At the Journée Découverte du Français Professionnel et des Affaires, students had the opportunity to speak directly with French-speaking professionals from companies throughout the U.S. and Canada, such as Ellen Bogreau, of Biomerieux (center). (Jacob Whatley/Department of Romance Studies)
Discovering French for Business and Beyond
In the fall, the Department of Romance Studies partnered with the French-American Chamber of Commerce of the Carolinas (FACC Carolinas) and SKEMA Business School to host the Journée Découverte du Français Professionnel et des Affaires: a symposium on French for business.
Organizers Emma Howell and Karine Provot, lecturing fellows with the French Language Program, welcomed nearly 80 participants that included students from Duke and neighboring universities, Chapel Hill High School, and French-speaking professionals from Biomerieux, Michelin, Excurio, Rezoway, Planet Technologies, P3 Group, l’Alliance Française, Meredith College, Seltech and Odile Fredricks.
In a highly globalized world, students will undoubtedly need to navigate cultural differences in their careers in some respect. “The idea behind the Journée Découverte was to showcase the many ways our students could use not only the language skills they’ve acquired in our courses, but also the multitude of soft skills and intercultural competencies that are at the core of our pedagogical approach,” Howell explained.
Through a mix of presentations, round-table discussions and networking opportunities, participants learned of current challenges and opportunities that multilingual and multicultural businesses face. Sylvain Perret from Rezoway, a business development firm working in the U.S. and Canada, outlined some of the key differences in workplace behavioral norms that could lead to interpersonal friction, such as leadership and feedback styles and email correspondence. Perret specializes in cross-border mergers and acquisitions for French companies. In December of 2025, he inaugurated a business center in downtown Raleigh designed to support French companies entering the U.S. market.
For French 204 sophomore Isabelle Rozes, hearing from speakers across different fields helped her better understand how communication styles and workplace expectations vary between the two cultures.
Claire Elkin, a first-year student in French 102, called the event “an amazing way to hear from real professionals in the industry about the more informal differences in the French and American business worlds — something we do not typically have access to as students at an American university.”
Elkin hopes to enter the beauty/retail industry after graduation, one that she acknowledges is deeply rooted in French culture. “The Journée Découverte allowed me to learn about how I need to adapt to certain cultural and communication expectations in building a career that spans both U.S. and French markets.”
The SKEMA Business School at NC State was well represented at the symposium. “It was particularly effective to have student panelists from SKEMA share their first impressions of the U.S. with our Duke students, most of whom didn’t even know there were roughly 400 French students studying just down the road in Raleigh,” Provot shared.
“In advance of this event, the students in my Working in French course were each paired with a SKEMA student with the goal of exploring cultural differences through both their American College experience and in the professional and business world,” Provot added. “We’re hoping to reinforce connections made tonight with an informal get together in the spring on SKEMA’s campus.”
Barbara Deck, director of operations for the French-American Chamber of Commerce of the Carolinas, emphasized that the FACC Carolinas now represents a rapidly expanding community of members and partners and is preparing to grow by 20 to 30% in the next two years.
“Our ambition is to position the FACC as a bridge between the business community and the academic institutions,” Deck said. “By strengthening collaborations with Duke, SKEMA, NC State and other universities in the Triangle, we want to contribute to developing the next generation of bilingual and globally minded professionals, with the goal to build more structured bridges through internships, mentorship, guest lectures and collaborative events.”
The Journée Découverte was made possible by the French Embassy’s Villa Albertine and the French for Higher Education Grant, which supports innovative and transformative projects in French departments across the U.S.