How To Survive In Spain With Limited Spanish
Going on holidays abroad is always a great thing – it opens doors to the new destinations and invites us to explore unknown cultures. In countries like Spain, Turkey or Greece, mingling with the locals is the essence and inevitably the most exciting part of your holiday. Whether you are on the beach, in the shops, in a restaurant or just taking a leisurely walk in the streets of the old town, you are bound to be greeted with a few friendly welcoming words from the locals.
But what if you get ‘lost in translation’? Many of us have been in this kind of situation before when we would love to answer and return the happy smile, or perhaps enter into a conversation with the person who has just greeted us in the street. However, it seems we are unable to even remember how to say ‘good morning’ in Spanish although we had attended a few Spanish lessons in the past. And therefore, our gesture is often limited to a polite smile combined with the nod of the head.
Although in most of the European countries, especially in the tourist resorts, people would typically speak English, we are still likely to encounter with situations that we can not explain ourselves properly in a bar, a street market or perhaps a local pharmacy. That’s when those little pocket dictionaries come in handy and if you don’t have a great command of the language, it is always a good idea to buy one before you travel. Although you won’t be able to carry a complex discussion about politics with one of the locals over a cup of coffee, but you will most certainly find enough vocabulary to ask for a drink, medicine or express your request.
Taking a short course in Spanish before you travel might be a useful thing. If classroom is not an option, there are hundreds of CDs and DVDs available in the bookshops and travel shops to help you with a few useful phrases. Travel guide books also have a section dedicated to ‘survival Spanish’. The best way to learn is to focus on specific situations you think you might find yourself in whilst on your holidays in Spain. Topics like ‘Asking directions’, ‘At a hotel reception’, ‘In the restaurant’, ‘In the bank’, or ‘At the post office’ could well fit with your needs and you will be pleasantly surprised how easy it is to learn a few skits and how rewarding it is to receive positive responses from the local people in return. They always appreciate if the tourists try to speak to them in their native language, no matter how basic it may sound.
Some of the holidays specialize in language or cooking courses, which are a great way of socializing, finding new friends and practicing your language. In fact, in some hotels you may find courses of basic Spanish as one of the offered free time activities. The locals are always helpful if you ever get stuck for words. Just ask if anyone around you speaks English and they will be more than happy to translate into Spanish for you.
It is also recommended to carry the telephone number of the nearest British Consulate in case of any emergency. Otherwise, your travel company local representative or tour guide is there for you 24/7 to help with any emergencies. And you never know, they might just be kind enough to help out with your Spanish in case you get stuck at the airport or lost in the city.
There are many ways to get by in a foreign country if you don’t know the language. However, making a little effort to speak the language of the country you are travelling to is not only a very useful and practical thing, it is also a gesture of respect to the local people and their culture.
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