When visiting a country where you don't speak the language, what is the proper etiquette when interacting with people from the service industry (e.g. waiters, cashiers, hotel clerks, etc.)?
My experience in western Europe has mostly been that people speak English. It is the international language of tourism. This will be true in most major hotels and in places that specifically cater to tourists.Do not just go up to people and start speaking English. Ask first. It is polite. When they do not speak English, learn the phrase, "I am sorry. I do not speak ____." in the language. Be polite. Look kind. Use hand gestures, and write things down. Be patient. Be willing to accept mistakes. You're not going to be able to engage in much small talk and culturally, it will not be expected so, "My name is..." and "How are you?" might be nice to have to show broader interest, but they won't help much.In certain situations, it probably won't come up and you can get away without knowing any of the language. Bathroom signs are universal. (Though not always. I was at an Italian restaurant in Spain with the names in Italian and no symbols.) No smoking signs are pretty universal. You can go to McDonalds, Burger King and Starbucks and pretty much order the same way you would in English.It can be useful to develop a list of basic words that may come in handy. "bag" as in plastic shopping bag after you buy things? That word for me is right up there with the phrase, "Do you speak English?" Other handy words are coffee, tea, chicken, beef, pork, fish, salt, fork, napkin, water, bathroom, left, right, straight, "How much does it cost?", "I'm sorry/Pardon me" and "I don't understand." I print word lists of the major foods and tourist words, and put them with my travel documents to study while in transit. Very handy for passive recall, even if it doesn't help in active recall to actually speak them.Google translate does not solve your problems because Google translate is often wrong. It also slows communication down and should only be used in an emergency.How hard or easy is it to get by in Spain with speaking only English? is a more comprehensive answer specific to Spain.
Are French rude towards English speaking people?
I enjoyed reading Conley39's reply. Having dual French and US citizenship myself, I get questions and comments about alleged French rudeness all the time. As Conley39 pointed out, your approach to dealing with the locals will go a long way towards determining how pleasant or unpleasant those exchanges are. Don't get me wrong - I'm not suggesting that there aren't any rude people in France, or that it's inconceivable you could feasibly run into such people there. But this to me is a universal phenomenon, as opposed to something specific to France. As I was explaining to "Rye" - please refer to "question" http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;... to see what I'm talking about - the notions of what is polite versus rude are culturally informed, for starters. There's no universally agreed upon standard for this. In France, requesting anything - be it services, goods, or information - without so much as saying "Hello", "excuse me", or "please", and/or throwing in a "thank you" afterwards will generally make a very poor impression. People who behave that way WILL indeed have a tendency to encounter hostility in France (or elsewhere, for that matter). Ironically, these people then return whence they came with tales of "those obnoxiously rude people in France", never once considering the possibility that the root cause of the unpleasantness with which they were met could actually be something they're doing. Similarly, not addressing the locals in French or, failing that, at least saying "Excuse me, do you speak English?" rather than taking it for granted that they do will almost assuredly not go over well at all. You'd be amazed how many visitors to Paris not only start speaking in English immediately, but don't even think to at least speak a bit slower and enunciate more than if they were back home. Any attempt to speak French will, more often than not, be appreciated - even if your vocabulary in that language is limited to "Bonjour", "excusez-moi", "s'il vous plaît", "merci", etc. After all, consider the reverse scenario: how do you suppose it would go over for French tourists visiting the States or Britain to take it for granted that everyone there knows French and owes it to them to accommodate them in that language? Not very well, right? Should you ever travel to France, I predict that bearing these things in mind will ensure that the vast majority of your interactions with French people will be pleasant and worthwhile.
How to get non-english speaking mother in-law on and off flights??
My mother in law is only spanish-speaking and she has a cross country flight with 2 layovers in July that we need to get her on. We are flying from another city separately and will meet her at the final destination to help her find her luggage, etc. However, we are concerned with the need for her to find her way through the airport, check-in, get off the plane and find her connecting flight, etc. We are trying to call flights and ask if they have someone that can guide her around, or may even exaggerate that she has a disability to see if we can get the help necessary. Has anyone dealt with this before and can give me any tips?? Thanks!
English speaking Canadians: what do you think of French Canadians?
I'm sorry but the French Canadians give such a bad name to your people here in the states..they are rude and speak not a damn word of English and they break our machines with their coins (btw our signs are both in English and French so they have no excuse). Anyway....so do French Canadians piss off the rest of you as much as they do us?
If you know your friend only speaks English, is it rude to speak another language in front of him?
It would depend on the situation. Obviously, it would be rude if you babble away while you friend just stands there and not understand anything. Nor is it nice to comment on your friend to a 3rd person with your native language. However, it is efficient if you communicate to others in your native language to solve a problem. Most people with international travel experience don’t mind that one mind. Oh, and it would be nice if you let the other person knows what’s going on.
What accidentally rude things do Americans do while traveling even without realizing it?
Black Zimbabwean on receiving end here. Many years ago, just after getting married, new hubby & I flew from Harare (capital city) to Kariba (small touristy town 45 minutes away by air) for our honeymoon.On arrival at the little airport, we head for the courtesy shuttle. A group of mostly middle aged (& all white) American tourists have already taken up most of the seats when we step onto the bus. Some look a little startled, and one woman pipes up, “You can’t get on this bus. This is OUR bus”. We politely explain that no, it isn’t ‘your’ bus, it is actually meant for anyone booked at the local hotel. She argues; there are a few supportive mutterings from her compatriots, until the driver chimes in, and with a huge smile, confirms what we’ve just told her. I suspect he’s encountered this before.A few minutes later we are on our way, & we soon strike up a conversation with our nearest neighbours (the natives are friendly here ). A woman in the next seat interrupts and says, in baffled tones, “Your English is really good”, and her male companion adds, almost accusingly: “You sound educated!”I don’t remember feeling offended, just mildly taken aback and amused at the level of unconscious presumptuousness.EDIT: 18 May 2018. Thank you all for upvoting my little story. 12 572 and counting was entirely unexpected. For the record, please don’t feel the need to apologise on behalf of your race or countrymen. People are just people, and I’m fascinated by human beings. I swear I met little old ladies in England who were just like my grandmother who lived in deepest darkest Africa :-)) We are so much more alike than different, underneath all the culture, colour, education, accents etc etc.
Why do most Americans expect everyone to speak English to them while travelling overseas?
Well, I'm an American, and a proud American. the United states is the best country in the world. Here's my opinion on this topic: -I would never go to another country and expect them to know English. That is arrogant and rude. -On the other hand, I do expect people IN America to know English. Nobody should be accepted into the United states unless they know how to speak English. I mean, I would never go to Italy or something without knowing how to speak Italian.