Travel resolutions: Learn some lingo (No. 6)

(Editor’s note: Just as we could all lose a little weight, spend less money or give up smoking, there are things that we as travelers could be doing better. Here’s the fifth of our 10 Travel Resolutions for 2013. Everything on the list requires almost no effort, but will make you a better traveler. — Spud Hilton, editor)

If someone approached you in your home town and began speaking Mandarin — and seemed very put off by the fact you didn’t understand — how would you react? What if that person a few words of English, enough for a polite greeting and to ask for directions? That would be better, right?

So why is it so few Americans (and British, apparently) bother to learn even a few phrases of the local lingo when they go abroad?

Language, like food, art or music, is part of the local culture. If you can’t be bothered to learn even a simple greeting, that can easily be seen as disrespect for the culture. And rightly so. It really is the thought that counts, and a little effort can open doors in a foreign country.

If I’m bound for a country with a foreign primary language, I try to learn seven words or phrases that: a) cover basic interactions; and b) show that you made an effort. The list, which includes hello, goodbye, please, thank you (for the complete list of “Seven Essential Phrases,” see the video below), wouldn’t take much more to learn than looking them up online and reciting them a couple times a day for a week. Hardly a lot of effort.

(Unfortunately, I tried — and failed — to learn the essential phrases in both Japanese and Mandarin with limited time before a trip. In both places, I was stuck more than once because no one spoke English. Whose fault was that? Mine of course.)

Make all the claims you want that English should be the universal language and that everyone in other countries should learn some of it but, frankly, that’s exactly the attitude that: a) makes much of the world hate Westerners and; b) makes people in other lands go out of their way to NOT speak English.

Here’s a past 60-Second Travel Tip that covers the seven phrases you ought to know when traveling somewhere with a foreign language.

Travel Resolutions for 2013
No. 10: Treat workers better
No. 9: Eat something scary
No. 8: If you share, you tip
No. 7: Write it down
No. 5:
No. 4:
No. 3:
No. 2:
No. 1:

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Categories: Language, Tips
Spud Hilton