What We Got Here...Is Failure to Communicate

I'm always amazed at people who visit another country and don't even try to speak the language. Of course here in this country we always have a debate about making English the official language. People on one side of the political spectrum think if you're here you ought to speak the language. People on the other go overboard and print every official document--at huge tax payer expense--in a spectrum of languages. I'm kind of in the middle. There is no question that people who can speak the language of whatever country they are in will do better in many ways. Therefore, people should try to learn the language as a matter of self preservation. However, I think in the spirit of decency, we shouldn't be too strident about refusing to communicate just because somebody comes from somewhere else and hasn't gotten the language just yet. People that I know who push the official language as English are often the first to get pissed when they go somewhere on a vacation and the people don't speak enough English. And these are many times the first people to hate the French because they don't kiss our asses to speak English--even when they might know it. There is a solution, learn some language.

Without some rudimentary language skills you will be doomed to being a tourist who looks at the people, much as a visitor in the zoo, and your travel experience will probably be limited to collecting sites. Yet, learn a little language and you can now become a part of the place you are visiting and maybe strike up an interesting conversation.

I will admit, Portuguese threw me a high and tight fastball. Looking at it on a page I was okay. But the second the people in Portugal spoke, I was hopelessly lost. Yet in Spain I was only lost for a day or two and it all started to click. I visited museums, churches, old forts, and ancient religious sites called dolmans, all in Spanish. Because my ex-wife and I at least tried, the Spanish people tried too and somewhere in between we actually had a terrific experience. In short, put out a little effort and you can improve your vacation to a real travel experience as compared to a tourist skimming of cheesy, and overly visited places you could have seen in a ViewMaster.

I am planning on Italy next fall and last year started trying to learn enough of the language to have a decent conversation with real Italians. I couldn't afford Rosetta Stone--half the price of an airline ticket--so I tried to DIY the whole thing. I have bought a pile of books on the language, one computer program, and several audio lessons. Let me save you a pile of money and recommend the best of what I've found.

As books go, I found the Barron's "Learn Italian the Fast and Fun Way" an excellent and fun book and the one I use most. It is very nicely presented with color drawings and practical lessons that you would probably use on a vacation. The problem with some of the other books was that there was too much emphasis on language and words you would probably never use. Like I can't imagine why I would need to know the Italian word for hippopotamus. Save you efforts for words you might just use.

As for audio lessons, I found the Dr. Blair's Italian excellent and extremely fun. Dr. Blair uses fun stories and situations with just the correct amount of repetitions that helped me learn quite a lot. And you will not get bored listening to the lessons over and over.

Another very useful resource was the iTouch application called "24/7 Tutor Italian 101." The audio helps with pronunciation. There is a flashcard element, multiple choice, fill-in, and puzzle. I learned a lot and had lost of fun doing it. And it's so easy to carry around and practice with only a few spare minutes wherever you are. Highly recommended.

Netflix is also a good resource. Watch some Italian films to get some idea of the music of Italian--or just about any of the common languages you are likely to encounter. For a real treat, try "The Good, The bad, and The Ugly" in it's original Italian. It's a kick and gives a whole knew perspective on the film.

Another good resource is adult education at one of the local high schools. These classes are frequently for vacationers and are very low cost as compared to college classes. This is the best way to learn the correct pronunciation--which is very tough to do with a book. It will also help you get over feeling self conscious.

And of course, for more practice, look at Yahoo International and read all the latest news and celebrity gossip in a cornucopia of languages.

If you can learn one romance language, then you can learn some of the others. Open your eyes and look a around. There are resources everywhere. Give it a try and you'll probably have an amazing travel experience. In my opinion there is no reason to visit another country and try to communicate by getting pissy and just speaking English slower and louder.