Learn the Language

Learn the language is good advice when travelling. The benefits of learning some basic phrases will help you no end when trying some international diplomacy.

So, lets say, when you ask someone in a French bank if they ". parlez-vous anglais.", you will be able to understand when they reply ".un peu.". That beats staring at the person with a blank, bemused expression, or replying loudly in English that you don't understand a word of what they've just said.

Now, okay, a lot of people in strange, far-off lands do speak English. We're fortunate, thank goodness, that English is nowadays an international language, especially in business.

Speak English in many of the well-trodden parts of France, Spain and Italy, and there's a good chance they'll understand you. But what they really appreciate is you making the effort to learn some basic phrases. It's not that they expect you to discuss the meaning of life in their language, but it shows that you are not an ignorant foreigner with a disdain for their country and culture.

Think about it seriously for a minute. If you can speak some basic phrases, it could prove very useful, if not vital. Lets say your car breaks down, but not in a capital City, in some rustic hamlet, far away from smart garages and multi-lingual reception staff. It's dark, it's raining, the kids are shouting for their tea and you're faced with a mechanic, about to knock off for the day, and not in the best of moods. Now, you can bet your bottom dollar, if you try the Brit trick of waving your arms around and shouting incoherent English phrases, your mechanic will be off with no more than a shrug. But, try some basic phrases and that mechanic might just delay his supper and might just be able to help.

And let's just imagine it's not the car that's taken poorly; how about one of the family? Delays in explaining a particular concern, a symptom, or a need for a medicine, might prove to be decisive in getting the help you need.

But lets put those sort of difficulties to one side; lets say you're at the ticket window at the local train station trying to ask for a family day rover to a town two stops down the line. Ticket staff, anywhere in the world, are not known for their patience. Gesturing with raised eyebrows, tapping the window with your timetable and reminding them, in public schoolboy vowels, that you didn't vote for the European Community anyway, is not going to get you, or your party, to your destination with ease.

So give yourself a break; learn the language is good advice when travelling. Learning some basic phrases is not that difficult. Start by having a look at what you'll be doing on your hols. On a driving holiday, then learn how to say my tyre has just shredded; want to walk through the hills, then remember how to ask for mountain rescue; or someone in your party with a recurring medical problem, then learn how to ask for the appropriate cream.

Learn the language and you'll see a different world.

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