Australia: French Cannot Survive

By Gerard Noonan, Education Editor, October 22 2002:

Tiffany Smith, 17, says she studies French "for the pleasure of it" but recognises many students do not choose languages because they are mainly concerned about selecting subjects that will help them get a job.
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"How can French survive when the students ... want to do information technology or software design?" she said.
This year, 1290 students will sit their French exams, 400 fewer than a decade ago.
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The fastest gainer is Chinese - 850 students who speak Chinese at home will sit the exam this year.
In the early 1990s, fewer than 300 speakers took the subject.

Mais oui! French business does too speak English

SYDNEY, March 23, 2006 (AFP) - France may be committed to protecting its culture from English and American intrusions but a senior trade official Thursday conceded the Gallic tongue had been overtaken in global business.
"Of course English is the international business language," the head of France's international investment body, Clara Gaymard, told reporters in Sydney.
Gaymard, who is seeking to attract greater foreign investment from China, India, Australia and ASEAN nations, said that investors coming to France did not need to learn another language to do business.
Many French companies such as car manufacturer Renault and gas company Total already held their board meetings in English, she said.
"It's a new reality; we have to make it known," she said.