Language Matters

One thing I've learned from experience is that you have to be careful when speaking a foreign language. Dictionaries are helpful for basic words but unless they're very thorough (the huge doorstop type that you can't fit in a suitcase), they might not show you exactly what you need to know. This happened to me on my second trip to Rome when I was at a party with my Italian relatives, most of whom spoke no English. I had spent quite some time improving my Italian with classes & conversation and so I felt pretty confident about being able to chat with them. One of my American cousins was traveling with me and I was trying to explain that he was also my landlord - the translation in my pocket dictionary was proprietario. Fortunately, our English-speaking cousin was sitting with us and quickly added, "di casa" - right away I realized that actually I had said that he was my pimp... (the word proprietario also means "owner" so adding di casa, "of the house," makes the meaning clear).

It's also easy to get into trouble if your pronunciation or spelling slips even by a single letter. Another time in Rome, I was traveling with an old friend who knew some Italian and my cousins invited us over for lunch. My pal tried to say that the bread (pane) was delicious but inadvertently substituted an e for the a and wound up saying... well, something R-rated. Like most people I've met abroad, my cousins were understanding of foreigners who struggle with their language, but they got a great big laugh out of it too.

So in countries where I had absolutely no prior knowledge of the language, like the Czech Republic (where the picture was taken), I played it safe. However, everyone should make the effort to learn even the most basic words and phrases. It's common courtesy. Not only does it help you, but it makes a good impression on your hosts who might have run into one too many "ugly American." Again, with rare exceptions people are tolerant of foreigners, especially in places that depend heavily on tourism, but learning some of their language shows that you are trying to understand and appreciate their culture. It always breaks the ice and it might make you a new friend who's just as eager to practice their English.