Do You Have to Speak the Language of the Country You Visit?
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Published 2024-03-20
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All Comments (21)
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Learning some basics is just good manners.
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I agree. I believe that I get treated better, even if it’s only a smile, when I try of few words in the local language. I like to learn “hello”, “thank you”, “please”, “Do you speak English?”.
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i was scared to speak French when I went to Paris two years ago. But when I went out to eat and had to flag down the owner for the bill, I asked in French - he lit up like a Christmas tree and said "you CAN speak French!!". He sounded so genuinely happy and it made me feel good to be able to communicate (and not mess up too badly).
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When we were in Florence in 2011 the restaurant owner where we dined was taking English lessons. He decided to join us at our table so he could practice! Needless to say the food and wine both arrived in copious quantities over the next hour, and we made a memory we will never cherish forever.
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That english menu may have different prices😂😂😂😂😂
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I always add “Exit” to the list. Have had the best experiences by speaking Italian
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One thing I learned is just try. Even if you mess up they don't care because you tried. If you mess up trying to speak their language just laugh. That's what I've done whether it's Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal or Malta
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It also helps if you know "Where is" and "Where are" in the local language as well as "Excuse me" and "I'm sorry." I've developed a list of about 15 French words and phrases that will get me by and show respect to the locals. Ditto for Italian and other languages that are spoken in countries I plan to visit. It helps a lot and they're not very difficult to memorize. For more challenging conversations, rely on Google Translate.
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Totally agree! And even when you visit a place like London and you offer to take a pic for a group and they say obrigado to you and you say de nada back. It makes them smile even more! Lol I say add "you're welcome" to Mark's basic 5.
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I learned a few phrases before going to Germany in 2019 just to be prepared. It actually came in handy especially in asking for directions or in restaurants etc. After that I started using Duolingo to boost my knowledge and each time I go back I feel more confident speaking German. It also helps being around the language every day and you can tell the locals really appreciate it. Servus!
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We’re going to Italy in October, so I’ve been learning basic Italian, along with one of our grandsons, who is 6! I’m a retired postpartum nurse and actually put together a binder to speak with our Spanish patients and learned what I had to say to do my job and then some. I also said (in Spanish) “thank you for your patience with my Spanish” and “please don’t laugh!” Haha! They always were so happy and said “Bien! Bien! You have a great accent!” 🙌🏻
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Good observations - my experience in Japan is that they are set up to assist people who don't speak Japanese in restaurants, hotels, stores, and at ticket offices. There is a lot of English signage too just about everywhere as well as audio messages on the trains announcing upcoming stops. Google Translate is becoming more and more useful as well.
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I messed up como estas and muy bien in Mexico. Still we laughed and had fun with it.
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I went to Japan, not knowing the language. I just watched a lot of YouTube videos, for many months, before I traveled there. I took lots of notes. It helped!
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It’s always helpful to learn a few basics, but usually, you can get by with speaking English if you’re traveling to major cities where the locals often see tourists. However, if you’re traveling to smaller, lesser known cities, you should learn as many words as possible.
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Nice job Mark:). I agree , If someone sees you trying to speak their language they are more willing to help you. ;).
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So true. I was just in Jordan and they were so happy when I managed to say a few sentences and greetings in Arabic 😊
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I would add the pronunciation of town names and places you want to visit. Even when the local people do speak English they might not recognize your 'wrong' pronunciation. I've had tourists ask me where X was and I had absolutely no clue what they meant untill they spelled it or showed it on a map. It's also very useful when travelling by public transport because you know when to get off.
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Some translation apps have a feature where you can take a photo of some text in the country's language and the app will automatically translate it for you.
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When i was in Greece, Athens, i found myself on the wrong train in a very wild area 😂. One of my favorite stories 💙 ευχαριστώ Αττική
