Do you get embarrassed visiting foreign places where you don't know the language?

badabing106

Do you feel like an outsider? That people are laughing at you behind your back? Is there any etiquette procedures for visiting a restaurant for example.

Do people genuinely start flapping your arms like a chicken if you want a chicken but I could not see myself doing that

Buona Fortuna

Nah

Just speak loudly and slowly.

Son0vagun

I bet you're embarrassed right now!

For Forks Sake

Que?

Nodin

badabing106 wrote: »

Do you feel like an outsider? That people are laughing at you behind your back? Is there any etiquette procedures for visiting a restaurant for example.

Do people genuinely start flapping your arms like a chicken if you want a chicken but I could not see myself doing that

There was one time when I was out near Cappagh but other than that, no.

I think in the last few years I've gone places where I did know the language or could at least ask for something or read instructions

I did feel totally out of my depth years ago in prague though
Hadn't a nooooootion

The_Valeyard

Dem foreigners needz to learns English.

dpofloinn

just speak English in the local accent you'll be grand .

Nodin

dpofloinn wrote: »

I find that speaking English in the local accent works a treat.

Like in Paris. "you 'ave le batter burger?".

not yet

Wish them fcukers up in Norn Ireland would learn english, t'would save a lot of hassle getting the Christmas shopping..

Paramite Pie

I brought a phrasebook with me to Korea, and when i wanted to say a long or complicated sentence I just pointed to the page in the book (like asking for a fork for example).

Luckily it's polite to point (in general) at other people's food and say 'igot' which means this. It's like saying i'll have what they're having. Or point at the menu.

They were very impressed with the most basic attempts or gesture. I read through the book every time i was on the metro or just sitting in a park or museum. In 2 weeks I learned more than my friends who were there six months.:D

I felt more embarrassed with Spanish because it seems like an easy language to learn but I never got a chance to practice or try it.

mahamageehad

Just learn the words for hello, please, thank you, ****, toilet and bill in any language and you'll be grand. I've been living in germany for 6 months on those words!

Seriously though, I do make an effort to learn those words for every foreign-speaking country I go to.

HalloweenJack

Having lived abroad for years and picked up the lingo, I can tell you that people DO bitch about and make fun of foreigners attempts at speaking their languages, especially Spaniards.

In my experience, it's a bit of a Catch 22. You learn a bit and some people think you can speak more than you really can and quickly you're overrun and you haven't got a clue. If you don't learn anything, you can't help feeling lost or rude.

Zaph

I can order beer in several languages. That usually gets me by.

major bill

Travelling through the German Countryside and stopped in a McDonalds in some obscure Town to order a cup of tea, staff hadnt a word of English felt like an eijet trying to speak broken German,

Still an easier experience than Starbucks!!!!

osarusan

Zaph wrote: »

I can order beer in several languages. That usually gets me by.

Yes but can you speak all of them at the same time?

Buona Fortuna

Used to do a bit of skiing in Austria. One year I hurt my ankle quite badly and so hobbled around all the equipment and medical type shops for some sort of brace or support.

Not a word of English anywhere we went. So at one place I said "Der footen ist in der banken". They understood then right enough and fixed me up.

major bill

major bill wrote: »

Travelling through the German Countryside and stopped in a McDonalds in some obscure Town to order a cup of tea, staff hadnt a word of English felt like an eijet trying to speak broken German,

Still an easier experience than Starbucks!!!!

I speak german and I still got befuddled trying to order tea in a mcdonalds there. Turns out they don't have "tea"... it's black tea, green tea, fruit tea, what tea do you want
in mcdonalds
ahhh

whisky_galore

Nodin wrote: »

Like in Paris. "you 'ave le batter burger?".

In the Louvre...

"ave you ze painteeng of ze Fallen Madonna with ze big boobies..?"

Duggy747

You have to learn to adapt, like when you go to England:

Me: "You're on thin fackin' ice, my pedigree chum, and I shall be under it when it breaks....................naw fack off!!"

Waiter: "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to please leave"

MarkY91

Never had a problem using English anywhere I went. The other week in Poland people came up to me speaking polish and I just said "sorry I don't speak polish" they then started speaking English.

Actually I had a problem in Las Vegas..the barman didn't know what I was saying when I was saying "vodka and 7-up"

Darkglasses

Went to Iceland earlier this year, was a total waste of time trying to learn the phrases. Everyone spoke perfect English and even after a week or two of trying, I could still only barely read the phrases, never mind learn them off.

_Brian

badabing106 wrote: »

Do you feel like an outsider?

But you are an outsider ?? I thought the point of travel was to go to places outside your comfort zone and broaden your experiences.. There would be no point in travelling half way round the globe to have it feel just like home.. I get mad with people who go to other countries and give out that the food is different !! WTF do you expect !!

Do people laugh behind your back ?? , I suppose some do, but I'm sorry to break it to you OP there are shallow cuunts here in Ireland laughing at you behind your back !!

The only thing I've been truly embarrassed by is the wealth gap. Meeting genuinely nice people who live theirs lives out in abject poverty, and me there with a home, job and enough spare money to travel to places just for the enjoyment of seeing new things..

The Corinthian

I live in Zurich, so I can understand the local German dialect, Zürichdeutsch. I was in Basel a while back and asked for the bill in a bar, to which the waiter replied something that sounded like: "bibbidy bobbidy boo".

Not a breeze what he said. 75 km away and it's basically a different language.

Even the Swiss Germans can't understand some of the other dialects (especially Walliserdeutsch) in their own country.

keithclancy

Nah, when you visit places as long as you're spending money they don't care.

Amazing that people from Ireland/UK visit other countries and expect people to speak English, but when people visit our country we expect them to speak English as well