A thought crossed my mind after reading so many of the postings that indicate the trepidation Americans feel in dealing with foreign languages. I got to thinking about the poor European who has to deal with English, either British English or American. Nobody on the forum speaks up for him. Think of the poor bellboy faced with a question about the location of the elevator/lift, or the auto mechanic coping with the whereabouts of an auto's hood/bonnet, or any European faced with the word "get" which might mean receive, although we "get on a bus", "get over a cold", "get a move on", "get cracking", "get on in years", "get off a train" and occasionally "get real!". I think we should be somewhat more empathetic to the befuddled Frenchman, rather than simply bellowing more loudly in hope that our increased volume will magically translate our words into French. The poor fellow has enough to cope with in deciding whether to use "vous" or "tu".

I am always amazed when folks complain that they are not received well in Europe (in their shorts and sneakers). This is particularly interesting in discussions of Paris. Many people assume that "everyone" knows English, yet make loud, critical, comments everywhere they go in English as if no one understands a word. At a cafe one day, a couple in shorts and color block nylon windbreakers (and the rest of the "tourist" attire and accessories) plopped themselves down at a table near us in a cafe and the woman loudly declared, "Well, you know Buck, they'll probably just ignore us like the last place!". Sure enough... Then, there was the woman who announced in Place de la Concorde that Paris (the most visited place on the planet) would "have a lot more visitors if the signs were in English". Over on the AOL travel boards, everyone wants to know if they need to know any German, Italian, Spanish or whatever, presumably hoping to be advised that this is completely unnecessary. It's astonishing that so many people land in Europe (last minute cheap airfares, perhaps?) without having read a single tour guide, haven't looked at a map (much less brought one with them), and stand on street corners or demand in restaurants and at the front desk of the hotel, "What's good?", "How do you get there?", "What's it cost?" In our travels overseas, we have found the natives to be most friendly and helpful. Sadly, there is not the same welcome stateside for foreign visitors. At any rate, I don't know what you mean by "trepidation in dealing with foreign languages". The same Americans who expect everyone in Europe to be helpful and friendly can't be bothered with "foreigners". One can only wonder how anyone would plan a trip abroad without doing a bit of advance study of the history, social customs, sights and attractions, and the lay of the land. The resources are incredibly enormous. There are a zillion wonderful tour guides of every type imaginable, fabulous maps, comprehensive "phrase books" with phonetic pronunciations. If anyone wants to familiarize themselves with the local language, there are marvelous cassette tapes (you can learn a lot popping them in on your ride to work) and CD Rom programs which even assess your pronunciation. Anyone who's been anywhere knows it's the effort that counts (not to mention how one presents oneself) no matter where you go. Unfortunately, many Americans view a trip overseas as being "on vacation". They dress and expect to be accomodated accordingly, as though it were a resort (but cheap). This reminds me of the "tourist vs. traveler" inquiry a while back. I didn't respond then, but would say that a tourist is "on vacation" whereas a traveler has done his/her research and planning (and learned enough of the local language to get by) for an enriching experience. My husband and I spent two weeks in Eastern Switzerland. Tough to even study German, since they have their own version of it there. But, we had listened to tapes for weeks and brought our trusty phrase book. No one understood a word we said, but immediately sought someone who could communicate in English for us. At one restaurant in the countryside, this was the busboy who was a college student. In an Italian restaurant, our waiter went through the entire place in search of someone who could interpret the menu for us (we had not realized that we had wandered into the "Italian" area). But, I digress. To anyone who "feels trepidation" in "dealing with foreign languages", I would ask how helpful or accomodating they could/would be to a foreigner in their home town... Chances are, they'd be completely annoyed and totally ignore them. How RUDE! I find it just so curious that good ole Rick Steves, who has been wandering all over Europe for many years and writing best-selling guide books and whose outdated (and disjointed) excursions are run over and over again on PBS stations, speaks English everywhere he goes - to the obvious consternation of the locals. "When in Rome live as the Romans. When elsewhere live as they live elsewhere." (St Augustin)

Although I spend a lot of time trying to learn other languages, I still often end up speaking English with Europeans. Some of the things I've learned when speaking to someone for whom English is a second (or third or fourth) language: <BR>-- Never assume that someone who apparently speaks English easily also understands it easily. You will find, if you study another language, that you will be able to rattle off pat phrases almost like a native long before you can understand much. <BR>-- Make a conscious effort to speak slowly and clearly. If you sound like a language tape, that's okay. Your listener may have learned English from a language tape. <BR>-- Watch people's body language. Make eye contact. If you see that glazed look, they're not understanding you. Repeat your statement more slowly and in simpler words. <BR>-- Don't add extraneous words to be polite. "More water please," is infinitely kinder than a paragraph starting, "I know you're terribly busy, but we're really parched from walking all over this beautiful city of yours, so if you wouldn't mind...." <BR>-- Use gestures. As you say, "more water, please," hold up the empty carafe. <BR>-- Sometimes it's better to simplify the situation than to explain it. If you want another cup of coffee, and the waitress thinks you want the bill, go ahead and pay the bill, *then* order another cup of coffee. <BR>-- Go easy with humor (unless you're a brilliant mime.) It's the hardest thing to learn in a foreign language. <BR>-- Avoid slang. <BR>-- Never raise your voice when you aren't understood. If you are speaking slowly and clearly and your listener is still looking blank, you are using a word which is not in his vocabulary. Rephrase what you are saying. <BR>-- Carry a dual-language dictionary, even if you don't know the other language. Look up the word you want in English, point to it, and let your listener read the translation. <BR>-- If anyone apologizes for poor English, the correct response is, "Oh, but you speak English so much better than I speak your language." <BR>-- Try to learn the language of the country you'll be visiting. Nothing, but nothing, teaches you more about what it feels like to communicate in a language which is not your own. <BR>

I noticed that in Donna's long stream of consciousness post here she ends it by mentioning Rick Steves. I'd like to comment on her mentioning how Steves <BR>"speaks English everywhere he goes - to the obvious consternation of the locals." I have seen 6 or 7 video tapes of Steves PBS program that friends have shown me <BR>and actually RS occasionally does say a word in French/German/Spanish or whatever. I just love those moments! I wait for them on each tape with bated breath as they are always so humorous. He just *slaughters* any word in a foreign language. Sometimes I have laughed so hard hearing him pronounce one on film to a native that my jaws ache. It's just precious. <BR>And he says these words with that clueless, wide-open Nebraska farmboy face so lacking in any embarrassment or facade that I can't help by like him anyway.

So, how do you say "inane, pretentious pedagogics" in French? <BR>

I couldn't agree more with most of the comments here. However, I think Rick Steves may not be quite the same as what is portrayed on tv. I don't know, since I have never met him. My own impression is that he does butcher the prononciations, but it is somewhat on purpose, or at least he doesn't try to say the words with just the right accent. He knows that most of his viewers have trouble with foreign languages, and he wants to encourage them to learn a few basic phrases without intimidating them and making them afraid of travelling in Europe. I have actually heard him say once that during the given broadcast he would use Americanized words for places and things. Just an opinion. It would be interesting to see how he communicates when he is not in front of the camera.

Having been to a recent Rick Steves travel lecture (and watching many hours on PBS), I think his real theory about speaking a foreign language is to try to at least learn "key" words so that you can communicate, but not to let "not knowing a language" stop you from traveling.

MarthaB's suggestions are right on target. Whether speaking English to a non-native English speaker or speaking their language to them, I find if I speak slowly, clearly, avoid slang and contractions, I'm usually understood (at least rudimentarily). As for facial and hand gestures, how very true that it makes things easier (I hate communicating in French on the telephone for that very reason). <BR>As for English being just a bear to comprehend, it's partially because English has more words in it than any other language (last count it was something like 650,000 vs the next closest language with 300,000. If anyone has more accurate numbers, jump in) so we apparently have duplicates (sedan? coupe? auto? automobile? car? hardtop? and let's not forget that most beloved of institutions "department of *motor vehicles*" Geez, no wonder English makes people scratch their heads in amazement!) <BR>And here's a question: does anyone know of a language where the present tense has two versions as in "I go" and "I am going"...French sure doesn't. Once again, trying to translate 'intent' is a brain-fryer. <BR>One of my favorite books is A French Widow in Every Room, which is a compilation of fractured English found in brochures, menus, and various signs throughout the world. I'd love to know if there are comparable books in other countries showing OUR fracturing of THEIR language......

This is somewhat related to the subject. I just finished reading Bill Bryson's "Mother Tongue", and it discusses how the english language developed and why it has so many inconsistencies in spelling, pronounciation, and grammar. The book also talks about how we inherited so many words from other languages.

I have long known I was "semi-lingual." I've had many friends from other countries, and love to sit and talk with them just to improve their confidence in speaking our very difficult American/English. You must be extremely patient and helpful rather than patronizing. In turn, I've found myself picking up many foreign expressions and that while conversing they, in turn find their way into our conversation. Of course they patiently help ME with pronuciation. I studied French in school, and can very carefully craft scripts in my head of what I want to say. That doesn't necessarily mean I'll understand a rapid response! My daughter studied German from 6th grade through 11th, and is minoring in Spanish at college (with a boost from a month in Costa Rica this summer.) She's quite nearly fluent in Spanish already -- this should improve her accent and everyday conversational ability. It is a tremendous advantage in the business world to be bilingual, and I strongly recommend language study to anyone. No longer is it "just nice" to speak another language. We are living a global ecomomy, and many businesses are multi-national.

Oh -- my South American friends dubbed me "semi-lingual" because I both understand and speak broken English very well!