We Dream In French For Cambodia

If you follow me on LinkedIn, you will have seen many recent posts in French. For those who don't speak the language of Molière - I won't say sorry but I do owe you an explanation.

French is close to my heart, and this extends beyond sentimental ties. I have been involved with the La French Tech Phnom Penh and Frenchfounders , and for a few more months with the CCI France Cambodge , and more recently at the APF ( Alliance des Patronats Francophones ) - I will come back to this.

Today, Confluences is a team of 20 people, and a quarter are French speakers but I hope that we will have more in the months and years to come. This involves targeted recruitment but also teaching French to our employees who want to learn.

At Confluences, we work with many French clients, whether in the private sector or national and regional institutions. We also work with other countries and regions of the French-speaking world such as Switzerland but also with the Wallonia region, and we have even worked directly for the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) ) and the AIMF ( Association Internationale des Maires Francophones ) - both organisations work to bring the Francophone communities together.?

Of course, we have clients who speak English, but being able to express ourselves from the start and during key phases of a project in French undoubtedly forges bonds with our clients and partners.

For a long time I saw French as a lost cause in Cambodia, but today I see a revival. In particular, many former students of French universities, but also French-speaking Belgians and Canadians are taking on increased responsibilities in the Kingdom. Cambodia will certainly never again be a mass French-speaking country, but among our political and economic elite, there remain strong French connections. We should manage and develop the historical ties that unite us with France and with other French-speaking nations.

The Francophonie is not limited to France, and today Cambodia is a country well-known among French economic authorities, but we should recognise that we remain somewhat isolated in Asia as there are few French-speaking territories in the region and we are also some distance geographically from most economic Francophonie undergoing development in Africa and Europe.

French Language Use In The Future - Rise Of The Francophones?

In 2023, the Francophone community spans 320 million people across five continents - this includes those who speak the French language as an official, second or foreign language Some interesting facts are that French is the 5th most spoken language in the world today but also considered the world’s 3rd most important business language (interestingly its also the 4th most used language online!)

Although English and Mandarin are the most widely spoken languages in the world currently, the number of Francophones is expected to triple by 2050:

• The OIF estimates there will be 700+ million French speakers by 2050, which will represent 8% of the world's population (compared to 3% at present).
• One of the areas to see the most growth by then is Africa, which is expected to have nearly 250 million French speakers ( 70% of the world’s Francophones!)

So this brings me back to the reason why I have been posting in French recently. At the invitation of Quebec employers and the APF, I participated in the REF (Rencontres des Entrepreneurs Francophones). This annual gathering, organised by the APF, was first hosted in France, then the Ivory Coast, and this year in Quebec in partnership with Conseil du patronat du Québec .

More than 800 companies from 30 different countries and 4 continents were in attendance, and I was able to present the business opportunities that Cambodia represents for French-speaking companies and entrepreneurs, alongside business leaders from North America, Europe and Africa.

French is more than a language, it is a common heritage and also a means for us in Cambodia to develop unique ties with other countries and ecosystems on other continents, and with nations in varying states of development.

We will see over time if I have been convincing enough but I am very optimistic about our ability to attract more companies from the French-speaking world to Cambodia. In particular our Quebec cousins, but also ultimately to develop Cambodian exports to these regions.?

We are unashamedly part of #TeamFrance at Confluences (accredited as such by the French government) - it's even proudly represented on our business cards as we are an official export entity.

But even more so - we are #TeamCambodge , and more trips will come because we are tireless ambassadors of Cambodia and its ecosystem.