How do you say trade show in your language? 🌐

Tomorrow is International Mother Language Day.

I know, what the heck, right? 😅

Seems there is a day for everything, and so this one is a good pretext for a little linguistic post about trade shows.

Since I’m French but post in English, we’re going to speak about these two languages but not only.

So if you’re neither a native speaker of French or English, STAY TILL THE END, I GOT A QUESTION FOR YOU. 🤔

If you speak more than one language, you know that a language is an access to the “model of the world,” as we say in NLP, of the people speaking this language.

53 names for snow, how many for shows?

The classic example is the 53 different names for “snow” of the Eskimos, but let’s go south of the North Pole this time…

Finns have, for example, a word for the steam that rises from the sauna heater when water is thrown on it, Löyly.

Another one to say to get drunk (alone) at home in your underwear with no intention of going out: Kalsarikänni.

And one, Lieko, for a tree trunk that has fallen to the bottom of a lake. Interesting… 🌲❄️

What’s the connection with trade shows, you would ask… I’m getting there. 🚀

In French, a trade show is called a salon.

Yes, like a Salon de thé, but also a salon de discussion.

The best book about it is actually the book “Salons,” by… Diderot. 📚🇫🇷

What does it say about the French approach to the reality of a trade show?

A trade show, in English, implies that exhibitors come to SHOWCASE the products or services of their TRADE (like in trade Union, or trade mark) as well as the fact that they are coming to TRADE.

A salon, on the other hand, implicates chairs, discussions, and some little bites everyone can enjoy.

Hence why North Americans are always surprised to find the French teams at trade shows sipping champagne and indulging in all sorts of foods. It’s part of doing business the French way… 🥂🍽️

And the French being surprised at North Americans coming to do business, quickly, because of course, time ⌚ is money 💵, especially when your trade show travels already cost you time and money…

So my question for you is, how do you say trade show in your language, and what does it imply or implicate?

PS: For the words fairs and foires (in French), I’ll do another post.