How Well Do You Speak a Foreign Language?
At school you’re normally taught another language to a pretty good level, in year 7 I did OK with both French and German (well as OK as someone who’s dyslexic can). Then I changed schools, I had, had a year learning French and German, the school I moved to only taught French in year 7, not adding German into the curriculum until year 8. This, of course, left me behind in French and ahead in German, both situations had their disadvantages.
My French teacher felt no need to try and bring me up to speed, I was meant to just suddenly understand the ins and outs of the areas of a language I hadn’t been taught. While my German teacher thought it was great I knew things already and had me standing at the front of the class way too often. Which, when you’re already being teased about the way you speak (honestly who knew there was such an issue about the way you say bath, dance, duck and spell Mum) and how you dress, being called up to the front of the class only makes it worse.
Of course, then I was admitted to hospital and while we had a lady come in once a week for an hour to help with German I had more or less given up on it.
All of this messing around with language learning has in some ways left me a little nervous about going to foreign (non-English speaking) countries. Taking up a new language, whether it’s the rhythmic beats of Spanish, the lyrical flow of Italian, or diving into the dynamic world of Korean tutoring online, transforms more than just your travel diaries. It’s a journey that not only broadens your horizons but also unlocks doors to global professional and social networks, enriching your understanding of the world’s vibrant cultures and fostering connections across continents.
However, of course, you cannot let your fears hold you back and sometimes you just have to grab the bull by the horns and hope for the best, such as when I spent 24 hours in Paris and of course, everyone has their moments and there are many times when things get lost in translation.
Holiday Autos, in fact, took to the streets to find out just the silly things some people have said, by accident.
Also, it is interesting to know that I am not alone in not knowing much about foreign languages, for instance, the average Brit heading to Spain knows just 8 words of Spanish. While, overall the most common known words are; hello, yes and goodbye, followed by thanks, no and good morning.
Over 1500 people were polled and 23% of people said they didn’t bother to learn any of the native languages as they only visit popular resorts.
Of course, things do go wrong, and when they do hilarity can ensue, for instance, 1 man asked for an egg on his pancake and was given one, but it was raw, while another gentleman got a surprise when he asked for jam to go with his croissant and got a condom.
The thing to remember most of all however is, holidays are meant to be fun and if you do ask for something and get it wrong, just smile about it. You aren’t alone and in fact, the person you are speaking to may even have been in the same situation. Do not let your anxiety of other languages put you off exploring the world, as somehow, you will get by.
Have you ever ended up in a sticky situation due to a language barrier?
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I’m trying very hard to learn iltalian, this makes for a great read thank you
I speak two natively and learned a third. It actually helped me get out of a tricky situation while traveling.
Wow that is amazing! Which ones can you speak?
Not well at all! I took Spanish in middle school for two or three years but that was about it. I can understand basics but nothing more and not enough to carry on a conversation or read/write in Spanish.
English is my second language and I think I’m doing alright with it. I also studied German in school, but I haven’t used it since then, so I forgot most of it. I tried studying Portuguese on my own a couple of year ago, simply because I love the sound of it. I wish I get enough time one day to continue with it ;))
I wouldn’t have known it was your second language to be honest with you.
I think learning a language can be easy no matter how old you are. All you really need is a lot of time, dedication, and the right resources. I speak Spanish, English, and have been learning Mandarin. I hope to add French to my list of languages as well.
Oh wow go you – good luck with you Mandarin and French!
I’ve been trying to learn German since I’m heading to Berlin in a few weeks- I’ve been using Duolingo! It’s amazing!
I find that all the snippets of languages I have learnt over the years get lost as I dont use them enough. I am lazy too!!!
I did French at school and am still quite good at it now… Y’know with basic conversation. Whenever I go to France, I’m always left in charge of the ‘talking to people’ bit! I’d love to get better at it though.
I think I’d learn Mandarin. I did it at school, but didn’t take it any further.
I took French in Junior high school and on paper I was brilliant, always was getting As in the subject. When it came to speaking it, I was useless lol. I am not keen on learning any new language. I live in a foreign country with 11 official languages and I have vowed to use English as a medium of communication and often it doesn’t go well with the locals.
I would love to speak another language fluently, but find I can only pick up the language when I’m in the country. And then by the time I come home I’ve forgotten everything that I’ve learnt.
I took Spanish all throughout school and I still suck at it! LOL. But I want to learn Italian in preparation for a trip I’m planning.
Interesting chat! I studied Latin and Ancient Greek at school and it does give me the upper hand when learning other languages and et I have only ever bothered to learn the bare minimum to get by! Wish I had the drive to learn more x
Sadly, I was only taught French at school, and for the last 2 years the teacher decided we weren’t worth bothering with, so didn’t teach us! I’ve never had a problem abroad, but it’s quite difficult in my home town now due to the amount of Eastern Europeans.
I used to speak Spanish fairly well when I was young, but I stopped using it all the time, so I forgot most of it.
I know a few words in a few different languages but definitely not enough to hold a conversation. I always wish I’d tried harder with languages at school.
It would be amazing to be able to hold a conversation and converse with locals wouldn’t it.
I would love to french and spanish just too lazy to start. I might get on it this year.
Aww good luck if you do decide to give it a try 🙂 x
These are great example of what can happen if you don’t learn the language of a place you are visiting. I love the one with the guy wanting jelly and got a condom. Thanks for sharing these examples of what could go wrong when you don’t know the native language for the place you are visiting.
I know poor guy! I wonder what the person thought hen he asked for it.
Learning a foreign language is surely an awesome experience. It would really be easier if you start learning as a child. There’s plenty of time to learn. Since it’s foreign, there will be hard times for sure. We just need to keep going and continue to practice. I will talk to my kids about learning a foreign language soon.
I think it is definitely a lot easier to do when you are a child. I think it is a shame I never managed to fully learn, perhaps one day I will have another go.
You have made me feel so much better about visiting another place where I can’t necessarily speak the language! I use to learn spanish and found it very easy to learn but learning languages has never been a priority for me however I would love to know more languages and be able to communicate well!
Aw so glad I have helped, I am sure so many people have said silly things and I guess at least your likely never to see the person you say it to again 😉
It’s amazing how kids learn a language so easily… I’m teaching my kids French (that’s where I was born so it’s important they know it!) but it has to be consistent otherwise you lose it so quickly! The best way to learn it to live in the country for a little while.
Aw good luck teaching them, it is such a shame we forget that way of learning languages.
I cant speak any other language! Im a bit ashamed. Haha. I took German GCSE, and passed, but it kind of disappeared from my head since then! Luckily it’s never caused me to struggle communicating with others, yet.
I think if your not using it, it gets filled over with other things you do need to remember.
Ha ha – this is my talent in life, picking up languages! I can speak English, French, Russian, German, and Japanese. Getting lost in translation can be an issue sometimes, but it’s a shame that more of us don’t just give it a shot and go for it when we’re overseas!
Oh wow that is amazing! What a talent to have, I am very jealous of you.
during high school, i had the mind frame of french isn’t going to be useful for me but boy was i wrong! having some knowledge is always good. i even learnt spanish in my own time a few years ago and it helped me a lot whenever i was in spain
I totally agree with you, I think in school a lot of the time you do wonder how on earth what you are learning will ever fit into everyday life.
I studied Spanish in school at GCSE level and A level. But where I haven’t practised it, I’ve forgotten so much of it unfortunately 🙁
It is amazing how quickly if you don’t use something it falls away.
I studied German at degree level, and studied law in Germany so I was pretty fluent. Haven’t used it since I moved back. We go to the Christmas markets, so I use it then, but I speak it with a Yorkshire accent (am from Yorkshire, so not massively weird) 😀
Oh wow it sounds like you were really immersed in it!
It’s wonderful to learn more than one language. Studies show that it enhances your brain function.
I can speak some French, but love learning languages…I must make more effort to make time to do so 🙂 x
I know a few languages but not fluent enough to speak. My son and husband on the other hand, can speak four. It’s amazing to hear them.
Oh wow that is amazing of them! I wish I could do something like that.
I barely remember my gcse French, but my children love to learn new languages
My dad’s Italian, I was born and raised in France and moved to the UK at 19 so I’m lucky enough to speak three languages, which does help when travelling. I’m going to Korea soon and I have no idea how to speak the language though. I do think learning a few phrases and keywords to show respect is a great way to not come off as rude and entitled when travelling though.
– Elodie x
I never used to think that not being able to speak another language was hard as I’ve always been able to get by. Then I found out I have a dairy intolerance– thats so hard to explain when you’re talking to someone who speaks another language! xxx
I was taught french in school.I was somehow good then but now,I’ve forgotten almost everything.I find it easier to learn how to write foreign languages than to speak.
I don’t speak any other languages. I do have grade 1 German, but i’ve more or less forgetten it because i’ve never used my German since learning it
China is a country I visited and we all tried to learn a few phrases like hello and thank you. Other than that it was hilarious encounters since most people do not speak english. We only got around because we could read japanese and the characters are the same. I wouldnt say we ended up in a sticky situation but we ordered what we thought was chicken because the symbols are the same in both languages and what came to us did not look chicken. We couldnt ask because we didnt speak the language so we ate it anyway because we were starving.
I learnt French and German at school but don’t remember them now. I have said that I would like to learn French again in the next year
I learn the basics like the greetings, please and thank you, goodbye, those little things help when you’re in a country like France or Japan. I think it’s important that you do even if you’re going to the place just once in your entire life.
I think it’s important that we learn a few of the words especially if we’re traveling to a country that doesn’t speak English. This is really something to think about.
I wish I could speak a foreign language! I need to make more of an effort to learn when I travel.
I’m so sorry that your teachers weren’t great at teaching languages – it can be so frustrating when you are so willing to learn
It’s hard isn’t it when you don’t click with your teachers.
I love learning words in new languages. I’m so sorry your teachers weren’t better x
I one day want to try and learn a bit, I’m sure I wouldn’t master another now (English gives me enough trouble sometimes) but a little I could do I’m sure.
Such a lovely post.
i grew up with 2 languages – polish and german.
But I still have Problems with other ones, I am too shy to “try it” and speak out loud 😀
Aww I am sure you would do amazingly, go on and give it a try with someone you feel comfortable with some time.
I took both Spanish and French in high school and am shamefully terrible at both. I would love to actually really learn another language!
I can’t remember much of what I learnt at all now.
French Spanish and Latin
I understand quite a lot of written but find the dialects hard to understand rather like ENGLISH
I have to admit I am awful with accents, especially if I am speaking to someone on the phone.
I know two languages, English being the second. I would love to be fluent with Spanish so that I can speak to people when we visit those countries that only speak Spanish.
Aw maybe one day you will be fluent in it and enjoy those conversations.
I have not ended up in a sticky situation. I’m glad of that but I also have never learned another language. Always wanted to but have not taken the time to do it yet.
It is most definitely something that takes a lot of time, perhaps we will both manage it one day.
I used to speak Latin very fluently, which was pretty much useless then. I’ve lost most of it – but I encourage my daughters to take Spanish!
I think Spanish would have been a fun one to take, I actually think my second, secondary school offered Spanish, or they did at one point.
I know a few words in Spanish, but that’s about it. I wish I had learned several foreign languages when I was growing up. I know it’s never too late to learn, but it seems to come more natural to children when they are taught at a young age.
I think I have to agree, it does seem to come easier when you are younger.