Author of the Month

Colette Thomson

Colette shares her love of languages with us.

I remember being about five or six, lying in the bottom half of the bunk bed, reading First Words in French. As I stared at the pages, I wondered, Who decides that a door is “une porte” and that “un papillon” is a butterfly? That was the moment that sparked the beginning of my adventure into languages.

At school, my French teachers assumed, based on my name, that I must be part French. I am in fact half Irish – with a touch of a Greek pirate thrown in for good measure (but that’s a story for another time). Perhaps my christening at Notre Dame de France in Leicester Square counts as a French connection? Regardless, my passion for languages grew thanks to fabulous teachers and BBC language programs.

It didn’t matter what language was being taught, I was hooked. Sunday mornings found me glued to the TV, watching repeats of Téléjournal, hosted by Chantal Cuer, which broke down TF1’s Tuesday night news into manageable pieces. I loved learning phrases like en flagrant délit (‘caught red-handed’) – essential vocabulary for a bank robbery report! I wanted to be Chantal Cuer, and in some ways, I’ve achieved that, creating resources to help people improve their English using the news – and I’m the voice!