Why Learn French? – Marie-Magdeleine Chirol

1. FRENCH is a GLOBAL LANGUAGE spoken on all 5 continents

`IN 2026 THERE ARE 396 MILLION FRENCH SPEAKERS WORLDWIDE`
_{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqJgKauJMOA}

^{Report – International Organisation of La Francophonie (2019)}

FRENCH is an official working language of the UN, NATO, UNESCO, the European Union, the International Red Cross & international courts, and the OLYMPIC GAMES.

**VIDEO**: National French Week (Nimitz French Club)

“FRENCH remains especially demanded in the HUMANITARIAN SECTOR” ^{(NAE-Bilingual V9)}. Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Border ^(click) is an international medical humanitarian medical organisation of French origin.

“Pick a PRACTICAL MAJOR, like French” by Freddie deBoer, New York Magazine, April 2023.

You Wouldn’t know They Majored in French (TensesseeBob Peckham)
The Language of the Stars (TensesseeBob Peckham)

2. THE FRENCH LANGUAGE – one of the most influential languages in the world

Map of the Francophone World
**in 2026**
**65% of FRENCH SPEAKERS**
**LIVE in AFRICA**

**VIDEO**: Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (use captions) or **VIDEO** – **88 countries belong to the OIF**

3. UNITED STATES – FRANCE ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIP

France-U.S. Economic Report 2026 (links below)

^{Sources: Embassy of French in the U.S.: France-U.S. Economic Report 2026}