TO SPEAK WITH GERMAN FRIENDS OR FAMILY, OR WHEN TOURING AROUND, IS MUCH EASIER THAN LEARNING FOR BUSINESS OR EXAMS.
When you are staying in holiday resorts or tourist hotels in any country, you are not only a guest, you are the person on whom that resort or hotel depends for its livelihood.
As a result, many of the people serving you will have been employed because they can speak a number of languages – likely including yours. So why should you struggle with learning the language of the country you are visiting?
Mainly for interest, courtesy, economy and protection. The more you understand, the more intelligent and comprehensible questions you can ask – the more you will enjoy your holiday and get to know your European relatives.
If you want to buy presents and meals, or rent hotel rooms at the most economical prices, being able to read price lists and discount offers, and being able to negotiate a “deal” (whilst understanding the vendors language) can save you money and time.
Then there is the question of protection and security. Whilst most European countries are just as safe as the U.K., it is mainly in tourist areas that pick-pockets, fraudsters and car-thieves, etc., tend to congregate.
Accidents also have a knack of happening when you are on holiday – car breakdowns and minor personal injury, etc.
When you can handle these situations in another language as well as your own, you are not only safer, but also more confident and capable of achieving a good result and rescuing you and yours from difficult situations which might otherwise have spoiled your holiday.
To ask Elisabeth for advice:
Phone: (01342) 811099.