We like to meet people, try to blend in, and understand the culture as much as possible. Speaking even rudimentary whatever often opens doors to great experiences.
In addition, I get pretty pissed off at the typical American superiority complex we see exhibited everyday, where people here are all up in arms about Spanish speaking workers, ("They are in America, they should speak American!") where our airports and tourist attractions for the most part have signs only in English, where we EXPECT others to be able to communicate to us in our language... yet, when many Americans travel, they do not extend that same expectation to other countries.
Does it not seem common courtesy to be able to at least greet people in their own language?
Really, it is not all that difficult.
For example, we learned probably 100 French words and phrases before we went to France. While there, people were extremely polite and kind to us, and we picked up new words every day. I would study the menus (especially if they had an English version, I could read them side by side), signs (laundry hours, notices), talk to store owners while Gail shopped, and (tried reading) newspapers. By the time we left a month later, we could hold basic conversations, find our way around, and most importantly, our ears were "tuned in" and it no longer sounded like a jumble of syllables flowing by, but chunks of familiar words and phrases.
Interestingly enough, after learning rudimentary French, it was a lot easier to pick up pretty good Italian and Spanish as well.
The important part, however, was that we went over with a foundation of words and phrases.
So how do you learn a second or third language?
how to build up a second language
Friends ask if we use Rosetta Stone, or some other packaged programs? The short answer is no, because I think they are a waste of money and more importantly, time. If this is how you want to do it, however, I would ask around to see if any friends have unused copies, or check your local used bookstores and garage sales.
The problem I see is that packaged programs often try to teach you all the correct grammar, and every little variation on a word.
Ask yourself: do you really need to know how to say the colors grey and purple?
Must you learn how to say "hello" formally, informally, in the morning, mid-afternoon, evening or night? Or will one or two greetings cover it until you are in-country and can pick up the phrases the locals really use? For example, in Southern Germany everyone says "Grüss Gott," rather than "Guten tag - morgen - abend and so on," but you might not find that out until you are actually there.
For words (vocabulary) and phrases, it is important to think ahead:
What do you really need to know?
What will be useful to you?
At a bare minimum, if you are just passing through a country (one week in Greece?) you should learn the words:
Please, thank you, hello, goodbye, yes, no.
But, if you are staying longer (two weeks or more in France?) it will be very much to your advantage to learn more. But be selective.
For example, if you are renting a car, you do not need to know how to ask to buy train tickets. On the other hand, if you are taking public transportation you should know how to say "Two tickets, one way/round trip to ______, please."
If you like to drink, you need to know words like glass, bottle, litre, wine, beer and colors like red and white.
If you are vegetarian you should learn the phrase my wife knows in about 6 languages: Je suis végétarien."
Think about basic food words like bread, coffee (and how you like it), cheese, and the specific things you like to eat.
Counting to about 100, days of the week, the names of the months you will be there. Vocabulary like bus, train, right, left, straight, stop, station, square, museum or church.
Phrases like:
How much does it cost?
Where is the ________?
What is this/that?
I am from California.
I only speak a little _____, speak slowly, please.
Really, just think it through and make a list of what you will need to know for this trip. Pare it down to simple phrases; as you travel you will learn more, fast. When people see you making an effort and then getting stuck, they will often help you.
2. HOW TO LEARN, CHEAP AND PAINLESSLY:
There is this thing called the Internet, full of resources: podcast lessons, Google Translate, iPhone apps, and U-Tube videos.
Podcasts: There are podcasts that often offer at least the first ten lessons free, and many times you can build your vocabulary right here. A couple I really like are the "Coffee Break" and "One Minute" series by radiolingua. They cover many languages. Remember you can go to the podcasts direct from iTunes, or through the radiolingua.com website, but you are looking for the free lessons. I also do searches for specific languages, and that is how I stumbled across "Learn French with Alexa." I like her pace, the practicality of the lessons, and her voice!
You can download and listen to the podcasts, make CDs for the car, or listen off your iPad while you dream, drink and do something. We drink, practice and build a jigsaw puzzle.
Right now, at this very moment on my iPod I have "One Minute Spanish" lessons 1-10 (left over from the La Paz trip), "Coffee Break French" lessons 1-2-3-4-6-8-12-13 and 15, and "Learn French With Alexa," lessons 1-15 (currently on lesson 4 - all review for this summer's trip - and about three glasses of wine and 100 pieces into a 1000 piece puzzle).
Google Translate: Some people don't even know it is there! What a great tool. You know the words for "red" and "wine" and "two" and "please." Use google translate to string it all together into a sentence you can practice: "Two glasses of red table wine, please." It even speaks it to you!
Apps: World Nomads has a set of free language apps, in just about any language you could want. While not in depth, they do cover the basics you need for any country. There are also many free language learning apps, such as flashcards and games, translator apps (iTranslate and Google translate), and English/Whatever dictionaries, all free.
Other: Get a English-Whatever dictionary. I drop by the used book store once in a while, and see what is in. I like the really little pocket ones. I use it for practice, and then scan in relevant pages (mostly food). This makes a PDF file which I can load onto my iPod, and it comes in handy to learn that "aubergines" are eggplant.
3. REAL LIFE EXAMPLES:
In Rome, Italy, when we greeted the restaurant owner in Italian, he was so excited he pulled up a chair and ordered up Prosecco for us all while we talked. In Germany we met and were joined for dinner by a German couple, with whom we drank the night away well after the restaurant closed. (The waitress locked up, gave us another bottle of wine and reminded us to blow out the candles before we left.) In central France we were given free wine for dinner, and all the foie gras I could eat. In the Dolomites of Italy, we wandered up the stairs of the bell tower (the door was cracked open) where we stumbled into a "friends-only" art show. We were warmly welcomed, and when we started right in with a mix of Italian and German they were soon our best friends, and we ate and drank the night away. The German couple we met in Austria, who will visit us this summer, the French couple we met in Italy, and the Italian shop keeper who shared her stoop, a smoke and friendly, if broken conversation with before kissing me goodbye... I could go on and on with the stories.
A little language goes a long ways.