| ` |
|
|
Language
101
|
|
|
Similarly, many college-bound US students learn at least two years of a foreign language.
So disregard those who say, "All Europeans know English; they're just showing their arrogance or disrespect for us by not using it." Hogwash! Those who know and are confident about their English and enjoy a chance to practice it will use it. For many others ... well, it is their 'home' you're visting ... why not speak a bit of their language. There is, after all, no rule that says English speaking travelers must be spoken to in English. The Basics
Whether you stray or not, you'll want to have at least a few courtesy phrases. "Hello", "goodbye", "how are you?", "please", "thank you", "you're welcome", ... basic elements of human interaction. To travel and not be able to express at least these phrases in the local language is discourteous at best. Without at least a handful of phrases like these in hand you may leave the impression you have the social awareness of Vlad the Impaler (Dracula). Elementary, useful phrases include, among many others, "how much?", "how many?", "we are two" (or three or four...), "waiter", "the check", "where is?", "where are the toilets?", etc. You get the idea ... the basics of getting around. These phrases, with the appropriate noun (even in English), will work wonders. Even better if you can manage a pseudo-European accent on the English noun ... so many of our words come from French, German, Italian and Spanish. Yes, without a verb you may sound a bit strange ... but you'll be appreciated because you're trying, and the odds are good you'll be understood well enough to achieve the desired goal.
One of Ed's problems is that his accent, while not spectacular, gets passably good after a few days' visit. Often his questions are responded to promptly and quickly ... often faster than Ed can translate. Which may make you wish you learned, "Please speak more slowly." And then there's the most useful phrase of all, "Do you speak English?" If you didn't understand the slow answer to your question, this is your next move. If you think it's likely you'll not understand the answer to the question you're about to ask, don't ask it; ask instead, "Do you speak English?" Even being able to do that much in the local tongue leaves the impression that you're at least trying.
Do keep your phrase book with you as you travel about. As you sightsee you'll anticipate an approaching interaction. For example, approaching a train ticket counter you'd want to look up how to ask for two roundtrips.
Riding in buses, we translate the advertising cards inside the bus, the billboards outside. Faced with a warning sign we don't understand, we translate. You'll find many opportunities to use the dictionary as well as the phrase book.
Similarly, Julie insisted on shopping for lingerie in a tiny store in Rome, well off the beaten track. Operated by a woman at least in her 70s, this was no place for English. Ed guessed, properly, that neither the phrase book nor the dictionary covered, for example, 'French Cut'. Sign and body language, though, did the job, along with a few polite Italian phrases. Ed may have thought he looked foolish, but all three of us had fun and parted 'friends', though few more actual words than 'Buon Giorno' and 'Ciao' had been spoken. Beyond the Basics
If you wish to get into a more serious study of language before your trip you'll find many, many books, CDs and cassette sets to help you. Amazon.com has an extensive range of choices. To review what's available fill in the search box below with "learn xxx" (where "xxx" = French, German, etc.) and click on go.
You might enjoy learning a language at your computer; there are many advantages. We've enjoyed using the Transparent Language "Language Now" program for German. The Pimsleur products, somewhat costly, seem to get good reviews. The Payoff
If you're lucky enough to be able to return you'll find the language you learn is cumulative and little-forgotten. While you'll get rusty in between trips, you'll be back up to speed in two-three days on the next trip, and you add to your vocabulary and fluency on each subsequent trip ... just like riding a bike. Don't forget to review our short list of Useful Phrases. Print them out to practice while you're commuting or cooking dinner.
Useful Phrases provides a very brief set of phrases that you can practice until you get your own phrase book and dictionary. Learning a bit of language is a good thing to do, but don't forget Europeans (like most of the world) measure differently than we do and they write dates and numbers differently as well. Complete Index
of Ed and Julie's Our Favorites Trip Tips and Tools Copyright © 2000-2001 E.J.
Gehrlein Traveling
|
ow much language do you need to enjoy a visit to
Western Europe? Very little in many or most cases. So don't let language inability keep
you from independent travel about Europe.
he more language you
know the more you'll likely enjoy your trip. And the more the locals will enjoy your
visit. It's easy to pick up enough, even for a language clod like Ed, to fulfill those
goals.
aying you don't
speak the language, today, doesn't mean you can't speak
the language. Saying you don't does not endow you with an excusable permanent disability.
nglish may have
replaced French as the most useful and most commonly used language between persons whose
languages are different, but it hasn't become a universal tongue. Although, if you're an
English-speaker, as we are, you travel with a built-in advantage.
ou can't expect to go
just anywhere or do just anything with command of English only. Having
your language restricted to English, you'll find your travels somewhat restricted as well.
ar away from the
fabled 'beaten path' in an obscure valley in eastern Switzerland? English may have limited
or no value. Forget about avoiding the tourist-crowded spots and treading the unbeaten
path.
n Western
Europe a course in English has become mandatory in virtually all school systems in all
countries, for varying extents. It's difficult to find anyone under, say, thirty who
hasn't had at least a couple of years of English.
ny number of publishers have 
aution! Phrase books are
virtually useless if not used prior to the trip. Save your money if you plan to
start reading the phrase book on the way over on the flight ... or later. You'll never
keep up with the flow of events if you have to constantly look in the phrase book just to
say, "You're welcome."
ne of the difficulties Ed finds with language is
understanding the accent. You'll find short language-learning tapes in almost any
bookstore. While we question whether one can really learn much language from them, they
can be helpful in picking up the accent. We often play them in the car for several weeks
before our trips to reacquaint ourselves with the sounds and rhythms.
