Which French refugee helped Franklin improve her conversational French?

The French refugee who helped Franklin improve her conversational French was Adrienne Weill.

Franklin met Weill during her final year at Cambridge. Weill was a French refugee and a former student of Marie Curie, and she became an important friend and influence. Through their association, Franklin improved her spoken French, a skill that later proved valuable when she moved to Paris for research.

Weill’s help extended beyond language practice. After the Second World War, Franklin asked her about scientific opportunities in France. Weill introduced Franklin to Marcel Mathieu of the Centre national de la recherche scientifique, helping open the path to Franklin’s 1947 appointment at the Laboratoire Central des Services Chimiques de l’État.

A common mix-up is to associate Franklin’s French scientific career only with Jacques Mering, who supervised her Paris research. Mering led the laboratory work, while Weill helped Franklin enter that wider French scientific world.