Best countries to go to if you are hopeless at foreign languages?

Back in the 90s when Rick's first batch of TV shows began airing on public TV stations, I vividly remember this line from Rick: "Anywhere you go, anyone who wants your money will speak at least some English". This one line gave me the courage to begin traveling outside the US. That advice is so spot-on, that I never take language into consideration when picking my next destinations. If your willing to take the time to study the guidebooks, and learn a few words of the local language, you won't have any problems.

Anyone who believes that everyone in Europe speaks many languages, including English, needs to read the EU's report on language usage. Half of all Europeans can't speak anything but their mother tongue.

That said, over 80% of people in Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands speak at least one other language, usually English. German speaking countries comprise the largest language group on the continent; half of those people speak English. For France, Italy, and Spain that percentage is far less, so stay to the north.

Last month I was on an ICE from Göttingen to Karlsruhe. There was a group of five young (30 or less) people right around me, and we spoke some in German. Although my German isn't that good, and my accent is obviously American, they never tried to speak English with me. This was half way through a week in which only four people, two of them DB counter workers, spoke English to me.

Scandanavia, Netherlands, Luxumbourg, Malta and the big cities in Germany, especially Frankfurt.

Laura,not knowing a second language is not the end of the world. Learn to say Hello, Please and Thank you and smile smile smile ! You would be surprised how far that will get you.

I found more English speakers in Croatia and Slovenia than in other places.

Hello Laura. In all the countries mentioned by Jo, the people who you would talk to are bi lingual : they talk in two languages : English, and the language of that country. In Denmark and Sweden, when those people talked in the English language, it sounded like they were talking with a British accent. That is what it sounded like to me. And many people in some countries in Europe learned to talk in the English language by having a teacher or tutor who is a British person, talking in English with a British accent. I think the European people who do work that consists of talking to foreign tourists in their country, every day, will hear and understand talking by a person talking in English with a strong London accent. When those European people see you approaching them, they will guess that you talk in the English language, and their minds will be prepared for listening to a person talking in the English language. I guess they will begin talking to you in the English language, before you begin talking to them.

Laura:

I don't do well at foreign languages either (speak some French -- poorly) and my husband took Latin in high school, so he's certainly not "language oriented." Just learn a few polite phrases in the language of whatever country you are visiting and you'll be fine.

Easy destinations would be Ireland, Netherlands, Scandinavia or Germany.

We have found that many Europeans speak 2 or 3 languages and English is "generally" one of them.

Travel and have fun !!!!!

Hi Laura,

generally if you go to Sweden or the Netherlands almost everybody appears to speak English. Certainly in the big cities like Stockholm or Amsterdam if would be hard to find a native person under 40 who didn't speak English! In the 10 or so times I've visited Stockholm I've only met 1 person who didn't speak english and never in Amsterdam. In fact it's slightly embarrasing when you go into a meeting as the only english speaker there and all the other people instantly change from Swedish/Finnish/Dutch etc to perfect English :-)

Also it doesn't matter too much anyway as you can get away with pointing at a sign or menu if they don't speak English - it's more fun anyway!

Try Amsterdam as it's just over the channel. You'll be fine.

Cheers
Steve.

Go Everywhere and don't let language get in the way. Between the BBC World Service and the internet, you'll find people who speak English almost anywhere.

Take a phrasebook with you, an electronic translator or one of the following:

Kwikpoint

Learn to say Hello, Good bye, thank you, Please, Do you speak English and I don't speak (insert language.)--and "Where is the toilet."

After that, if you still feel you need a place to go where English is common, then you've gotten some great advice in previous posts.

Last year I counted the countries I have visited and was astounded to find it is over 50; and I have never had a problem in communicating anywhere. Even in Russia, Thailand or Ecuador.

You will always find someone who will be eager to talk with you. Many have told me that they enjoy practicing their English; so speak to them.

And even if you dont find someone now, keep asking and in less than 5 minutes you will find someone who will smile and speak to you.

Never let ignorance of a language keep you from enjoying the benefits of travel.

Laura, nearly everyone in the tourist industry, especially those under 30, will speak excellant English. If you are still concerned, consider Switzerland, whose citizens are often tri lingual.

Have a great time and relax!

The Netherlands would be best, the Dutch have given up on anyone being able to speak their language that they have become the best polyglots on the planet.

At all costs avoid Great Britain. British and Scottish is so unintelligible, though they insist they are speaking "English", that you well may starve, sleeping on the street before you leave.

OK, so now done with the fun, my first comment is mostly accurate (maybe the second), but honestly, nearly any of the Western European countries are not so bad, you can easily get by, and since they use the same alphabet and there are many common root words with Spanish, French, Italian, even some German, reading signs is easy. I do have problems with countries that use other alphabets (Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic, Chinese) not because I cannot find an english speaker, but because there is so much travelling you do by signs, town names, menus, or other visual cues, where it is not possible to ask all the time. So my suggestion is stick with the core European countries (Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Benelux, Great Britain, Ireland)

Add Belgium to the list. Besides, it's really easy for you to get to Belgium from London.

Ditto on Paris - while some Parisians might be shy about using their English skills, many will immediately switch over to English once they hear you botch a few French pronunciations. You may have a harder time outside of Paris - but if you talk to any French person 40 and under, you'll find the majority speak English quite well and are more than willing to help especially if you make an effort to speak a few basic French phrases at the start of the conversation - even if the only thing you learn how to say in French is "Excuse me, I don't speak French. Do you speak English?". That one line, along with a simple "Hello", "Please" and "Thank You" goes a very long way.

While Lee made have had a bad experience or seen some random statistic on how many Europeans speak multiple languages, my experience was that I encountered only one person in France that could not speak any English when I needed assistance - and even she took the time to make a valiant attempt to direct me to the street I was looking for with a lot of pointing.

When I encounter a German who does not speak English, that is not a bad experience, it is an opportunity to work on my foreign language skills.

And, just because a very comprehensive EU survey doesn't agree with your miniscule personal experience, doesn't mean it is "random". I'm sure that in the course of the survey, they interviewed a few more people (29k) than you have ever met. As long as you stay on well traveled, touristy routes, of course you will encounter people who speak English.

I agree that for the most part you run into people who speak some English. If you run into someone who doesn't it's not a disaster. I had a truck run into my car when I was in Provence. It was a hit and run and I had to report the accident and found that the policeman in the small town office didn't speak English, but we made it through the process. My French is high school French and so some pointing, a little drawing and we got it done. Pam

Laura, you've received some great replies so far! Especially given your home location, it's time to stop avoiding Europe and do some travelling!

I agree with a previous post that starting with the "core" countries (France,Italy,Germany,Switzerland) would be a good start. I don't think you'll have any trouble in Netherlands and Belgium or the Scandinavian countries.

I'm also a solo traveller and have managed quite well with English so far (although I can function to some extent in Italian). Here's a few thoughts on the subject.

First, to paraphrase what Rick often says, "speak slowly and clearly, enunciate every word and avoid slang". Rick's books provide a good overview of the customs, which is good to know (eg: in France it's customary to greet shop keepers when you enter).

As the others have said, learn some of the common words in each language (please, thankyou, hello, etc.). Using a Phrase book is often helpful.

You'll sometimes meet other travellers that can be of assistance. On my first trip to Germany, I was totally lost trying to understand the PA messages in the train station. There were some young German girls standing beside me, and they were very helpful in translating. It became even more interesting on the train. There were some Chinese students in my compartment that were studying German and could also speak some English, so they kindly helped me with translation of the messages.

On one occasion in France, I had difficulty buying a rail ticket as the agent couldn't understand my pronunciation of the word "Bayeux" (my high school French wasn't functioning well that day or perhaps she was just being "difficult"?). I simply wrote it on a piece of paper and the problem was quickly solved.

I haven't travelled in countries with the Cyrillic alphabet yet, but I don't foresee any problems (some countries have English on signs as well).

Don't let the language issue stop you from travelling.

Happy travels!

The bottom line is this...if you are afraid to travel because you think you'll look like a fool or be laughed at because you don't have language skills, then you are missing out on some great experiences. Some of the best times I remember of my travels is when dealing with someone who didn't speak English and I didn't speak their language, and we were both trying to make ourselves understood. A few common words, gestures, a good phrasebook--and a great attitude--made for some fun adventures.

I've never let lack of language skills stop me from traveling.

Go, have fun, and come back with great stories.

Laura, here I am , going to be blunt( again)..

How many languages do you think all the posters here speak??? Likely at most two.

How many countries do you think they may have visited ,, or plan on visiting,, more then two for most of them,, this being a TRAVEL forum after all.

Carls post was good, go back and read it.

Franks made good points too, holding yourself back because of language is just plain silly.

We all struggle along as best we can,, learn the polite phrases and charge ahead, to where you are interested in,, I personally don't have money to travel all the time, so I pick places that interest me, I do not pick them based on language,, and I can only speak a bit of french. Like you I have taken a special language course( Italian, what a horrid language,, LOL ) and I can barely grunt out hello and thank you ,, no matter how hard I tried!!

Go, and pick place that INTEREST you.

PS Anyone who thinks everyone , or mostly everyone "speaks english" only goes to touristy centers , once you get out of the tourist center of a big city, or get into a smaller town, you will definately meet people who do not speak english, other then " hello, goodbye , and thank you!!" ,, just like you.

Everyone speaks sign language though,, LOL

I think Amsterdam sounds like a good choice too. You know, I used to be afraid to go to France too, but finally went 4 years ago. Guess what, no one was rude, everyone was friendly. Two years ago, we went to Bayeux, and again everyone was friendly. Do I speak French? Nope, but I did practice a couple of phrases and that was enough to be polite.

Believe it or not, I was 31 when I moved to Germany and through a lot of trial and error (no classes), have become very fluent in German. Who would have thought? One is never too old. I was not good in languages in school either. Flunked Latin, average in Spanish. Perhaps you were trying to learn a language for which you have no aptitude. Maybe try a different one. Perhaps Italian or Spanish? They seem easier than French or German.

Not quite the answer to the question but check out livemocha.com

Like others have said, we try to at least learn things like hello, goodbye, please, thank you (and, of course, beer) in other languages. We've found that in most big/touristed cities, the people you run into that work in the tourist industry speak English. You'll especially find this in countries with a language that's only spoken there, like the Netherlands, Belgium, and the Czech Republic (at least in Prague).

I was surprised, however, when we were in Berlin and Dresden in 2000 that most of the people there didn't speak English. But, then again, these were communist cities up until 20 years ago, so give it a few more years, when the next generation will know English. Our luggage got lost on way to Berlin, and luckily my husband and I are fluent enough in German, since none of the salesworkers helping us at KaDeWe spoke any English.

Thanks for the great replies everyone.

I guess part of my "issue" re: languages is down to (a) a trip to France as a teenager where most of the shopkeepers were quite rude despite us trying our best and (b) I have a lot of contact with foreign tourists in my job and see how distressed they get when they can't make themselves understood.

I don't want anyone thinking I am a wimp! I used to be very into travel when I was in my early twenties. Then I got ill and was virtually housebound for a few years. I am totally well again now, but seem to have lost my confidence.

I think I may start with Amsterdam as it looks like a great place and they all seem to speak a zillion languages!

Good choice, Laura! Amsterdam is a great city for you to start with; it's very un-intimidating and also nearly everyone speaks some English. We've found people there to be helpful, although I know that depends on the individual.
Hope you have a great time! Best wishes, Maggie.

Laura...there's a secret to dealing with rude shopkeepers. Here it is:

As you are facing the shopkeeper who is being rude, take your right foot and place it directly behind your left foot.

Shift your weight to your heels. Swivel on your heels until you are facing away from the shopkeeper.

Walk out the door and take your business elsewhere.

And by the way...rude shopkeepers can be found in all countries and all languages. The French just seem to be good at it. (Not all French, just those who are rude.)

Oh..and as you're walking out the door....remember to give them the reverse V for Victory sign with your fingers. That's universal--no translation necessary.

We spent 8 weeks in the following countries and did not have any problems with people understanding us:

Austria, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Switzerland and Luxembourg.

However, we did have a problem in Paris and Czech Republic.

I spent 2 weeks in Israel last fall and never had a problem. They all seem to speak English.

I have also traveled in Quebec..they either do not speak English or pretend they don't as in Paris.

I do try to learn..please, thank you, yes and no for certain countries.

JB: Please explain how you can tell if a person in Quebec or in France REALLY can't speak English or is just PRETENDING not to be able to. Is there some fleeting expression on the face? Does the person become shifty-eyed? Or does the person betray his ability in English inadvertently so that you can say "AH HA !" ? Curious minds need to know, especially here in Montreal.

Norma, we know because the Quebecois stand at the top of the castle and call us stupid English pig-dogs. They tell us that our mother was a hamster and our father smelled of elderberries.

Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time! ;)

So elderberries have a bad smell? Who knew?

I agree with Frank in that the best experiences are language problems.We had ours in a Siena laundromat where 4 people tried to explain how to use the machines.It was a hoot.

My favorite was when we were staying in a really small village in the Peloponnese, and I went to a farmers wife to buy eggs and tomatoes. It was mostly hand motions, so you can use your imagination as to what I looked like. I got my groceries though!

Animal noises are always good, too. My husband was trying to explain to the woman we were staying with in Bruges about what we had for dinner the night before, and she completely cracked up when he started oinking and baa-ing.

Another great one comes from a friend of mine who was trying to decipher a meat dish on an Italian menu with a waiter who didn't speak English. He went through cows, pigs, chickens, but when the waiter nodded when he neighed, he ordered something else.

Hi Laura,

Don't worry. The only other language I can kinda speak is spanish. But I've been to England, France, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, & Denmark. And ALL of these countries speak english. Most restaurants have english menus or translate underneath. I usually buy a phrase book before I go so I know my Please and Thank yous. But you will be fine anywhere. Plus I think they always appreciate if you try to say something and will correct you if you say it wrong.

All over scandanavia people speak very good english. But really go anywhere and people will help you. I for the life of me couldn't pronounce German correctly(so different than spanish) and I was fine.

If you want any more specific tips or advice let me know. I love talking about traveling to Europe!

Good Luck!

Many, many years ago I thought they were pretty mean in Vienna because nobody ever gave me the whipped cream on my strudel when I asked for it in the restaurants. When we arrived in Germany I was having a helluva time getting directions to Neuschwanstein. After endless pantomines and pictures on napkins I finally figured it out: For a week I'd been asking for strudel with a castle on it and was seeking directions to the big whipped cream. Don't cross your schlags and schlosses. In Versailles a waiter literally pummeled my back. I thought, "Great. I am actually getting beat up for bad pronunciation." He was trying to be sure I really wanted to order kidneys! He was right, I didn't. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then understanding must reside in the ear. Nowadays our experience has been that pretty much everyone speaks some English, and that patience and humor win the day. I also think that many Europeans speak much better English than even they themselves believe, and were reluctant at first to attempt it because of what I perceived as embarrasment. If my French/Dutch/German/Italian were one tenth as good as their English it would be a much smaller world indeed.

Laura,

Not speaking a second language shouldn't stop you from traveling.
The only countries where I had hard time finding a people to speak English were France and Italy.
Holland is considered an English speaking country.
About your London accent..just try to speak slower. It helps.

LOL, Denny :-))
I really enjoyed your story about crossing your Schlags und Schlösser :-))

I would never let a foreign language keep me away from travelling to another country.

I took French, German and Latin at school - I am now in my 60s My wife has no language training at all. We have toured Europe three times since we retired and covered most of western Europe except Scandinavia where we hope to go this June. Only a few times did we find noone who spoke English. Once in Prague stands out. But it was never a problem. Hand gestures and pointing work well.

Go over there and you sill soon regain your confidence, just like riding a bicycle!

I second Donna's suggestion...but not just Oregon, which is a beautiful state, but almost anywhere in the U.S. has lots to offer.

And I'll beat our friends from up north to say Canada should also be on your list. Its natural beauty shouldn't be missed.

Don't rule out the USA, Laura! We love tourists here in Oregon. You will find warm, friendly, helpful folks everywhere who will take you under wing.

If you haven't been to America put it on your travel list. The variety of sites, cities, natural wonders and open people will keep you coming back.
And I don't need to mention we speak the language.
Americans loooooove Brit accents.