A new study by online travel service travelsupermarket.com has revealed that more than half of British people going on holiday abroad refuse to make any effort to speak the local language. The reasons behind our laziness to learn the local lingo often include an assumption that ‘everyone speaks English anyway.’
Brits struggle to use foreign languages when overseas
We Brits are not usually known for being proficient with foreign languages though we love to travel to far-flung destinations, we are often not prepared to embrace the local language alongside the culture.
Many feel the problem with languages is having the confidence to try speaking in a language they are unfamiliar with,dreading getting the accent completely wrong and supplementing the word they are looking for with another word that means something else entirely. The assumption that foreigners will always speak English is definitely one most of us are guilty of making.
The Travelsupermarket.com survey also found that 45 per cent of respondents said locals have acted negatively toward them because they don’t make the effort to communicate in the local language. Despite this, only four per cent of those surveyed said their ideal holiday would be in an English-speaking country. Tenerife clearly is the “best of both world’s” as many people on the island speak English as well as Spainsh and are delighted when ex pats try to speak Spanish to them whilst holidaying or living in the Canary Islands
The under 20s were found to be the best equipped to cope with foreign languages, with more than half saying they can speak a second language.
Travelsupermarket.com travel expert Bob Atkinson said, “Although the survey may appear to show Brits in a disappointing light, there are some encouraging signs that British holidaymakers want to make more of an effort when abroad but simply lack the confidence.” So why not try to speak in Spanish when you are next on holiday or visiting Tenerife?
