Vocabulary & Phrasebook

SAS Posture Pro #promo8 · Lille · 12/10/2026 · Pierre Gerbaud · Bookmark this page!

Tech & work words

junk code : code inutile / mort
downtime : temps d'arrêt (panne)
uptime : temps où ça marche
dry run : test à blanc
roll back : revenir à la version d'avant
scalability : capacité à monter en charge
refactoring : réécrire le code sans changer ce qu'il fait
sandbox : bac à sable, environnement de test
hotfix : correctif urgent
technical debt : dette technique
up and running : opérationnel, ça tourne
code review : relecture de code
live : en production, en ligne
standup : réunion quotidienne debout
API : interface entre deux logiciels
full stack : front + back
DevOps : dev + mise en production
SaaS : logiciel en ligne par abonnement
SEO : référencement naturel
UX : expérience utilisateur
bandwidth : bande passante / disponibilité
deep dive : analyse en profondeur
best practices : bonnes pratiques
low-hanging fruit : gain facile, rapide
brainstorm : remue-méninges
ROI : retour sur investissement
agenda : ordre du jour
ballpark figure : ordre de grandeur
to leverage : tirer parti de
to cut corners : bâcler
swamped : débordé
to ramp up : monter en puissance
under the hood : sous le capot
game changer : ce qui change tout
bottom line : l'essentiel, en résumé
on the same page : d'accord, alignés
the ball is in your court : à toi de jouer
all ears : tout ouïe
keep me in the loop : tiens-moi au courant
ping me : fais-moi signe
get back to you : revenir vers toi
follow-up : relance, suivi
get in touch : prendre contact
FYI : pour info
ASAP : dès que possible
IMHO : à mon humble avis
my bad : ma faute, désolé
overengineering : faire trop compliqué

Email

Subject: Request – FizzBuzz functionObjet : Demande – …
Hi Team B, / Dear Sarah,Bonjour l'équipe B, / Chère Sarah,
I hope this finds you well.J'espère que vous allez bien.
I'm reaching out to ask for…Je vous contacte pour demander…
Could you please write…?Pourriez-vous écrire… ?
For example: input 4 → output "even".Par exemple : entrée 4 → sortie « even ».
Would it be possible to send it by 11:55?Serait-il possible de l'envoyer avant 11h55 ?
Let me know if anything is unclear.Dites-moi si quelque chose n'est pas clair.
Thanks in advance, Best regards,Merci d'avance, Bien cordialement,

Code review & feedback

I like how you…J'aime la façon dont vous…
It works well when…Ça marche bien quand…
Could you rename / change…?Pourriez-vous renommer / changer… ?
What happens if…?Que se passe-t-il si… ?
Have you considered…?Avez-vous pensé à… ?
As discussed, we will… by…Comme convenu, nous allons… d'ici…
Thanks for the feedback, I'll fix it.Merci pour le retour, je corrige.

Meetings & interviews

Could you repeat, please?Pouvez-vous répéter ?
Sorry, I didn't get that.Pardon, je n'ai pas compris.
Let me think for a second.Laissez-moi réfléchir une seconde.
That's a great question.C'est une très bonne question.
I'm not sure, I'll get back to you.Je ne suis pas sûr, je reviens vers vous.
In my opinion… / I think…À mon avis… / Je pense…

French-isms to avoid

like you can see → as you can see
we constated → we noticed
traduct → translate
payant → paid / charged
I have 25 years → I'm 25
I am agree → I agree
actually = en fait (actuellement = currently)
eventually = finalement (éventuellement = maybe)

If—

Rudyard Kipling (1910) · After listening: pick ONE line. “This line speaks to me because…”
If you can keep your head when all about you
    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
    But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
    Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
    And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
    And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
    And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
    And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
    To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
    Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
    If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
    With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
    And—which is more—you'll be a Man, my son!

Pitch: “Tell me about yourself” (1 minute)

Present → Past → Future · about 120 words · look at people, pause, smile.
1. PRESENT: who I am now
“Hi, I'm … . Right now, I'm training as a web developer with Z – Code pour l'emploi, in Lille.”
2. PAST: what I did before
“Before that, I worked / studied … . There, I learned to …”
3. FUTURE: what I want next
“Next, I'd like to work as … because … . I'm looking for … .”
4. END
“Thank you! Do you have any questions?”

Observation grid: one column per person you observe

Name:Name:Name:Name:
Eye contact 👀
Voice: volume, speed
Pauses
Structure: Present → Past → Future
Answer to the surprise question
English: 1 word to fix
✅ One thing that worked
🔁 One thing to try

Mission cards: cut along the dashed lines (1 card per team)

Mission A · Even or odd

A function that receives a number and says "even" or "odd".
4 → even · 7 → odd

Your job: write a professional email to the next team to order this code (subject, greeting, request, example, deadline 11:55, closing). Then review their code, in English.

Mission B · FizzBuzz

Print numbers 1 to 30. Multiples of 3 → "Fizz", of 5 → "Buzz", of 3 and 5 → "FizzBuzz".
1, 2, Fizz, 4, Buzz, … 15 → FizzBuzz

Your job: write a professional email to the next team to order this code (subject, greeting, request, example, deadline 11:55, closing). Then review their code, in English.

Mission C · Vowel counter

A function that counts the vowels (a, e, i, o, u, y) in a word.
developer → 4 · code → 2

Your job: write a professional email to the next team to order this code (subject, greeting, request, example, deadline 11:55, closing). Then review their code, in English.

Mission D · Temperature converter

Convert Celsius to Fahrenheit. F = C × 9/5 + 32.
20 → 68 · 0 → 32 · 100 → 212

Your job: write a professional email to the next team to order this code (subject, greeting, request, example, deadline 11:55, closing). Then review their code, in English.

Mission E · Max finder

Find the biggest number in a list, WITHOUT using a ready-made function (no max()).
[3, 17, 8, 12] → 17

Your job: write a professional email to the next team to order this code (subject, greeting, request, example, deadline 11:55, closing). Then review their code, in English.