Originally Printed in:
Saint John Telegraph Journal (August 15th, 2002)
Bilingual signs are great teaching tools
Although it will cost some money, the new Official Languages Act although will be beneficial to all New Brunswickers.
The best part of this is the part where all signs will have to be bilingual. The reason I say this is that it will greatly help the general public to learn more French in the majority English communities and English in majority French communities. When someone passes these new signs every day, after time they will have both the English and the French names memorized.
I personally have learned more French from reading government building signs and food containers than 12 years in the New Brunswick school system. I think it will be very beneficial as long as they don’t take it too far and try to translate things like the Saint John sign on Fort Howe.