Language barrier?

I spent a month in Seville and Madrid in March, and I would say there is more of a language barrier there than any place else I can recall in Europe. But what I did was learn a little Spanish, and I used Google Translate on my cell phone, and I was surprised at how easy it was to communicate. I don't recall speaking English more than maybe twice.

My advice would be to think of specific situations you will probably encounter, and learn enough Spanish to deal with them. For example, will you ever take a taxi? Learn to say, "Take us to this address." Will you need a bathroom? Learn "Where is the bathroom?" Will you want a cup of coffee? Learn "Please bring me a cup of coffee." Also, say "Hola" to shopkeepers when you enter the store. "The bill, please." "Can we sit here?" "Where is the entrance?" "Where is the exit?" Things like that.

Also, use the camera for Google Translate for menus and signs.

I agree with Marty; English is not widely spoken except in hotels and in restaurants that draw a large tourist clientele. But Spaniards, in general, are extremely welcoming to visitors, as long as you have a respectful attitude. If you are in a restaurant and cannot make yourself understood to your waiter, there is a good chance he will try to find a fellow worker who might speak some English...

Yes, always offer a greeting when you enter a shop or a restaurant.

No, I have not found English widely spoken, but anyone working in tourism/hospitality will help facilitate what you need. Practicing the language (luckily I studied it when young so some of it actually "stuck") has been more useful in Spain than any other country I have frequented.
Learn the polite phrases of course but definitely learn numbers so you can conduct transactions. Consider the things you will do so you can prepare for them (e.g., Taking bus /train: learn the words for "ticket" "seat" validate"--that kind of thing). It will just make your trip easier.

couldn't agree more with what has already been said. a translator app is your friend. also, look for young people (school, college age) who are more likely to know english. i have stayed exclusively in airbnb's, travelling all over spain and never had an issue. you would be surprised how far a smile, politeness, and a gracias will take you! enjoy your trip.

I used a phone translator at Andalusia train station.

I have been to Spain several times in the past 40 years and never had a problem.
I took Spanish in HS and College, but never was fluent. Also, the Castilian pronunciation of the letter c is different from what is spoken in Latin American.

It is good to know greetings and phrases. Use your iPhone for some translations if necessary .

In the main tourist destinations there is usually someone who will know some English, especially at restaurants and hotels. If you get away from the main destinations and visit small towns, villages, and hamlets, then all bets are off. Other than probably hotels, there’s a good chance that few people will know more than some basic words. Between what they know and what you know that usually is enough to get one’s point across.

I think this title is kind of funny, because Spanish is one of the top five most widely spoken languages in the world.
And just so you know, there are more than 7000 languages on this planet.

So, there is not a language "barrier," there is just lack of bilingualism or multilingualism by the traveler or the resident.

Yes, use whatever apps you have to help you, because certainly Spain is one of the most wonderful countries in the world to visit! My recommendation was always live in a place for a while, and hopefully you will learn quickly.

I was just in Mexico last week, and my tour guide and I were having a discussion (in Spanish), regarding the many Mayan languages still being used (Ch'ol versus Quiché versus Yucatec).

I love languages, but I will probably never learn more than the nine or so I have already studied (although my fluency varies widely), but that will never stop me from traveling everywhere!

tonimjensen, this year here the perception is that the single largest tourist group is the Spanish. Many of the local tourism businesses are having to deal with how few of the Spanish speak even a little English. I've helped out a couple times on public transportation, only to be asked if I were from DF.

It is not a problem. If you travel a lot you will most certainly be in a country where you do not speak the language. Even the multilingual people who speak French, English, Italian, German, etc for Europe may not speak Polish, Lithuanian, Laotian, Indonesian, Japanese, etc. And yet people travel to all those countries.
Google translate can work for you.
And, of all the languages of the world you should be glad that you speak English as it is the most widely known language.

The advice above is good and also what I have experienced during my three trips to Spain - just returned in February. Do you know any other languages? I sometimes resort to Italian (sometimes unintentionally), and that has helped.

Be sure to begin all conversations with a greeting in Spanish and learn the tourist basics. A YouTube of “tourist Spanish words” is a quick way at this point.

Knowing Spanish, I didn't notice that fewer people didn't speak the language in Spain.

However, my parents said that there were more local people that they met who didn't speak English well than other countries such as France. Knowing the basics will help you. Spanish people are very kind and even saying hello or goodbye in Spanish will get a smile.

Nowadays I notice a lot of people just using Google Translate on their phones.

Look up the phonology of the language you wish to learn, in this case Spanish of Spain instead of Spanish of Latin America. Nobody learns this. Most language learners wrongly pronounce foreign languages with the sound pattern and pronunciation rules of their first language while falsely believing the phonology of their first langage is the only sounds and pronunciation rules that are able to exist. Without knowing the phonology, you might sound like you have some kind of accent or you won't be understood, no matter how many phrases you "learn".

Don't try to translate a menu. Pick a main food ingredient you want. Learn just how to ask whether a restaurant sells a recipe that has that ingredient, for example fish, rice, or whatever else. I am not normal about food when traveling - I didn't eat restaurant food even once in m 13-night trip to Spain. I found adequate grocery stores without having to go far out of my way.

Usually when you travel it is good enough to keep your mouth shut most of the time and just say a few phrases when necessary.

It is arrogant and bad manners to suppose random employees in another country should have to deal with your English even if by coincidence they have learned some English.

I caught a disease in Spain that affected my digestive tract; I went to a pharmacy twice in Seville and bough the right stuff each time. The only way to buy medicines in Europe is to go to a dedicated pharmacy, tell the pharmacist your symptoms, and the pharmacist gets you what they think you need and you have a few seconds to decide whether to buy it. You don't ask the pharmacist for any specific drugs in Europe. If they know your current or most recent symptoms, you will get the right stuff. Neither one of us talked English. Google translation and teaching myself the phonology before my trip and my pronunciation talent were much appreciated.

I live in France. Here obviously everyone speaks French. Go one hour south Catalan and Spanish. 4 hours east Italian. 6 hours north Dutch. 5 hours northwest German.
3 hours west Basque.

All very independent languages. Including English spoken by many, 7 languages within a day drive.

Moral of Story: Don’t worry about it