The Voice of France (La voix de la France) - Revisited

Ngofeen Mputubwele (0:01)

Bonjour, dear listeners. France is home to some of the greatest museums, theaters, and opera houses in the world. And there's lots of public support for the arts because they're such a vital part of French culture. So, for this special season of the Duolingo French podcast, we're gonna revisit some of our favorite episodes featuring singers, dancers, and actors, even a French clown. They've all taken the stage to pursue and share their creative passions. Today, we'll hear an episode from February 2021, featuring Simone Hérault. At an early age, Simone discovered that her voice, with its warm and mellow tone, had the power to soothe others. But she never dreamed that her voice would accompany millions of people traveling by train across France.

Keep listening to find out how it all happened. And stay tuned until the end for an update from Simone herself. Now on to the episode.

Martina Castro (1:07)

Hi everybody, I'm Martina Castro, the executive producer for the Duolingo Podcasts. And for this episode, I'll be filling in for our host, Kofane Mboutouboelé.

Growing up near Paris in the early 1960s, 13-year-old Simone Hérault was a self-conscious girl, filled with teenage angst. She went to an all-girls school, and she wasn't a very good student. She thought she had little to contribute.

Simone Hérault (1:36)

Je n'étais pas très bonne élève. Et je n'étais pas très sûre de moi. J'aimais la littérature et les auteurs français, comme Molière ou Maupassant. Mais en classe, je restais souvent silencieuse. J'avais peur de faire des erreurs.

Martina Castro (2:01)

One day in class, Simone had to recite a poem she had learned by heart in front of all of her classmates and her very strict, very demanding French teacher. She was nervous.

Simone Hérault (2:16)

J'avais un peu peur. Mais j'ai commencé à réciter le poème devant ma classe de français.

Pendant que je récitais, j'ai senti quelque chose changer dans la salle de classe. Les autres élèves et la professeure me regardaient et m'écoutaient en silence.

Martina Castro (2:44)

As she spoke, Simone felt a hush settle over the room. By the time she finished, she could hear a pin drop. Finally, the teacher spoke up.

Simone Hérault (2:56)

Ma professeur a dit, c'était merveilleux. Je n'oublierai jamais ces mots. Je n'avais pas beaucoup de confiance en moi. Alors, le compliment de la prof était important pour moi.

Martina Castro (3:17)

Simone told her parents she wanted to be a theatre actor, une comédienne. They responded with the same advice every French parent gives their child. First, pass your bac, the big exam that's required to graduate French high school.

Simone Hérault (3:51)

Et j'ai abandonné l'idée de devenir comédienne.

Martina Castro (3:56)

Simone doubted the gift of her voice and ignored the power it had to move people. What she did not realize was that life and her voice would eventually take her places she had never dreamed of. And, that she'd grow up to become one of the most beloved voices in all of France.

Simone Hérault (4:18)

En fait, je n'avais pas assez confiance en moi. Je ne savais pas que j'étais capable d'offrir quelque chose au monde.

Martina Castro (4:33)

Bienvenue and welcome to the Duolingo French Podcast. I'm Martina Castro. Every episode, we bring you fascinating, true stories to help you improve your French listening and gain new perspectives on the world. The storyteller will be using intermediate French and I'll be chiming in for context in English. If you miss something, you can always get back and listen again. We also offer full transcripts at podcast.duolingo.com.

When Simone finished high school, she didn't pursue her dream of acting. Instead, she took a look at the world, and she felt small. It was the spring of 1968, and France, like much of the world, was going through massive student-led uprisings that came to be known as May 68 Simone watched these bold university students from afar.

Simone Hérault (5:39)

Nous sommes à la tête d'un puissant mouvement les étudiants de May 68 m'impressionnait beaucoup. Ils parlaient avec passion. Ils avaient beaucoup d'idées.

Je trouvais ces étudiants très intelligents. Je pensais que je ne serais jamais aussi intelligente qu'eux.

Martina Castro (6:06)

Simone was intimidated by these students. She saw them as smarter and more daring than she'd ever be. She convinced herself that she wasn't cut out for college. So instead, she enrolled in secretary school, a common path for women of her generation. In class, she joined rows of girls who were typing on typewriters. Tapé à la machine à écrire.

Simone Hérault (6:31)

The Secretariat School was in the center of Paris, near Saint-Lazare station. We learned to tap the typewriter and to improve our English. Il y avait aussi d'autres matières au programme.