Tom Ratican
I am a former French-English translator for the U.S. government (Master’s in French and Linguistics, University of Florida). Besides French at the high school and college level, I have also taught specialized French classes for the U.S. government. I have been to France many times, lived with French families and attended classes at French language institutes in Brest and Strasbourg.
The objective of ADV 1 is to understand and converse just as native speakers actually use the language today. This is done through the study of current spoken French (such as the deletion of “ne” in negatives) and authentic real-life examples of conversations. Additionally, either a current French film or excerpts from a French TV series reinforce what you will learn in class. I teach in French and give many opportunities to practice. This semester I plan to use the newest book by Nathalie Porte who runs a website for learners of French. She uses three sketches from French comedians/humorists to study the language and the cultural references. The explanations and exercises, all in French of course, are great.
Shiva Masoudi
Bienvenue à tous !
Originally from Teheran, Iran, I started learning French language when I was 5 years old. I have a Bachelors degree, and I continued my education taking refresher courses in France with SCAC (Service de Coopération et d’Action Culturelle) and CLA (Centre de Linguistique Appliquée). I have been teaching French language for the past 13 years. My students are 6 to 60 years old! I have helped many students pass their DELF (Diplôme d'études en langue française ) exam successfully. I enjoy teaching Intermediate classes here at AFG : Pour parler bien le français, on apprend la grammaire et nous parlons seulement en français dans la classe.
Dayana Georgieva
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Bernadette Cesar-Lee
Born in the French-speaking part of Belgium, I acquired my bachelor’s degree as translator French-Spanish-English from the International Institute for Translators & Interpreters (ISTI), Brussels, Belgium. I practiced these languages, first, working as documentalist, magazine editor & translator in a small UNESCO international non-governmental organization (INGO) for 8 years, then, at the Argentinian Embassy in Brussels for another 6 years. After a 5 year-stay in California, where I taught English and Spanish at the Cerro Coso Community College, I stretched my Francophone wings to a new span while acquiring my PhD in French Linguistics at UF, specializing in French pronunciation. I taught French at UF & Santa Fe until 2015. My passion for the Alliance francaise de Gainesville started in 2005 and has grown ever since. Our advanced conversation course focuses on listening, reading, and speaking about geopolitical and cultural current events in France & the francophone world.
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Maria McGrey
I was born in Eastern Europe, and I have always had a passion for languages. With French holding a very special place in my heart, I currently speak 5 and have some limited knowledge of a handful more, but who’s counting. I have bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and French Studies from UNF and a master’s in French and Francophone Studies with focus on French Linguistics from UF. I have tutored and taught languages for a better part of 20 years, and French specifically for about 10 years (including 2 years at UF). I am really hoping to share my passion for language with students!
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Elie Pinta
My name is Élie Pinta, I am 31 years old and I come from Paris. After I met my wife Andrea, in 2017, I started to visit the US on a regular basis. For a few years, I kept splitting my time between France and Arizona, before we finally got to settle in Gainesville last June. In France, I studied History and Archaeology, until I obtained my Ph.D. in December 2022. My work is primarily focused on the medieval period, more specifically on the Norse settlements in south Greenland, from the 10th to the 15th century. When I am not in the field collecting firsthand data, I spend most of my time analyzing artifacts in the laboratory. When the day is over, I split my time between playing volleyball and tasting local beers! During the weekends, I like to plan for a day in the woods, or to go explore new places.
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