Brits abroad not as bad with foreign language as the stereotype suggests

Gracias! Brits abroad are getting more confident with foreign languages

It’s a stereotype we’re all familiar with, and one that many of us will resent – the image of the monolingual Brit abroad in foreign climes, talking loudly and slowly to a bemused waiter in an attempt to get their message across to those ‘foreign types’.

Perhaps you’ve seen it happen, or even been guilty of doing it yourself. But a recent survey by the Travel Supermarket would suggest that it’s not so commonplace as the stereotype would have us believe. In fact, of the 2,000 British holidaymakers they surveyed, an encouraging 59 per cent said that they attempt the local language when travelling abroad…

And what’s more, the research not only showed that more Brits than ever are trying to speak a foreign language, but that they are increasingly polite when doing so.

Travel Supermarket’s findings revealed that a quarter of all British holidaymakers continue to add to their vocabulary whilst on holiday, asking local hotel and service staff for useful phrases and tips to help them get by in the local tongue.

The most common words Brits try to remember and repeat are ‘Thank you’, ‘Please’ and ‘Excuse me’, which suggests that those fabled British good manners don’t in fact get left behind in the departure lounge. As a matter of fact, another recent survey by travel website Expedia ranked British tourists in the top group for politeness, alongside Canadians, Germans and the Japanese.

Another encouraging sign that Brits are broadening their cultural horizons is evidenced by the Travel Supermarket’s findings that just ten per cent of holidaying Brits subscribe to the notion that it’s pointless to attempt another language because “everybody speaks English anyway.” In this category, the Americans fared worse, with 12 per cent holding that same value.

Brits abroad are becoming more confident with their linguistic efforts, too. The Travel Supermarket study asked each of the participants whether they knew any helpful foreign phrases, with less than half confident that they could say a phrase in another language. However, when the following five phrases were put to them, nearly all in the survey knew at least one, and one in three knew all of them:

• ‘Parlez-vous Anglais?’ (French)
• ‘Ou est la plage?’ (French)
• ‘Donde está la estación de autobus?’ (Spanish)
• ‘Dos cervezas por favor’ (Spanish)
• ‘Quanto costa?’ (Italian)

When holidaying or living in Spain – particularly the Costa del Sol – it can be tempting to forego all attempts at speaking Spanish. After all, the area is blessed with an impressive level of multiculturalism, with English spoken throughout the region by a mixed bag of nationalities.

Yet to truly experience real Spain – its people, its culture, its cuisine, its hidden gems – then it pays to pick up the lingo, even if it’s just a little bit. And now, after this helpful and heartening survey, you really do have no excuse!