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It is only words

Written by Mr. Travel Guides    Monday, 13 October 2008

It's only words "Grazie mille," I said as the owner of the small trattorie placed a sandwich and glass of vino before me. The small caf? was crowded with Romans digging into plates of pasta, quaffing cappuccino, and jockeying for places at the crowded bar. A few words in the language of a host country can save time, money, and aggravation. A few phrases can clear up misunderstandings. "Prego," he answered then took the time to give me directions to the Pza Fontante di Trevi. Later I watched him turn surly and slam plates before two tourists. They'd ordered insistently in English, pointing and gesturing when he did not comprehend. One of them had spoken in hostile tones. He did not check back with them during the meal. Later, jet lagged and confused, I was lost in Athens. The streets were getting dark. "Signo'mi," I said using the Greek words for "Excuse me." An elderly man stopped. "Pu' i 'ne (Where is)" I said, holding out a matchbook from my hotel with the address emblazoned across it. My accent announced my limitations with the language. He smiled like a model for a travel brochure and pointed me on my way. "Konda (near)," he indicated a street, "aristera' (left)." "Efharsito (thank you)," I answered. In Paris I prefer kir to le vin blanc. At Caf? Chagall in Jerusalem I ask for cos yayin, bevacashah. Although most visitors to Germany opt for das bier, I prefer der wein. Am I a multi-lingual nomad? Hardly. I am an occasional traveler who saves a few francs, shekels, and guilders by getting off the tourist circuit. I dine with the locals. I get lost. I often need toothpaste or tampons -- everyday items that are less expensive because I skip the hotel gift shop and get out into the streets. Souvenir shopping from Barcelona to Jerusalem, I've witnessed rapidly falling prices as soon as I speak a few phrases in the local language. I don't pay exorbitant prices. I stay in small unguidebooked hotels. If I need information for an article I find people eager to assist me. I don't depend on expensive hotel operators to place international calls. When it's time to "rely on the kindness of strangers," I'm in great shape. Why? Well, it's only words: a few words in the language of a host country can save time, money, and aggravation. A few phrases can clear up misunderstandings, put you on the right course if you're lost, and get you the right transportation to an archeological dig, romantic caf?, or special boutique. If your travels are business based, courtesy phrases in the local language convey respect. Respect is a priceless commodity. Greeting businesspeople in their own language, even if you deal in English, says that you give attention to detail and are aware of the big picture. In the global market place sensitivity to cultural territory is essential. Ugly Americans finish last. Polite Americans become honored guests. A traveler can be a guest in another culture or forever a "stranger in a strange land." To become a guest requires common courtesy, a bit of in-Rome-do-and-speak-as-the-Romans-do. How can you do this without an immersion program, an extra year at university, or an expensive course? For travel communication you learn a few words of the local language. Instead of memorizing a textbook's worth of conjugations, tackle basic phrases. You can master simple greetings, please, thank you and excuse me in most languages quickly. Think of the foreign phrases that have slipped across our borders via film, TV, fad, and influxes of immigrants. You already know more than you think you do. You probably can say thank you in French or Spanish, good-bye in Italian, and hello in quite a few languages. Don't worry about tenses or masculine versus feminine. You can amuse your hosts with your mistakes. Courtesy requires making the effort, not perfection. Do buy a phrase book. Don't expect to memorize it. Make separate copies of the "courtesy phrases" and the question words: "where is" and "how much" are the most important phrases. You can get around the globe with "where is" followed by pointing at a location on a map. Although "how much" followed by "please" is not scintillating conversation, it takes care of simple commerce. Carry your phrase book and a pen plus notepaper with you. If your accent is indecipherable, you can write down your questions. Using your phrase book you can translate responses. Do not assume that you can always find someone who speaks English. Hearing the correct pronunciation is important. Go to http://web.archive.org/web/20000302080221/http://www.travlang.com/; you'll find audio guides to seventy languages. Check your local community resources for an International House, a not-for-profit agency that hosts conversation hours in many languages. Skip the seven cassette language packages and purchase a vocabulary tape with a few phrases. If your hometown has a restaurant specializing in the cuisine of a country you plan to visit, check to see if it is run by ex-pats. If you are headed for Jordan eat lunch at your local falafel stand often, ask the owner to help you with a few words. When you are visiting another country never underestimate the helpfulness of a waiter. Whether it's kindness or the pursuit of a tip, most food servers will gladly give impromptu pronunciation lessons when it's obvious you're trying to grasp some of the lingo with your lunch.

Last Updated ( Monday, 13 October 2008 )