How do you make due in an area where you do not speak the native language and you have no one that you know to help you?

March 1, 2007 11:09 AM

My fiancee and I are planning a honeymoon abroad, we're thinking of visiting Spain and/or France. Neither one of us are well spoken in the native languages... do we need to worry? What are people's experiences in this situation (just traveling abroad in general, to a place where you don't speak the language)? Is it a huge burden to bear on yourselves or on the country's native peoples?

To be fair, she took 4 years of French in high school, and I took 4 years of Spanish in high school. Unfortunately, that was 10 years ago for both us, and we are beyond rusty. What do people do? Do you hire translators? Just hope to have good luck and find lots of people who speak English?

I have always wondered what people do in these situations. We do not know a single soul in either of these countries, so we have no one to help us get around. And out of all the people I know that have traveled to places abroad, they have traveled to places that speak predominately English, or they actually spoke the native tongue. I just can't honestly see sitting at a dinner table spelling everything out in some sort of digital translator, or constantly checking a dictionary.

Obviously, I have some small experiences with this when travelers come over here (to Michigan). But those are just little one and two minute encounters (granted they are full of confusion). Anyway, just looking for thoughts and experiences. Thanks!

posted by mrzer0 to human relations (36 comments total)

You should go. It'll be great.

Here's what you'll do. You'll try to brush up on your French and/or Spanish a few weeks before you go. You'll get a phrase book, which will help you translate menus. You'll be friendly, attempt to speak the language as much as you can, and contrite about your lack of linguistic skills. And then you'll muddle through. You'll speak a bit of the local language. A lot of people will speak a bit of English. You'll all gesture wildly. There may be some comic misunderstandings, which should be sorted out promptly and with no ill feelings. It'll be fine.

I've travelled pretty extensively in places where I didn't speak the language, and while it's always better to be ableto communicate, even if you don't know a word, going is better than not going.
posted by craichead at 11:19 AM on March 1, 2007

You really do not need to know the language to vacation in foreign lands. However, you have had enough exposure to the languages that with little effort you should be able to get to the point where you can order food and taxis etc.
posted by caddis at 11:23 AM on March 1, 2007

Since you both have previous studies in a foreign language, it should be pretty easy to brush up to get to an acceptable tourist level -- you can get tapes/CDs to listen to in your car, while you work out, etc. to get back into the swing of things.

In my experience in western Europe, as long as you make the effort to speak a little bit in the native language, people are generally helpful (yes, I even found this in Paris!). Also, in major cities, you'll find plenty of people who at least speak a little English, so between you, you should be able to find your way pretty well. (But be polite -- in my opinion, you should never start speaking in English right off the bat; try your question in the native language, or at the very least, ask "excuse me, do you speak English?" in the native language, and then let the person respond.)

It just comes down to making some basic preparations before you go, then giving it the old college try where you're there. Most people will appreciate it. So take a phrase book and go! You'll love it.
posted by scody at 11:30 AM on March 1, 2007

I spent 10 days in Barcelona only knowing Sesame Street-level Spanish. I brought a phrase book (one that had both Catalan and Spanish) and found I didn't need it. Tours and sights had English, and even in the hole-in-the-wall cafes and nightclubs I was able to get around. I took 4 years of high school French 17 years ago, and retained enough where I was able to tease out what stuff said in Spanish (those Romance languages have a lot of overlap!) on such things as menus and signs. So, if you go to Barcelona at least, you'll do fine!
posted by macadamiaranch at 11:30 AM on March 1, 2007

Nothing wrong with a little confusion.

Go for it!

Worst case for dinner, just point at something on the menu. You'll get some sort of food. It's pretty obvious to the server why you are sitting at the table in the restaurant.
posted by yohko at 11:36 AM on March 1, 2007 [1 favorite]

You'll figure it out. At the very worst, people will get frustrated with your slow, polite, halted rendition of their language and they'll snap at you to get on with it in yours. This happened to me several times and I learned to either speak quickly and confidently in their language (you'll be surprised at what you can learn in a short period of time under social pressure!) or feel relieved and humiliated to be speaking in yours.

You'll also have good days and bad days. Sometimes you'll think you remember it all and you can hang, and sometimes, not so much.

Drinking helps. Laughing and learning helps even more.
posted by iamkimiam at 11:37 AM on March 1, 2007

At the very worst, people will get frustrated with your slow, polite, halted rendition of their language and they'll snap at you to get on with it in yours.

Heh. This happened to me so often the last time I was in Vienna I was shocked -- it got to the point where people started speaking English to me before I'd even open my mouth to try my hilarious German. I must have a pretty obvious "hello, I'm an American" face or something.
posted by scody at 11:42 AM on March 1, 2007

I have travelled quite a bit in both countries, and would say that, on the whole, it is easier to get around in Spain with very little knowledge of the language than in France.

(1) Its a terrible, stereotypical generalization, but unfortunately my experience has supported the contention that the French are much ruder to non-French speakers than the Spanish are. In Spain, even a small attempt to speak a few words of Spanish was rewarded with courtesy and generosity. In France, lack of knowledge of the language was often met with discourtesy and (obviously feigned) incomprehension. There are of course exceptions, but I and many travellers have found it more daunting to get around in France without knowing the language than in Spain. This changed when I picked up enough French to get by.

(2) For most people, Spanish is more intutively easy to pick up than French - more similar pronunciation, more recognizable cognates, etc. As others have said, you will remember your high school Spanish very quickly and gain confidence in figuring out what words might be; this is less true with French.

That said, two things will help you in both cases: make an effort, no matter how small, to initiate transactions or conversations in their language; and be confident, patient, and friendly in doing so. Even saying "Hola. Habla ingleis?" or "Bonjour. Parlez-vouz anglais?" before asking a question is preferable to marching into a restaurant or hotel and demanding that everyone speak perfect english to you.
posted by googly at 11:48 AM on March 1, 2007

(and by "people" I mean "native english-speaking people")
posted by googly at 11:51 AM on March 1, 2007

Spain and France will be fine, there is a good understanding of English in most places. There is a legend about the French being rude and agressive towards English speakers - just make sure to greet them or open your conversation in French before moving in to English and most will be delighted to speak to you in your native tongue. Effort will be appreciated everywhere.

You really only need the very basics from a phrasebook to get by in either country. Don't worry!
posted by fire&wings at 11:51 AM on March 1, 2007

I've found in every country I've ever been to that if you make the effort to learn just a few polite words or phrases it will endear you to people. In turn, they will be more than happy to help you usually. Even if you just write phrases down phonetically and read them when you need to, that's just fine. Most people in France & Spain have learned at least some English in school & the people who will hesitate to speak it mostly do so because it's not their first language & they are insecure. If you make an effort to communicate a bit in their language first, they are far more likely to make an effort in yours. These books are pretty good.

Most important first phrases to learn: please, thank you, hello, goodbye, sorry, excuse me, "how much", where, "can you help me", "I don't speak french/spanish", "do you speak english." Also learn to count to five, because then if you want something you can point and say "two please."

And if you want to make the locals laugh, learn a little slang. They won't expect it so it will often make them smile... like when someone who barely speaks english says "okey dokey" or something.

Just remember, people around the world really aren't that different on a whole. There are nice ones & not so nice ones. An awful lot of nice ones, though. :)
posted by miss lynnster at 11:52 AM on March 1, 2007

Of all the places I've been in Europe, I would say France was the hardest to get around without the local language. However, if you know the basics like "Hello," "please," "thank you," "how much?" you should be fine pretty much anywhere you want to go. It also never hurts to learn "Do you speak English?" in the native language and ask that up front, in my experience.

On preview, what everyone else has said.
posted by sbrollins at 11:56 AM on March 1, 2007

If you're feeling really ambitious learn the numbers 1-100 both listening and speaking. Since many of your interactions will be money for goods and generally in that range it can be quite helpful.
posted by true at 12:02 PM on March 1, 2007

BTW, once you get used to traveling, you'll be amazed to find that sometimes you can actually have full and very nice conversations with people without using any words at all. It's really pretty amazing & damn cool. Last year during a 7-hour bus ride, an incredibly sweet old Turkish lady saw that I was feeling ill and decided she wanted to take care of me and share her food with me. The entire relationship happened mostly in makeshift sign language. It's one of the very sweetest memories I have of Turkey. Almost makes me cry just remembering how kindhearted she was.
posted by miss lynnster at 12:03 PM on March 1, 2007

I had one semester of Czech before moving to Prague. When I ask a question, they assume I can actually speak the language and then I can't understand anything that happens afterwards. It gets kind of silly.

If you've had a few years, even a while ago, your comprehension should be much better than mine and you might not run into this trouble. If not, what I have found useful is to start off with "I'm sorry, I don't really speak Czech all that well" and then continue with the question. Then they tend to speak more slowly and I can catch some of what's going on.

An anecdote regarding the French vs. Spanish rudeness to non-speakers: When I studied abroad in France I traveled to Spain and had a very difficult time there with my non-existent Spanish (I speak French, so I can't really compare). When I got back to France I expressed some frustration about my difficulties and the response I got was "Well, I heard that the Spanish are REALLY rude to anyone who doesn't speak their language." I had to bite my tongue.
posted by someone else at 12:10 PM on March 1, 2007

I just came back from China in the end of November and I learned that most of the people I came in contact with spoke enough english to do what we needed to do. I speak a bit of chinese but no one expected me to so they would start a conversation in english. A phrasebook is really handy to have just in case.
posted by rubberkey at 12:16 PM on March 1, 2007

First of all, when you are in an environment where a foreign language is being spoken, your brain will automatically access the part that knows a foreign language, and things will come back. If you go to France first you will find yourself trying to speak Spanish to them. So even though your skills are rusty, and you aren't going to become fluent just by hearing the language again, more will come back than you realize.

You should never let language keep you from taking a trip! In metro areas most service workers will speak English. And as long as you are nice and patient you can usually get through exchanges in areas where people don't speak English.

Most people stay in hotels when they travel. The hotel is your friend in town. They will almost always speak English and help you find what you need and get you where you want to be. Even if you are not staying in a hotel you can use them. Lost? Walk into a hotel. Need a Taxi that won't rip you off? Get one at a hotel. Need a suggestion? Find a concierge.

In Spain, I found that writing down what I wanted helped a lot because a lot of English words look just like their Spanish versions when written.

If you are shy or over-aware of the fact that you are a stupid tourist who doesn't speak the language, it can be hard. You can find yourself feeling stupid, or not wanting to ask people for directions and getting turned around. So give yourself permission to be an English-speaker. Europeans are not unaware of the fact that the US is huge and you can drive for days and never need to speak another language. There is nothing wrong with it. The most isolating thing is not being able to eavesdrop on people on public transportation :) If you really think you'll be at a loss not knowing the language-- that is what tour guides and/or tour packages are for..
posted by Mozzie at 12:17 PM on March 1, 2007

Sincere efforts and politeness go a long way. I suggest learning (re-learning?) a few basic sentences to open conversations with.

Many people will recognize your atrocious American accent and pick up the conversation in English if they can, and many will appreciate your effort to speak their language even a little. Never, ever, speak more and more loudly to compensate for not understanding or being understood. (I would think that would go without saying but having seen Americans pissing off Europeans with the "WHERE!!! IS!!! THE!! TERLET!?!!" routine with my own eyes it merits mention.) Patience and good humor are key.

When I've been in Europe, I find a good rule of thumb, even if you're a basically polite person, is to be at least twice as polite as you would be in an analogous situation back in the more blunt American context. Don't underestimate the value of ritualized good days, pardons, pleases, if you would be so kinds, I would likes, thank yous, and good byes -- while those sort of exchanges strike many Americans as old-fashioned, overdone, or phony, you'll be just another dorky rude American if you ignore them.
posted by aught at 12:19 PM on March 1, 2007 [1 favorite]

Just to add another data point, I found that even the French were fairly patient with me, as long as I at least attempted to start out in their language before they suggested we switch to English. If you can remember a handful of basic words/phrases -- hello, please, thank you, excuse me, 1-2-3, etc. -- then you really will be fine, even in France.
posted by somanyamys at 12:22 PM on March 1, 2007

This is my magic phrase for Paris; it's the only French I needed, pretty much.

Est-ce que vous comprenez l'anglais?

Eskay voo com-pruh-nay langlay?

which means 'do you understand English?' A little more upscale than 'Parley voo english?'

Almost everyone who may serve you in one way or another does. Just make the effort! It inspired me so much that I'm taking a French class this semester.
posted by DandyRandy at 12:24 PM on March 1, 2007

I'm in France right now. I spoke passable conversational French. Nothing technical. I'm working a 4 month internship in a French nuclear power plant. I brushed up before my trip, especially on issues of courtesy and politeness.

You should remember that Europe makes a bundle off of tourists, and many of them are honeymooners. They're used to this kind of thing. I have been travelling quite a bit so far. Switzerland, other cities in France, Italy, Germany. I can tell you that if you TRY to speak the local language (or a local language, like me speaking French in Germany) they'll pick up your English accent and switch to English if they can. But that effort is a pretty big deal.

If you make an effort and you're polite about it you won't have a problem.

Congratulations, and bon voyage!
posted by KevCed at 12:24 PM on March 1, 2007

The hotel is your friend in town. They will almost always speak English and help you find what you need and get you where you want to be. Even if you are not staying in a hotel you can use them. Lost? Walk into a hotel. Need a Taxi that won't rip you off? Get one at a hotel. Need a suggestion? Find a concierge.

I just want to say this is great advice.

You dont have to think of your travel as this strange foreign land where you will be completely on your own. Many countries, especially France and Spain have an infrastructure already there to cater to UK and American tourists. I'm not saying you should hang out in touristy places but you can alternate between the traveled roads (full of other tourists like you and restaurants with menus in multiple languages) and the more off-beat paths where you'll have to rely on goodwill and hand gestures.

Once there, you'll figure out what balance works for you.
posted by vacapinta at 12:25 PM on March 1, 2007

In my experience you'll get more respect from the locals by at least attempting to speak their language than if you start off with, "I don't speak French" or "do you speak English?" I swear i constantly see US tourists start their conversations with this sentence and it drives me MAD. These same people would go absolutely apeshit if someone came up to them in their city and said to them, "Hablas Espanol?"
posted by afx114 at 12:49 PM on March 1, 2007

Oh yeah, one other thing... it's really great to not mangle another language, but on the flip side don't pronounce stuff TOO well because people will assume you know more words than you do. I have that problem in German because I took it a million years ago so I'll use some pat phrases and suddenly I'll have a barrage of deutsch thrown at me that I have no clue how to respond to so then I'll freeze & totally panic & feel like an idiot.

Now I always start out by self-consciously saying (in german), "I'm sorry, I only speak a little German, but..." before I say anything just to avoid that scenario.
posted by miss lynnster at 12:51 PM on March 1, 2007

My boyfriend and I traveled to Sitges and Barcelona last year. We learned some rudimentary Catalan, mixed that with our grade school Spanish and winged it.

Most people were forgiving and amused by our language butchering act and almost everyone also spoke some English. The only time I remember someone being irritated was in a little, busy tapas/wine and deli shop in Barcelona. The owner of the place was annoyed with my halting, Catalan ordering and didn't mind letting me know. However, it was no different than how I've been treated in a New York deli at lunchtime!

Actually, most of our favorite memories of the trip center around the minor instances of miscommunication we experienced. (Ordering 8 plates of the same dish, having a pharmacist misdiagnose me with herpes, etc.) It's kind of freeing to feel so stupid. And laughing at yourself is never a bad thing, IMO.
posted by Kloryne at 12:57 PM on March 1, 2007

(Pardon the comma after "halting." Yes, I speak that way when I write, too.)
posted by Kloryne at 12:58 PM on March 1, 2007

Smiling and knowing at a minimum how to say hello, please, beer, yes, coffee, no, numbers up to two, thank you, where are the toilets and goodbye has kept me comfortable in every european country I've visited. Including Scotland.
posted by Dick Paris at 1:30 PM on March 1, 2007 [1 favorite]

My friends and I stumbled around in Tokyo with basically no grasp whatsoever of the language. We had a great time, and didn't have much trouble at all. You'd be amazed at what you can get across through body language and the like. I imagine in Europe people have a vague grasp of English as well. I think most people are gracious to guests, assuming you don't act like jerks.
posted by chunking express at 2:21 PM on March 1, 2007

The advice above is very good, but I wanted to mention a point of etiquette regarding France. When you enter a store in Paris, it is rude if you don't greet the proprietor or clerk (e.g., "Bonjour!"). You should also say goodbye when you leave, even if you don't buy anything.

I travelled to Paris for the first time last year with my girlfriend. She designated me the translator based on the fact that I took three years of French in high school, 20 years ago. I was nervous because Parisians (even more so than the non-Parisian French) used to have a reputation for being rude to people who didn't speak proper French. But we had a great time, and you will be surprised by how much of your rusty French and Spanish comes back to you.
posted by steadystate at 2:47 PM on March 1, 2007

Having traveled to a few European countries where I didn't speak the language, France included, good advice has been given.

In Paris, a small group of us wandered into a tiny jazz club. At some point, one of our members had gotten drunk and we needed to get a cab for him back to the hotel. A half glass of white wine had just about knocked me out as well, so I went back with him. A Spanish woman, living in Paris, who spoke English called a cab for us. She gave the guy the address.

Helpful people were all over during my trips.

I've also been to Spain, living there for a while, but since I speak the language, it was a different sort of experience.

I can say that all the major tourist locations will have maps and information in English. Restaurants in more central areas also have English versions of their menus. I've dined in Madrid restaurants with other Americans and we were offered the English menu. I declined, but my fellow students did use them.

Spain is where I've traveled most extensively, and even outside of Madrid, in places like Barcelona, you won't have much trouble. In some small towns, there might be a slight barrier, but that's where your old language skills and a lot of charm come in.

My Spanish kind of got us through a few spots in Italy as well. The lesson is that even a little bit of language skill can go a long way.

Reading phrasebooks will help you brush up, but as long as you're interested and make some effort, most people will be helpful. Sharing that it's your honeymoon will also likely win some people over. People love a celebration, and nobody parties like Spaniards, in my experience.

Enjoy your trip!
posted by cmgonzalez at 6:28 PM on March 1, 2007

WOW!! Thank you everyone that responded! All your answers were very encouraging and a lot of them were quite entertaining! Even if we don't get out there (to Europe) for our honeymoon, we've both been wanting to go there for so long that I know it would happen sooner or later.

My fiancee has been to France (10 years ago of course), but she had a lot of support because she went with her classmates, so someone could help pick up where someone else may have stumbled.

Anyway, its hard for me to pick the best answer here because all of them are so great and re-assuring! So all I can say is thanks again!! Gracias! Merci! etc. :)
posted by mrzer0 at 6:40 PM on March 1, 2007

I just wanted to add that, when I went to France, I found that people were actually exceedingly polite whenever I started off by speaking in French. They held open doors, pushed the open door for the Metro, helped me with my bag, gave me directions, etc. I think the key was that I always started off in French. In fact, aside from Vienna, I have never found people so helpful as in France. Go figure.
posted by acoutu at 7:41 PM on March 1, 2007

What everybody said, especially miss lynnster.

I travel heaps in countries where I don't know the language. In my experience, there is a very basic subset of words & phrases you can learn easily & which are centrally useful, eg numbers 1-10 (plus 20, 50, 100 etc - depends on the currency, mainly), hello, goodbye, "how much?", "where is?" etc. Any basic phrasebook will teach you these, and more.

*Learn the word for toilet*

Gestures & sign-language are fun!

Europanto is also an option.

And...I have never actually gotten around to buying myself a copy, but I have seen travellers occasionally with a little book full of pictures of things - chickens, bread, doctors, buses, toilets, beaches etc, and it blew me away with its obvious brilliance. There was an AskMe about it once, but that was before favourites were a feature here, and I have lost the bookmark.
posted by UbuRoivas at 9:16 PM on March 1, 2007

I actually bought one of those for my last holiday. I never used it one single time. Everybody is different but it was a waste of money for me, I had enough luck with sign language & the bits of various languages that I kinda know... so I kept forgetting I even had it. It just sat in my bag & eventually I gave it away to someone.
posted by miss lynnster at 11:09 PM on March 1, 2007

Here's another one.
posted by miss lynnster at 11:13 PM on March 1, 2007

Those books are probably more useful, in my opinion, if you are travelling in places where:

* the language is from a totally different language group to any language you know;

* the script is also unfamiliar; and

* the people don't tend to be particularly well educated.

In that sense, I think the only times I've found myself stuck in a situation where there was almost zero way of communicating what I needed was in Ethiopia, and perhaps less touristed towns in Laos & Cambodia.

France & Spain should be no problem.
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:28 PM on March 2, 2007