Language barrier?

[steve69]

So many motorhomers on here rave about the joys of travelling around Europe. I agree with most of the sentiments and I can just about get by with my very limited French linguistic skills. I wonder how many on here don't know any language other than English and how you "get by" in some places in Europe where no English speakers can be found. I know there are smartphone apps now to translate, but how did you get on before those?

 

[The Coops]

Picture dictionary free in the Sunday Times 35 years ago! Plus a son who is a polyglot on the end of a phone

 

[Bessy765]

Smile, try and learn a few words a simple hello can you help me, goes a long way and try not to raise your voice. We have travelled to many countries and have found (or heard) many English when not understood raise their voice!!

 

[DBK]

You don't need to speak the language to shop in a supermarket or refuel at a filling station.

A few words are helpful if you want to eat out. The local term for "two beers please" and related phrases are all you need. For camp sites "Two nights" then point at the MH will work.

For everything else a smile is universal. It doesn't always work, there are some miserable people to be found everywhere but you can but try.

 

[Odd-no-more]

In Italy, I was trying to find the station to put the car on the train, I asked a cab driver who had no English, I have no Italian, so I ended up miming a train and saying Cho Cho puff the cabby understood and showed me the way. That was before smartphones now I would show a picture

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[tonka]

"Please" "thank you" and knowing the numbers 1_10 have got me by so far.

When we had our apartment in Spain it needed to have a rewire and we booked a Spanish speaking electrician.
Both the wife and I are now fluent in Spanish electrical terms.

 

[sonny]

I am finding it difficult to understand English
My bad

 

[Clickem]

In my experience abroad, if you want to spend some money communications are no problem. If you want to complain there is no comprende

 

[Ridgeway]

Lets be honest most Brits rely on the other person to speak good enough English

 

[Barti Ddu]

I'm terrible at languages. I've a degree, 4 A levels, and 13 O Levels. French is the only exam I've ever failed (actually got a "U" for Ungraded).

However, I inter-railled all around Europe for several years in my early 20s (now over 30 years ago) so well before smartphones and apps, and managed to get by. Including what at the time were some pretty off the beaten track places, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Poland, as well as all of Western Europe. As has been said already - a smile, a basic greeting or two, and the willingness to make a fool of yourself by miming on occasion. (One memorable example being having to mime at the front door to the apartment below that my towel had fallen off my balcony and onto theirs - cue game of charades - this is me getting dry, this is a gust of wind, this is a towel falling....... you get the picture)!

In the years since, holidayed in Europe most years, it's become a bit embarrassing how good everyone else is at languages except us Brits.

Because I've still some "unfinished business" with French, I started learning it again last November using Duolingo. It's free, reasonably fun, if you don't mind the "gamification", (5 free "lives" a day before it's "Game Over" until tomorrow), and I seem to be having some success. I'm currently on a 271 day "streak"!

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[cyberyacht]

I recall years ago my wife asking if Carrefour had an alarm clock using mime. It was most entertaining. I, however, can point fluently in fourteen languages.

 

[Ridgeway]

Eddie's view on this:

 

[dosser]

A few words and a bit of effort I find goes along way. Failing that Google translate. (Other translates may be available)

 

[Puddleduck]

I lived in Paris with a Spanish family for some weeks in my teens to learn the language.

French "O" level oral / aural was with an outside assessor and at the end of the exam he asked me where I was from as I was obviously French although I used the Parisian dialect but with a Basque accent so he was struggling to place my origins!!!!!

Now when I visit France I smile and apologise, explaining I speak French like a small child. Mostly people are very kind and appreciate me at least trying. Mime goes along way as does a smile, please, thank you, yes and no.

When my sister-in-law was living in Italy she expected everyone else to speak English and was rude when they did not. I don't speak Italian but found that if people spoke slowly for me and I listened carefully I could understand the gist of what they were saying and was able to respond. I would then "translate" for sister-in-law and often got a thumbs up as people tend to understand more than they speak. I always got good service, better than she did anyway!

The most difficult language I have found was Greenlandic but most speak Danish and / or English although please and thank you is always appreciated and I feel it rude not to be able to have the basic courtesies in some one else's country.

There are a few basic courses you can do if spending time in one country (often you can borrow CDs from your library or download - I did an introduction to Norwegian via Audible but remember very little of it now) and it might be worth seeing if you can learn that way. German grammar was a nightmare, I did 2 years at school and hated it as it was all written language and grammar whereas when you learn as a child you learn by listening and speaking long before writing.

One of my sons and one of my daughters speak Japanese. My son did 2 years of Japanese language as part of a school exchange and my daughter learned from her love of Japanese Anime.

 

[DangerMousy]

I've seen too many Brits abroad who seem to make no effort whatsoever and get annoyed when the local don't appear to speak English...which I think is incredibly rude. I speak (rusty but decent) French and German, a bit of Spanish and I've learned a little bit of Italian via Duolingo - enough to get by for a few days travelling around and ordering food & drink. I can read and understand a lot more than I can speak, and yes, often I get replies in English . But I like to think that they appreciate that I've made the effort to speak their language.

When touring in countries where I don't speak any of the language I always look online for the basic phrases: please, thank you, good morning/afternoon/evening, one/two/three nights/beers etc. and write it down so I can practice it and refer to it when needed. We've found in many Eastern European countries they often speak German if they don't speak English. It sometimes has funny results though....in Krakow a couple of years ago I ordered our beers with my rehearsed phrase...which worked absolutely fine....until the waitress replied and asked me something in Polish and I had no idea what she said

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[Jaws]

Apart from English I do have a smattering of German ( though my German friends insist I speak English as they have terrible trouble understanding my attempts at conversational German )
We do always try to learn please and thanks you in what ever country we are in, but in general have found that a big smile. the ability to mime and looking helpless goes a long long way

 

[BwB]

Many years ago (pre-mobile phones) I was driving through Italy and pulled in at a petrol station to refuel. It was around 11am and they had a small café attached to the garage so I thought I'd have a coffee. That was easily enough ordered - even back in those days everyone knew cappuccino. Fancying a bit of cake, on the other hand, had me stumped until I guessed the universal European word for cake is probably gateaux and started saying it over and over again while miming me eating. I can laugh about it now but I don't think I did any favours to British/Italian relations back then

 

[deleted79651]

Smile, try and learn a few words a simple hello can you help me, goes a long way and try not to raise your voice. We have travelled to many countries and have found (or heard) many English when not understood raise their voice!!

But you have to raise your voice to Johnny Forriner, it's the only way they understand ... And if he still plays dumb, then lean forward and shout, works every time ...

I had the reverse experience when traveling with my former brothers in law to Le Mans in 1998. The car [new company owned BMW!] gave up the ghost and the Recovery Garage had to transfer us to a BMW Dealer for the repair. The Recovery Garage owner spoke no English, and, for the twin reasons that my Dad was a mechanic, and I could speak some French, I was deputed to listen to the technical explanation of the fault [I am hopeless with cars ...]. After 2 repetitions in breakneck speed French, the Proprietor tried a 3rd time, by shouting the words and leaning forward. I knew what he was doing and I folded, damn near weeing myself whilst trying to keep a straight face

For the record, the fault was a failed diesel pump in the brand new Beemer!

Steve

 

[deleted79651]

"Please" "thank you" and knowing the numbers 1_10 have got me by so far.

When we had our apartment in Spain it needed to have a rewire and we booked a Spanish speaking electrician.
Both the wife and I are now fluent in Spanish electrical terms.

My Spanish is more effluent than fluent, as I discovered when I had my heart attack in Spain ... The 'highlight' was when I answered 'que' twice to an instruction from the Operating Theatre Prep Nurse [who spoke no English]. Speed being of the essence, she disappeared beneath the bedclothes at the foot of the bed and emerged a few seconds later to hand me my knickers. I never felt a thing ... . But she was kind enough to say goodbye at the end of her shift, so I was able to produce my knickers [now in a plastic bag ...] and give the thumbs up, which made us both laugh. A memory I shall carry to the grave!

Steve

 

[Brains]

I speak fluent bar French, Italian, Spanish, German, Norwegian, Cantonese, Japanese and Arabic.

"Hello
One, two, three, four,
Beers
Please
Thankyou
My friend has the money"

I have found that those 15 or so words can get you a long way in many countries in the world

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[deleted79651]

One of my sons and one of my daughters speak Japanese. My son did 2 years of Japanese language as part of a school exchange and my daughter learned from her love of Japanese Anime.

I organised a 7 hour taxi tour in Japan for us and fellow cruise passengers, using a taxi company whose drivers spoke no English! It was very successful, but typing English into Google Translate and then swapping phones with the driver was a novel, albeit, slightly unnerving experience . We're still in touch with our Japanese Guide from another part of the cruise and would love to return to Japan for a more concentrated stay.

Steve & Elaine

 

[Gizmouk]

Rise your voice, speak slowly and point.
Doesn't everyone ?

 

[pappajohn]

Sis in law married a Spaniard and moved to Spain.
The only thing she knew about Spain was were it is.
They moved in with his parents in a small village.
Nobody spoke English except her husband so she had two options... Pretend to be a deaf mute or learn the language.
Now she has to think about the words for an English conversation.

 

[maz]

I just about get by in France with what I can remember of my French ‘O’ Level, but we are currently learning Italian with an online course. For other languages I wander around clutching the relevant Lonely Planet phrasebook ……. and ask people to speak slowly.

 

[Riverbankannie]

We once arranged a Great Bustard photographic trip at a campsite in Spain. Arranged with the son at reception, the Dad came with a battered mini moke type vehicle to take us. He is/was a renowned photographer. I was squashed into the tiny back bench seat with the spare petrol cans! He spoke not a work of English and so we clattered our way directly over fields and so on with a running commentary that we didn’t understand a word of. In the end we only saw the birds from a distance and were out so long that it grew dark and the site restaurant closed. We did see a Little Owl though wating for us on the gatepost. The whole thing was a hoot (pun intended)!
A couple of years ago we went on an Umigog test track drive with a German who spoke no English. I nodded and said Ja Ja a lot so as not to offend by showing that we didn’t understand.
We find these things enrich our travels and always try to show appreciation and pretend to understand even if we don’t.
Another time I had an amusing “conversation “ with a German lady in the shower block. I was all soaped up when the water suddenly stopped. I didn’t work out what she was trying to say but the next morning at reception a young girl who did speak English expained that the showers were programmed to stop at exactly 10pm even if you had just inserted your token !
It all adds to the rich tapestry

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[The general]

You don't need to speak the language to shop in a supermarket or refuel at a filling station.all you do is press the Union flag

 

[The general]

This one caused me a little distress once I used google translate ,I was on the Finnish /Russia border . If I remember it translated to , this area is under cctv 24 hrs !

 

[Just smiffy]

This one caused me a little distress once I used google translate ,I was on the Finnish /Russia border . If I remember it translated to , this area is under cctv 24 hrs ! View attachment 527673

Really…? I thought it said “You are in the middle of a minefield”….

 

[Just smiffy]

I can speak several languages in gibberish….

 

[ChrisSue]

I can get by in French and German and if the reply is too quick I point to my hearing aids. Having said that I find that we often have odd conversations where we speak each others language so we can each practice.

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