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Tips for English speaker caching in Quebec


GeoLTL

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Heading up to Quebec City from the mid-Atlantic area soon and [obviously] I want to do a little caching while I'm there. I'm going to run a PQ for the whole city and put it on my Garmin just in case. I speak very little French and even though my daughter is nearly fluent, she won't be with me the whole time. My cell phone with data plan will work, so I suppose I could copy and paste to get a translation...

 

Anybody have tips for caching in a foreign country? Just stick to traditionals?

 

Anybody have a specific cache in Quebec City they'd recommend for an English speaker?

 

thanks!

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Anybody have tips for caching in a foreign country? Just stick to traditionals?

 

Do research ahead of time. Look for caches with favorite points. Use Google Translate to read cache descriptions. Search for caches in interesting, off-the-beaten-path areas.

 

In my case, I preferentially seek out puzzle caches, wherigos, and caches with *only* the foreign language in the description. That's because when I go somewhere, I want to see what caching as a local is like. It's much more fun to go find a cache where you barely know what you are doing than it is to seek out a trivial cache in a tourist trap.

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As Fizzy said, prepare in advance, and translate. No need to limit yourself to traditionals.

 

I've not been brave enough to do a foreign language Wherigo however. I generally don't have roaming data on, so translation would be very difficult. I would do it if I had a local speaker with me. I have done several Wherigos where both a local and English language version was provided.

 

I do enjoy trying to solve puzzles in a foreign language. And I've asked locals for help. I recall one cache where there was a German word I didn't understand. I asked a local. She said she recognized the word, but didn't know what it meant. Turns out the word was the German equivalent of "checksum".

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If you prepare a bit in advance by looking at some cache pages, you might be able to pick up on some common words and phrases that show up in cache descriptions and hints.

 

You might be able to find a local cacher, or even just another Canadian geocacher who frequently caches in Quebec B) who can help you out.

 

P.S. I am a Canadian geocacher who frequently caches in Quebec, and I'm happy to help you make sense of things if you need the help.

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Narcissa, I looked at the map and didn't see any virtuals symbols. So are you referring to mystery caches, sorta acting like virtuals but with a physical container? I see a lot of mystery caches and clicked on one randomly, and that one appears to be a "virtual". i.e. no puzzle, but it seems to be asking about the information you see at the site. This is helpful for me to see before I leave.

 

I have some familiarity with French, and lots of familiarity with using Google translate (my daughters speak it). This is especially helpful for realizing that idioms are hard and exact translations sometimes impossible. As an example:

 

The coordinates of the cache are fictitious!

You are not forced to go to the statue, but if you made a turn, I recommend an evening walk.

 

The fault is in the translation tool, and I completely understand the meaning. But this will probably make me chuckle while caching. LOL

 

You're right, there are ARE a lot of question marks in QC.

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Only found two caches in French-speaking Quebec. Near Sherbrooke (SHAIR-bruuke). One was an EarthCache in French and English. My high school French (from many decades ago) served fairly well. I could understand the road signs, and got help from someone walking on the street. "Ou est le Parc Watson?" "Une kilometre a droit." My caching companion was completely lost! He was fluent in Spanish and English. Could not understand a word anyone spoke! Quebec may not be as visitor-friendly as Sherbrooke. Enjoy.

Google Translator translates words, not thoughts. Which can be odd. Someone said to me today "Permisso". In English that would be "Excuse me", but in Spanish is "Permit me."

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Only found two caches in French-speaking Quebec. Near Sherbrooke (SHAIR-bruuke). One was an EarthCache in French and English. My high school French (from many decades ago) served fairly well. I could understand the road signs, and got help from someone walking on the street. "Ou est le Parc Watson?" "Une kilometre a droit." My caching companion was completely lost! He was fluent in Spanish and English. Could not understand a word anyone spoke! Quebec may not be as visitor-friendly as Sherbrooke. Enjoy.

Google Translator translates words, not thoughts. Which can be odd. Someone said to me today "Permisso". In English that would be "Excuse me", but in Spanish is "Permit me."

 

Sherbrooke has more English-speakers than Quebec City so I definitely find it easier to get around there. I always try to speak French first but in Sherbrooke most people would answer in English whereas in Quebec City it is more of an effort to meet halfway.

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Narcissa, I looked at the map and didn't see any virtuals symbols. So are you referring to mystery caches, sorta acting like virtuals but with a physical container? I see a lot of mystery caches and clicked on one randomly, and that one appears to be a "virtual". i.e. no puzzle, but it seems to be asking about the information you see at the site. This is helpful for me to see before I leave.

 

I have some familiarity with French, and lots of familiarity with using Google translate (my daughters speak it). This is especially helpful for realizing that idioms are hard and exact translations sometimes impossible. As an example:

 

The coordinates of the cache are fictitious!

You are not forced to go to the statue, but if you made a turn, I recommend an evening walk.

 

The fault is in the translation tool, and I completely understand the meaning. But this will probably make me chuckle while caching. LOL

 

You're right, there are ARE a lot of question marks in QC.

 

Take a look at GCHKWJ and GC6574. I think some have been archived since I visited but the cannon ball in the tree is a classic spot to visit in the old city.

 

Sometimes Google Translate is very funny. I think you'll be able to get by just fine!

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