Unreasonable anxiety about travel/ language

[Catcatcatkitty]

I’m really bad at other languages and it puts me off going on holiday to non-English speaking places. I’ve been to France and Spain as a child, but my parents dealt with any conversation.

I get twitchy about needing to communicate with people in a different language, and I don’t understand how people go abroad without knowing the language properly.

Am I just overthinking?

DH and I went to Thailand, stayed at a home stay, not a word of English spoken by anyone in the village (apart from our hosts), so when we were out in the village alone, no communication.

It was fine, we managed!

You'll be fine OP.

Where are you going? I always learn the basics- hello, thank you etc. Pointing to something, smiling, and even just being able to say thank you goes a long way. Language apps on phones help nowadays too.

You're massively overthinking.

I'm pretty good at languages and I generally make an effort, but tons of people get by with no words at all. Most tourist destinations will have plenty of English speakers these days in any case.

Do what most other Brits do, and assume that people in foreign countries all speak English. Tbf a lot do. Many more, in percentage terms, than British people able to converse in, say, French, Spanish or German.
Often, even if you use the smattering of the language you’ve
been nervously practising, they’ll twig straight away and reply in English!
As a backup, take a phrase book and you can always point to something appropriate if you’re desperate! Enjoy your travels, op.

I’m the same. I think it helps to try and learn a few phrases to show willing. And the rest you just have to try to let go of your inhibitions - easier said than done, I know, I really struggle with it!
Life’s too short to miss out on experiences and what’s the worst that can happen, someone doesn’t understand or ignores you?

If it’s somewhere you have roaming internet there’s always google translate

I’m the same OP, absolutely terrible at languages, it’s been pointed out to me I can barely speak English, usually by non English people 🤔 Anyway, I’ve done lots of travelling, I think if you try most locals appreciate it, I know in Thailand they thought my attempts were amusing. Otherwise I try and stick to travelling in countries I know English is widely spoken or I’ve done group tours with local guides if travelling alone. Last couple of trips (France & Spain) was with people who were able to speak French & Spanish so I was ok.

When doing GCSEs French my French teacher burst out laughing during my verbal exam and said “I love you Luna, but it dosnt matter how good your French accent is if your speaking English” She was my favourite teacher 😆

In Greece, I once did hand singles for a non smoking alternative" to a pharmacist who spoke no english. I got a vape (years ago) when vaping was new.

I also did " what the he'll are you doing" to a female nurse who was trying to fit a cathetica. She signalled back what she was doing.
don't worry, you'll be fine. A smile goes a long way a long with hand signals

Learn a few basic words and phrases - please, thank you, yes, no, hello, goodbye, numbers up to ten, "two beers and the gentleman will pay" - and then trust to luck, sign language, everyone speaks a bit of English, or Google translate.

I have tried boning up on DuoLingo several tines but I am not very good at languages do it mostly drains out of my head when the moment comes.

Why don't you download a 'Google translate' app and download the language you want. I've been to a few places , where no English was spoken, and I just showed people my phone screen and they could type back. Worked well.

Yes I think you’re way overthinking it. I actually do speak a couple of foreign languages but rarely get to use them as foreigners often want to practice their English. That includes when we’ve travelled to really “off the beaten track” type places without much British tourism! If you’re wanting to visit Western Europe, just chill, you’ll be fine.

It's admirable that you feel the need to communicate in the language of the destination. Most Brits arrogantly assume that everyone speaks English and just loudly bray their way through interactions in other countries in English (and get shirty and irritable with people who don't understand them).

The reality is, though, that in most countries their assumption is correct. There are very few countries in Europe where most people don't speak some English and in many cases they speak it better than we do.

I'd avoid France and Germany, in France in particular they are often (understandably) unwilling to play ball with the British attitude and they can be a bit chippy about it.

Most of Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, most of Eastern Europe people will bend over backwards to meet you half way and will usually speak pitch perfect English.

It does to the OP and it would to me.

I can understand your fears.

What can help is knowing that you're not the only tourist who doesn't speak the local language.

I've not yet found an airport where signs are not either in English or very clear pictograms.

If you go on a package type holiday from a UK company, everyone you meet from the airport to the hotel will speak some English.

You can help yourself by learning a couple of key words for the local language. Hello, goodbye, please, thank you, water and toilet are enough to make your immediate needs known / follow local signs.

That's ridiculous. Only a half-wit would think or talk like that.

The OP's apprehension about languages can be a positive thing - it could get her using a service like Verbling or similar to get some coaching in the language of where she wants to go.

Just as an example, besides English I speak two further langauges to a very good level, and I have happily vacationed in all sorts of varied and lovely places using these two languages. I speak a fourth language very badly, but have no desire to travel back to that country. I am now taking online lessons in a fifth language that again I speak very badly, having left it dormant since the age of 12 with a very rudimentary and childish vocabulary. Having a better grasp of Turkish won't be necessary for me to enjoy my summer holiday, but I felt I wanted to do it. It creates a connection with the people that is enriching for everyone concerned.

@shockthemonkey I'm 'learning' Turkish at the moment. I'm learning it in that I'm binge watching Magnificent Century and have picked up quite a bit from that.

Sadly I think knowing how to properly address the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and his family isn't going to be of much use ...

I try to learn a few basic words, please, thanks, yes, no, hello and two beers please. That's usually all you need if you are somewhere fairly touristy. We couldn't even manage that in Budapest though, Hungarian is an impossible language! But our pathetic attempts made the locals laugh, so that was fine too.

Mullions of people each day/week/month/year to countries where they don't speak the language as u have done

People just do it, I don't want to say you're overthinking but surely you must realise it is perfectly normal same as people in the UK, America NZ etc manage when they come from non English speaking countries

People adapt

One thing I've noticed is that for many nations, English is a go to - hence when in Austria, the Norwegians spoke English with the Austrians. I am often surprised how many people do speak English. I speak some poor French and make an effort in France and parts of Canada but I am often answered in English.

😁thanks for the tip about Magnificent Century. I was binge-watching Fatma for a while but began to find it very depressing. Also those guys speak so fast!

Bet you got a lot of "efendi" in Magnificent Century?

@shockthemonkey it's really easy watching. The subtitles are quite hit and miss sometimes. Occasionally they just disappear for a scene or two.

Yep, lots of efendi, shezade, sultana etc. but I do know the words for love, never, lion, look, death etc from this

Cool! So now you know where the name for the lion came from in "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe"!

I'm hoping not to need to know "death" in Turkish of course - though I know "ill" and "hospital". As an animal lover I have a good clutch of words from the natural world.

As an aside, I love collecting awkward translations. In France I've seen two poodle parlours carefully named to attract anglophiles. One was "Dog Toilet" and the other was "Doggy Style".

Similarly, in the corner of Turkey I'm going to there's a restaurant named "Kebab Hospital", which I love. Someone has quite understandably confused "hospital" with the idea of "hospitality".

That was honestly my first through when I heard suleyman's mother call him a lion lol.

I do voluntary work in London in an area where a large proportion of the residents speak little or no English. It's not as if they all speak the same foreign language that I could learn a few words of - there are dozens of languages. So I have perfected a mine/hand signals for 'we want to neuter your cat for free' and I'm generally understood 😁