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It is often said that English speakers don’t learn other languages, and it is difficult to deny that there is a fair degree of truth in this.

However, let’s be fair, often it is not necessary because ‘everyone speaks English’ or wants to practice it. Equally, if you speak English and you want to learn another language it is not obvious which should you choose. Spanish, Chinese, French ? You can’t learn everything and so whatever country you visit there will be the inevitable temptation to speak in English.

But even if it is not essential to learn another language, and you are put off because everyone speaks English anyway, you can learn some simple words and phrases with a simple change of mindset. It is always useful, people are more friendly when you make an effort, and it does become easier to see less touristy sites.

Decide to learn one hundred words and phrases in total before you travel.

The intention of learning only maybe one hundred foreign words and phrases is not the traditional approach to language learning which has much more emphasis on becoming ‘good’ at languages. But times change and we change with them. Cheap global travel means that it is quite usual to visit multiple countries with multiple languages spoken. It is quite possible that you are not going to visit the same country the year after year. This means that you can’t possibly attain a high level of competence for each language spoken in all the countries you visit, but you can definitely learn one hundred words. Why not have a goal of learning one hundred words and a few phrases whenever you visit a country with a different language spoken?

Cheap flights allow us to travel more widely, and give us more opportunities to dabble with languages. Learning a foreign language well is difficult and time consuming but learning a few simple words is not, and it is amazing how far you can get with please, thank you, yes, no etc. It is far easier to start learning a language than to attain conversational ability and there is a fast rate of progress when only learning a few words.

If you decide to set yourself this achievable goal you will get more out of your holiday wherever you visit. To see the truth in this you just have to consider how you view of a visitor to your country who doesn’t even know how to say please and thank-you in English. Are you impressed ? Is it any different when English speakers travel abroad. Not really.

Frank Middleton is a freelance author and writes occasional articles for http://www.linguata.com a site dedicated to the achievable goal of learning simple foreign words and phrases.

Tags: foreign, language, learning, travelforeign, language, learning, travel

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Traveling through Europe in the late fifties, and speaking only a little German, I often relied on the kindness of strangers. Once in Paris, I was struck with the notion of capturing a “different” view of the Eiffel Tower. I wanted it to rise from a swirl of gray fog at the base, soaring majestically above the city. I was warned that any morning fog would be burned off by the six thirty rising of the sun, so I had better get up early. Six o’clock the next morning found me wandering around in the semi-dark, completely lost. The few pedestrians available for questioning seemed to be saying that they never heard of the Eiffel Tower. Finally, it dawned on one Parisian that I was looking for the Tour d’ Eiffel! He personally walked four blocks out of his way to escort me to my destination. I still have the picture somewhere.

Arriving in Madrid at the height of the tourist season, the only available accommodations were in top-of-the-line fancy hotels. My brother and I put our faith in fate to find us a room instead of calling ahead for reservations. We explained our predicament to the taxi driver from the airport who shook his head when hearing the amount of our available funds. He said that if we didn’t mind living with a family he knew, he could fix us up with a pension. Passing under the Arch d’ Triumph, he turned down a narrow alley and let us off in front of an antique looking oak door. He introduced us to the lady of the house who showed us a spacious room upstairs. The price was thirteen dollars per week double occupancy and included breakfast if we didn’t mind eating in their kitchen/dining room. Lovely!

On another occasion in the seventies, my wife and I were visiting
some friends in Munich. The father of a friend heard that we needed a place to stay and promptly changed his two week vacation to free up his apartment for our use. The beds boasted foot thick comforters and the convenient location in the center of the city made our vacation a huge success. He refused all offers of payment so we had to hide some money in his bible for him to find after we left.

Before we left Munich, I wanted to visit the famous AKG microphone factory in a small town nearby. I had just joined a Barbershop chorus and needed a pair of stereo microphones for my reel-to-reel tape recorder. AKG mikes were considered to be among the best in the world, known for their natural sound. A short train ride early one morning brought me to a large, modern building. I explained my needs to the receptionist who, while wanting to help, decided to refer me to the plant manager. He listened carefully to my story which included some indication of my budget. He asked the make of my tape recorder and the conditions of the hall. By now I was nervous about
how much this was going to cost me, what with the luxurious
atmosphere. Hidden spotlights reflected off the microphones in
display cases lining the walls, soft music and even softer carpets saying, “We are quality”. I was asked to have a seat as he disappeared through a door.

Apologizing for the delay, (only thirty minutes), he presented me with a matched pair of microphones with built-in proximity switches allowing the microphones to be used as hand held or for a distant chorus. He explained that the long wait was needed in order to build a transformer into the cord to match the impedance to my Grundig tape recorder. He escorted me to the cashier, writing down a price of fifty marks (about thirty dollars). The cashier asked if that was just for the cables and he told her, no, everything was included. The microphone cases had some small cosmetic scratches and did not pass their final inspection. I was ecstatic and promised to send him a copy of my first recording.

While the American presence in Europe was tolerated with some
misgivings, America itself was held in awe and these perfect
strangers would be friendly people in any country in the world.

Retired portrait photographer. Comments welcome.

Tags: foreign, people, travelforeign, people, travel

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