Free language help

[Admiral]

I've lived here for what seems a long time - some would say far too long - but didn't realise there is a free French to English translation service at the Mairie in Lathus.

Designed to help you through the mountains of paperwork we all get swamped with by Officlal France when some pen-pusher just decides to send off a mountain of incomprehensible drivel for no discernable reason.

Wednesdays between 1400 and 1700.  Appointment only.

The help is given face to face or by phone.  

The Mairie is on the Route du Dorat.

Now you can all tell me you've known about this service for years.

[Fred]

I've lived here a long time too Admiral and I have to say I didn't know that. So well done on a good find.

You say appointment only, how do you make the appointment ?

Is it only for government papers or will they translate bank, medical or electricity letters etc ?

This could save a lot of difficult phone calls or trips to various offices to find out exactly what the letter is about when Google translate doesn't seem to be getting it right.

[Admiral]

You say appointment only, how do you make the appointment ?

Is it only for government papers or will they translate bank, medical or electricity letters etc ?

The note in the Mairie says "to help with local/national admin."

Make of that what you will.

Only one way to find and that's to make an appointment with Mrs Luce Closset on 06 04 16 86 84. She is apparently only on that number between 10am and noon.

Better get a move on before I beat you to it with a pile of unintelligible guff that CPAM keep sending me.

[Fred]

Better get a move on before I beat you to it with a pile of unintelligible guff that CPAM keep sending me.

I'm fine at the moment so you can have first dibs.

But I've noted the number for future reference.

[Admiral]

An update folks on the language service in Lathus.

I took a load of tripe from our insurance company, including an unnaturally long questionaire, to Luce and she had me sorted within half an hour.  Funnily enough, I thought I understood most of it but I got the wrong end of one fairly vital question simply because it had that hated double negative in it.

Good chat - plenty of goss as well about Montmorillon and surrounds - and free of charge.

Lovely lady.  At a guess, she is mid to late 70s, Belgian and shares my hatred of all things involving paperwork in France.  In fact she hates French bureaucrats so she'll do for me.

You don't have to live within the confines of the commune of Lathus to see her.  BUT make an appointment first and if it's form filling that has you baffled, take a good few photocopies of the original with you.  She will fill in the form for you so can scribble away on the original later in the privacy of your private chateau.  This is France after all.....

By the way, her name is pronounced "Loose" and not "Lucy" in case you think the spelling is some stange continental form of English.

[Fred]

Thank you for the update Admiral. Always good to hear someone's own experience.