French President Jacques Chirac walked out of a working session of the EU summit in protest after Ernest-Antoine Seilliere, the head of Europe’s Employers’ Association, a Frenchman, started his speech to the EU’s 25 leaders in English.
Apparently Chirac interrupted and asked why Seilliere was speaking in English. “I am going to speak in English because that is the language of business,” replied Seilliere. In protest, Chirac left the session along with finance minister Thierry Breton and Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy. Chirac and his ministers returned after Seillierre finished his speech.
Thankfully, programming languages that software developers employ to create the applications we are so used to having (on our PCs, the Web, and mobile devices) are not held under ransom by Chirac's government! Luckily there is no French version of C++ or Java or XML otherwise the software industry would have to go through additional rounds (and expenses) of code-translations from French to English! What would happen to the rest of the world, which continues to benefit from the talent of software developers in France, if there were indeed C++, Java, and XML in French? What exactly was the normally charismatic and internationally oriented President of France thinking? Is he still a victim of a French social-programming that runs so deep in his consiciousness that he cannot adjust and embrace to the reality of a globalized world?
Interestingly almost all global software/IT players such as Adobe, Apple, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo have a strong business presence in France and aggressively localize products for the French market. Yet doing business in France is considered a pain. Consider this HP has either continued to lay off employees at several of its French offices or has kept employment frozen in others since 2002-03.
It’s a pity that a country that has made significant contributions to the world in the past in the fileds of business, politics, art, literature, and culture has failed to wake up to the reality of a Globalized world.
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» What Ails the French Software / IT Industry? from TheBizofCoding
This post continues from my previous post France : Why the Software / IT Industry is languishing. Most major French Software vendors are focused on providing local IT Services. Few are recognized internationally for leadership in the IT Servi... [Read More]
Tracked on: March 28, 2006 3:38 AM | Permalink to Trackback