Visiting multiple countries...what to do about language help?

Take french and german pharse books, smile and point, and you'll be fine.

I know there are some laminated cards with pictures of common objects that are suggested on the onebag.com website. Maybe that would be useful in addition to your plan of creating your own lists of common phrases.

Just a note if you haven't traveled before (sorry if you know this already): You will find also that many people speak English cordially and fluently in the countries you mention, although it is true you can't count on this outside of cities, and it is always polite to ask in the given language if someone speaks English. I would make sure to learn the basics (please, thank you, etc.) and how to ask politely if someone speaks English. I've made a concerted effort to learn phrases and use a language book, but I've also found that people are generally willing to speak English and are very friendly if you are polite and smile.

Also, given the countries you are visiting, you could focus on learning a little German and French or taking phrasebooks for those languages, as these would be the most common second languages for non-English speakers in the countries you are visiting.

You can find French and German combined in one phrase book and those languages will take you far. (Rick Steves has a three-language book as I recall.) Beyond that, you could always look up a few key phrases online and carry a sheet of paper with them on your travels. But the best thing to remember is attitude: Be courteous, be friendly, and speak slowly and you'll be amazed how well you'll do. Remember to speak English clearly and without slang or contractions so you give them a chance to understand YOU!. Happy travels.

In the countries you're going to, these days it seems like almost everyone who works in a shop, restaurant, hotel, or tourist attraction speaks at least some English. I think it's fast becoming the universal language. Remember that these countries attract millions of American, British, Australian, etc, tourists every year.

That said, I would bring along a French and a German phrasebook like Ed says and I'd learn and use the common courtesy phrases in each language - because it's fun and because they appreciate it. I always bring phrasebooks even though it seems I need them less and less.

Don't waste your money on an electronic translator - you'll never use it.

Thank you so much! I know a lot of people will speak English but I'm going with Rick (and your) advice to at least attempt the language. Up until now most of my international travel has been in Spanish or English speaking countries and I speak Spanish. The whole traveling from country to country where I can't speak in their language is new to me. I'm following your advice and getting a German and French phrase book!

Thanks again!

Don't worry too much about it. Remember that when a German goes to France or the Czech Republic he probably doesn't know the language either. He will often be using English also. That said, knowing a few basic words is good.

Anyone who wants your tourist money will speak English.

It's almost a given that if you meet someone who speaks Dutch as a first language, they will speak at least passable, and perhaps even fluent, English. Two helpful polite things to remember- "Alstublieft" (ALS-too-bleeft), for "please" and "you're welcome", and "dank u wel" for "Thank you". Don't use the familiar forms "alsjeblieft" and "dank je wel."

When you ask if someone speaks English, I think it is nice to also preface it by saying, in their language, "I'm sorry, I don't speak _______".

When I see on the Helpline the statement that most people in European cities speak English, it reminds me of something that happened to me. I can't resist sharing it:

Of course I do most of my shopping here in Germany, since I live here. Once I was in a department store near the directory when an American couple approached and asked me (demanded, actually), "Do you speak English?!" I told them I did, and then spent quite a bit of time explaining to them how to find what they wanted. It didn't occur to me to tell them that I am American, too, since I thought it was perfectly obvious from my Southeastern US accent. At the end of the interaction, the man said very slowly, loudly, and rather proudly, "DANKE!" and as they left he said to his wife, "I TOLD you they all speak English here."

D.D. - I had to laugh at your story. When I was managing a restaurant here, the wait staff would often ask me to help out with tables of English speakers. Tables of Americans would often ask me if I had gone to schoool in the states as my English was perfect. Or walking away, I would hear them whisper to each other about how good my English was. Always made me laugh. On the other hand, while visiting my mom in Ohio, some of her friends insisted they could detect a German accent when I spoke. Needless to say, I have only an Ohio accent.

When Germans visit France, they probably speak French, as that is the most common foreign language to learn here after English. Italian might come next.

Last year we traveled to Germany, Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. I stressed out and attempted to cram the 3 Learn Language on Your Flight lessons that I checked out at my local library. In a month and listening to the hour long lesson, every day, a different country every day, I realized that I was comfortable with the German but heck with Czech and Hungarian. I found Hungarian ridiculously hard. I worried and worried and worried that I would be thought as the stupid American trying to speak a local language but that never happened because I never had to use the language ever. Yeah, I squeaked out hi, bye, thank you in the local tongue but other than that, I never was put in a place that I was doomed because I did not know the local tongue. So to summarize, most everyone speaks English, even in most eastern European countries.

We've visited all those countries before. We pride ourselves on at least attempting to speak the local language wherever we go. We speak German fairly fluently and a bit of French learned in high school. Dutch isn't that far off from German, so we made a go at that, but gave up when it came to Flemish and Czech. It just gets exhausting, to be honest.

We've now reconsidered our approach and at least learn to be friendly in each language. We try to learn things like "please", "thank you", "hello", "goodbye" for wherever we go. Most people you run into will speak English, but maybe the older woman who's working the bathroom doesn't, and a little thank you just seems considerate.

Something that's also been fun is learning how they say "cheers" in each country, and trying some of the local schnapps.

Don't worry too much. Like Tom said, people wanting your Euro will be able to speak some English. In fact, many Europeans speak better English than Americans.

Have fun with it and try to make a stab at it. People appreciate the effort to speak their language.

Prost (German for "cheers")

Na zdravi! (Czech cheers!)

Have you checked out "Google translate"? I wrote out about fifty sentence stems in English, translated them into French, and wrote them out on some file cards. (Example, for a cab ride, "Please take us to this location________"; then show the driver where you wish to go on a map. If you were carrying a netbook, you could just use the google translate program while you were travelling.

I bought one of those ten language translators. While it translated OK, it was extremely cumbersome to use. I thought it was a waste of money and it isn't going on our next trip.

Cute stories from D.D. and Jo. So I have to add my own: A colleague of mine is Danish. However, he has lived in Vienna for 20+ years. He tells the story that he recently went home to Copenhagen and, while there, had a conversation with a young salesperson in a department store. At the end of the conversation the saleswoman said "I just have to tell you, sir, for a foreigner you speak the best Danish I have ever heard." (I've also gotten the "My, but your English is good" comment from American tourists that I've bumped into from time to time.)

DD, Jo,

I had a similar experience in Hamburg. A couple with a deep Houston accent were trying to get directions from a German who apparently didn't speak English or just couldn't understand their English.

I overheard what they were asking and asked the German, auf Deutsch, then relayed the answer to the couple in English.

The man looked at his wife and said, "Look ma, he speaks English just as good as an American!" I laughed and said "I am American."

It could be those Southern accents. I know when I get to Southern Bavaria or parts of Austria I sometimes have a hard time understanding their German.

Kirsten,

The good news is you will always be able to get by with English. You're also not visiting too many language groups. Learning polite phrases in French and German will go a long way. Just be sure to say hello. Most of the time it's considered rude to not politely greet people before you start asking questions.