I have a French beginner's textbook containing sections titled Point Culture at intervals within the book. I've been desperately trying to figure out what that phrase means, but haven't been able to find anything on Google. Would appreciate some help, please!
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What kind of content is displayed under those sections?– PatsuanJun 9, 2017 at 7:46
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3It's a short moment in time. At work sometimes my boss asks us to come to "faire un point sur l'avancement du projet", which equals to a short meeting in this context (and equals "faire un point avancement"). You could have a short TV show named "Point cuisine" which explains something about cooking in a few seconds or minutes everyday at the same time. It's like a quick break about a precise subject. Indeed I'm pretty sure there is a strict equivalent in English but I don't know it. I found "the culture minute" for "la minute culture" which means the same.– DestalJun 9, 2017 at 7:54
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@SimonDéchamps Pour moi, "faire le point sur quelque chose" c'est réunir toutes les infos et les impressions sur la situation actuelle. Voir où on en est, en quelque sorte. Dans le cas que tu donnes sur l'avancement d'un projet, on as effectivement besoin que ce soit court. Mais on peut dire aussi que quelqu'un fait le point sur lui-même et dans ce cas, je ne ressent pas la notion de "court moment", bien au contraire, cela m'évoque une profonde réflexion. Bref, plus j'y pense et plus l'utilisation de "point" me semble liée au contexte.– PatsuanJun 9, 2017 at 8:15
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1 Answer
The use of the word point here can be understood in two different ways, which basically end up meaning the same thing in the context of a textbook:
- A particular place in a route (where one can stop, for example).
- In photography point is the focal point where the picture is the neatest.
Language textbooks often have particular pages at regular intervals in their units that focus on a particular topic in some areas, often grammar and culture.
For example the FLE1 textbook Alter ego has a point culture that "give information with a sociocultural content through the use of texts and activities."
The equivalent in EFL2 textbooks is often called "Focus on ..." which retains the aspect of the focal point but does not reflect the idea of the place where you make a stop on the way.
1. FLE: Français langue étrangère
2. EFL: English as a Foreign Language.
