Self-organized trip abroad when you don’t speak English – yes, yes, yes!
Let me guess – as an adult travelling with children, you would rather rely on a travel agency because you’re worried that since you don’t speak English, you may have problems? Well, obviously knowing the language makes it so much easier to travel, and I always encourage everyone to learn J but is it actually true that if you don’t know any foreign languages, you are doomed to go on package holidays, to spend your vacation in Poland (which is a great option, but why limit yourself?), or – in the worst case scenario – to not go anywhere? I dare say that it is a myth. It depends on us: our level of English (literally no knowledge whatsoever, or maybe you can actually say a few things?), our personality (general temperament, openness, how we deal with difficult situations, problem-solving skills) and, of course, how well we are prepared for our trip. Thus, depending on those factors, we can distinguish two basic types of travellers.
“I can’t speak English at all, and I have problems dealing with situations that make me uncomfortable”
If you can’t speak English at all, or you know a word or two, but you can’t communicate, and additionally you are a shy person, you can of course still go on a self-organized holiday, but you really need to prepare well. First of all, make a list of basic words and expressions which you may need, and at least TRY to learn them. Have the list with you at all times. Most likely, in a crisis situation even if you aren’t able to pronounce the words correctly, you can always show them to your interlocutor 😉 Secondly, buy a pocket English phrase book, which you will be able to use whenever you need. Thirdly, make sure you have some basic apps on your phone (and take some time to learn how to use them 😉), which will help you function while travelling, without risking any linguistic misunderstandings: Google translate (translating texts), maps.me, Google maps. Fourthly, before you go on a holiday buy an Internet suite suited to your needs. Additionally, download some maps and dictionaries, so you can use them offline in an app), make sure your phone is always charged and take advantage of free Wi-Fi whenever you can.
“I can hardly speak English, but I am outgoing and I can deal with any problem”
That’s a way more optimistic scenario 😉 If you are outgoing and do not shy away from non-verbal communication or speaking the little English that you know, have no fear! The locals will surely be kind to you and happy to help. Whenever you are the client, trust me: the seller/service provider will do their best to finalize the transaction. However, to make that transaction satisfactory for both parties, I recommend following the tips from the previous paragraph 😉
Knowledge of English depends on the country
According to Wikipedia, English is the official language in the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Canada, Dominica, Fiji, the Philippines, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Hongkong, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Cameroon, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, the Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palau, Papua-New Guinea, South Africa, Rwanda, the Solomon Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Eswatini, Sudan, South Sudan, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tanzania, Tuvalu, Uganda, the United Kingdom, the United States, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Please bear in mind that English is the most common second language in the world (below you can find a map showing what the most common second languages in Europe are) – but this it is still not the same as the first language. If you are not a native speaker of English, than English is not just your second language; it is the same for all the others tourists. The more the merrier!😉
Practically every person who struggles with foreign languages experiences the language barrier to some extent. In my experience most Poles underestimate their language skills, they are shy and really afraid to speak. I’m not sure what the reason is – or rather, I suspect what it might be, but don’t get me started 😉 Nevertheless, compared to other nations, we really have nothing to be ashamed of, as can be seen from the figure below. It shows EF EPI values (EF English Proficiency Index), i.e. an index defining the level of English in a given country. In 2019 Poland ranked 11 and was qualified as one of only 14 countries characterized by “very high proficiency” (in English). Well done, Poles! 😊 Unfortunately, I often think that our self-esteem does not match our skills; we tend to grossly underestimate ourselves. Other nations typically have poorer English skills, but they have no problems communicating (and often believe they are genuinely good at English) – we should follow suit 😊 Practice makes perfect, so I wish you a lot of courage, openness and positive approach!
Source: ef.com
And now a long list of countries where you can get by without being able to speak English
The map below shows countries where most people speak English (dark blue), and countries where the minority know English, even though it is the official language (light blue). As can be seen, apart from the English-speaking countries, the whole world awaits us! 😊
Source: Wikipedia
There are many countries where other languages are more popular. Take for instance South America. A few years ago, when we were in Brazil, we felt like speaking English was not very helpful there. In fact, we might as well speak Polish there, as none understood us anyway (there was even one restaurant where they did not know what “thank you” means) 😉 From our European perspective, dominated by the English pop culture, this may be shocking, but it’s true nonetheless. Obviously English is becoming increasingly spoken in popular touristy places, but still the language barrier may cause some hilarious issues. For example, when I was in Sao Paolo, a bank clerk (!) asked me to sit at his work station and use a translator. However, I should stress that misunderstandings typically resulted in laughter, and South America has so much to offer, that we didn’t mind – plus, it encouraged us to learn Spanish (in the case of Brazil, although Portuguese is the official language, a lot of people speak Spanish as well) 😊
As a last resort, you can always go on a holiday to countries where it’s possible to communicate in Polish (or quasi-Polish) 😉 There are places which are so popular with Polish tourists that most people employed in tourism can understand the language and even communicate in it, such as Tunisia, Turkey, or Egypt. Moreover, there are countries famous for their hospitality and friendly, kind, open relations with Poles, such as Georgia – an excellent destination idea if you want to start your adventure with self-organized trips. Balkan countries, such as Croatia, are not only popular destinations for Poles, but the languages spoken there are quite easy to understand (for example, it’s rather easy to grasp at least some general idea when we listen to Croatian). Other countries where Slavic languages are spoken (the Balkans, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Eastern Europe) are obviously places where it should be the easiest to communicate, especially Slovakia (in my opinion, the language is the most similar to Polish in terms of sounds, vocabulary, etc.). In the worst case scenario, you will experience only funny, minor, tiny, itsy-bitsy misunderstandings 😉
Let’s learn foreign languages!
What would I like you to learn from this post? That it’s really worth preparing for a trip in all respects, especially if you don’t speak communicative English. The above tips are one thing, but typical lexical preparation is a different matter. This is why I would like to encourage you to study foreign languages, as it allows us to experience more deeply – both interactions with the locals, and the essence of the culture of a given place. It is important especially when travelling with kids; let’s show them that travelling is a constant adventure that allows us to learn about different cultures, languages and customs. Let’s invest in language-learning, especially for our children: to stimulate their brains and their beautiful minds. Maybe they will help us with some problematic holiday linguistic situations sooner than we think 😉
Marysieńska learning Spanish sitting on university steps in Havana 😉