, but we understand you). You can also work on your abdominal muscles, dust off your exercise bike, take up yoga, sort out your wardrobes, try making your own sourdough or plan a pancake party (with the dozens of kilos of flour you’ve bought “just in case”, you’ve got a bit of leeway)…

But if all that isn’t enough for you, you can also challenge yourself and learn some languages! Because eating pancakes is great, but being able to do it in Breton is even better, isn’t it? And frankly, when chatting between balconies, being able to ask your Kenyan neighbor: “Do you have a roll of toilet paper to give us?” in Swahili can be practical (and life-saving). You could also launch the #coronalanguageschallenge by learning the languages of the Coronavirus: Chinese, Korean, Italian, Spanish… or simply impress your boss by coming back bilingual French-German from this period of confinement and finally understanding what your Swiss-German colleagues have been trying to tell you for months.

In short, there are plenty of good reasons to learn languages, which is why the BCU Lausanne is making the Assimil language method available online free of charge to all its users. You’ll be able to discover all these languages, and many more besides (almost 30 in all, including French as a foreign language… remember that when you say thank you to your Kenyan neighbor). All you have to do is send us an e-mail with your name and reader card number. If you are not yet registered with BCU Lausanne, you can also request the creation of your user account at the same address, by attaching a scan of your identity card or residence permit.

Once you’ve done that and received your login details, go straight to Assimil and there’s nothing to stop you shining in Swedish society (skål!).

Take care of yourself!

Christophe, Riponne site