Ending up in a foreign hospital tops the list of fears for Brits travelling abroad this season…

During the last week or so the newspaper headlines have reported that hard-up hospitals in Spain are either turning British patients away from A&E if they don’t have adequate travel insurance or indeed are stinging UK citizens for health treatment which under EU reciprocal arrangement via the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)) should be free of charge.

We’ve been naturally quite drawn to these recent stories and it does suggest that some hospitals in Spain are more concerned with money than medicine.  Sadly, UK taxpayers, who have the misfortune of falling ill while on holiday and worse still, ending up in a foreign hospital and needing treatment, are being ripped off with huge medical bills.

It’s probably no great surprise then that a new piece of travel research commissioned by i-interpret4u, discovered that ‘getting ill and ending up in a foreign hospital is the single biggest top fear for Brits when travelling overseas.  These findings are indeed reflective of recent headlines.

A nation of worriers – our research also confirmed that 83% of UK holidaymakers confirm they do worry about going on holiday abroad leaving just a very small proportion of us (17%) completely at ease with the idea. Respondents were asked to name their top three fears when holidaying abroad – the majority of people cited getting ill and ending up in a foreign hospital as their biggest fear.  In second place was the prospect of losing your passport, followed by losing your luggage as the third most popular answer.

Dealing with scenarios like these while abroad are always worrying, you’re miles away from home, you don’t speak the language, often you don’t truly understand the culture.  To make matters worse, hospitals in Spain and many other countries are trying to survive in a struggling economy and tourist hot-spots like this that are popular with Brits put us directly in the line of fire from a cost point of view.  Add to that the language barrier and the scenario becomes all the more complex for even the most seasoned traveller to deal with.

 

Brits get stung for hospital treatment in Spain

The Daily Express covered an article this week which revealed that hard-up hospitals in Spain are stinging British people for health treatment that should be free, it says this is because Spain's crumbling economy is being destroyed by its doomed membership of the Eurozone.

The article continues to say that as a result, sick, injured and frightened British tourists and expats who have the misfortune to need emergency treatment while abroad are being swindled by hospitals that are more concerned about money than medicine.

Apparently the first question you're likely to be asked in a Spanish hospital is not "Where does it hurt?" but "Tienes seguro de viaje?" - do you have travel insurance? Answer “no” and you could be off to another hospital in a taxi - at your own expense of course. Evidence has also shown that the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) we're told to take abroad with us means nothing in a Spanish A&E.

This story left most of us at i-interpret4u wondering how many of these medical incidences could have been either avoided or indeed dealt with in a more cost-effective and efficient way (for both the traveller and the insurer) had the British traveller been able to communicate in Spanish at the point of arrival at the hospital – and perhaps even prior to that?  How many operations or treatments actually take place as a result of misunderstandings or through lack of coherent communication?  The numbers of cases are probably in their hundreds.  Indeed how many British citizens get stung with huge personal hospital bills because they don’t understand exactly what treatment they have just agreed to?

It’s worrying enough to become ill or injured while you’re on holiday, but ending up in a foreign hospital hundreds of miles away from home and the safety net of the NHS, is something that we’d all rather avoid.  Add to that the language barrier and you might as well have landed on Mars. 

 

Englishisms dans la France – so to speak

A bit of light humour for this week’s blog entry – we were amused by the BBC’s recent article on Englishisms in France, meaning the way that certain English words or phrases just get dropped into conversation or onto street and shop signs which blatantly don’t fit with the French language.

This article was spurred by a row over plans to teach some courses at French universities in English – some French citizens and defenders of the language of Molière were said to be outraged by the suggestion – yet the BBC remind us that plenty of French people habitually sprinkle their speech with Franglais.

The article shared some readers favourite examples of this – our favourites are: talkie-walkie (the equivalent of walkie-talkie in French) – genius!  Also the phrases: “faire du shopping" and "le booze-cruising” another couple of classics.

On a more serious note, interpretation of language can be a tricky thing.  There are so many different accents, dialects and idioms – not to mention accidently using a word in English that has a completely different meaning in another language but sounds similar (known as a ‘false friend’).  Then you have speech impediments and other language-related obstacles to consider too.  All of these elements can really get in the way when it comes to making sense of other languages, and indeed communicating with locals while overseas.

The idea of dropping a sudden English word into an obvious French phrase might seem amusing (and in many cases it is) but it can also help us British travellers massively when it comes to deciphering other languages.  Just giving us that hint or little inkling of an English word could be the answer to our prayers should we find ourselves in the middle of an area where no one speaks English (which is not uncommon – even in France, although some might not believe it).  Head out of a tourist area and you will find that most people don’t speak English at all.

In this situation, feasting your eyes upon a sign saying ‘Le Snack Bar’ or ‘Le Check-in’ at the local airport might just be what you needed to see!

Moving abroad: considerations for expats, or not?

This week, A Place in the Sun published an article offering five steps for successful moving abroad.  Those tips included, making the decision to go (obviously); doing your research – citing insurance, learning about new currency, seasons, what clothes to wear, type of food, transport and of course, language barriers as the key areas.  The move itself was mentioned as a tip (saying your goodbyes, getting over the culture shock etc.) Then, upgrading your lifestyle once settled into a routine and finally, direction – whether or not you stay in that country or decide to move to another one.

Clearly moving overseas is a big decision, not one to be taken lightly and therefore trying to fit even a fraction of the considerations into one article is no easy task.  But we have to question some of the observations behind this list of tips, with the last two surely being irrelevant in the scheme of things.  If you’re thinking of moving abroad, it’s all about what is happening right now, it’s the immediate things you need to deal with – rather than over planning the future (which you can face later).

Aside from making the actual decision (which is surely a given otherwise the article is pretty much redundant from the start), we would agree that doing your research beforehand is probably the biggest and most sensible tip of all.  It’s an absolute must, if you’re considering taking the plunge, uprooting the family and travelling to a new country.  There are many references to the prospect of ‘culture shock’ that many people will need to overcome.  Indeed it remains the biggest reason that people end up coming back home having decided that they miss their ‘home country’ too much. 

How can you help yourself? Try making friends with locals as well as people from your own country.  There is a tendency to veer towards others who are English too, but it won’t help you to experience new cultures and traditions.  To feel properly at home, you need to start integrating yourself into the local community by being open to new conversations and possibly facing up to your language demons.  Many locals you meet won’t speak a word of English, so communicating will be a challenge in itself – but embracing this rather than avoiding it could help you on your journey to fluency or at least prepare you for how you might attempt to communicate in the future.  Either way, you’ll soon know if it’s the right location for you or not.

Lights, camera, action for i-interpret4u

You probably will have noticed that we don’t spend that much time on our blog talking about
our personal, telephone interpreting service i-interpret4u.  We usually focus on topical stories, advisory hints and tips and general talking points to keep our readers engaged.  But this week we couldn’t resist sharing some exciting news with you.

i-interpret4u experienced its TV debut last week as it aired at 9pm last Tuesday evening on the John Scott Show, The Holiday & Cruise Channel, Sky channel 284.  Our resident language expert, Michael French, took to the couch and engaged in some thought-provoking discussion with a rather jolly John Scott in a rather colourful shirt, who quizzed him on the issues associated with language barriers abroad.

Michael gave some great hints and tips for British travellers (and avid cruisers alike) on how to cope in certain scenarios, shared some real-life experiences and also explained to viewers how to use the new, affordable i-interpret4u service should they encounter a language barrier overseas and need to communicate in real time.

If you’re travelling overseas this year, cruising or not – it’s worth taking a look if for nothing else than to get a bit of helpful advice.  Click on the link below – you can watch episode 6 on the website and Michael is the first guest on the show so no waiting around either…

 

Happy viewing!

 

http://www.holidayandcruisechannel.co.uk/the-john-scott-show.html

Are language difficulties putting UK students off from studying abroad?

Research this week from the British Council (which has been tracking the opinions of international students since 2007), has posed the idea that many students in the UK are being put off from studying abroad because they are worried about language barriers. 

Students often look upon the decision to study overseas as a way of travelling the world.  It is the whole cultural experience of living and studying overseas that makes this way of life so appealing to most students – and remains a popular reason for choosing this route to further education.  But ironically, the wealth of different languages spoken across the world is surely a big part of what makes travelling abroad such a ‘cultural’ wonder; remove this and you remove the authenticity of the experience.

It’s well documented that the skills gained whilst studying overseas can develop and expand a student’s abilities and credentials, making them more attractive to potential, future employers – which in a market over-crowded with jobless graduates has to be a differentiator. 

For students worried about language barriers, it’s all about learning to live with the fact that you can’t speak every language. With the best will in the world you might attempt to brush up on a few phrases, but in reality, you’ll need to live in the chosen country for quite a long period of time before you move even half-way toward fluency.  But there are other ways to communicate while you are abroad and you shouldn’t let these concerns override the fantastic opportunities that living and studying abroad can provide.

Cost was also cited as another prime concern for students studying overseas along with oversubscription to certain institutions and a lack of diversity of courses.

Choosing a holiday destination that will capture your child's imagination...

As the British weather finally looks like it might be taking a much-needed U-turn, people are hopefully starting to get into that Spring/Summer mood.  Dreams of beach holidays and exciting travel plans are on the horizon for many as May/June will see many thousands venturing overseas for warmth, relaxation and adventure.

But for those with young families the prospect of travelling abroad can be daunting to say the least.  As a result, many parents find themselves opting for countries closer to home (if not within the UK itself) such as Spain, France or the Balearic Islands where most people in the resorts speak English and the areas are well-populated with British tourists/restaurants etc. But such ‘closed’ views of travel destinations mean that children could be missing out on lifetime travel adventures and experiences to inspire and capture their imaginations (elements of learning which are so vitally important for early year’s development).

So, why not skip Menorca or Malaga this year, and instead brave it and take them on a trip of a lifetime?  Whether it’s heading to the Grand Canyon, the Galapagos Islands or parts of Asia and Africa – these are trips that change lives.

Travel is the best way to learn about the world around you and its varying cultures, languages and traditions – you may even hear languages that are spoken in a different way than what you might have seen on TV.  Being able to communicate with people in other languages is also a great way to get a real insight into what it is like to live in that country and indeed, advice on must-see places that you should visit from a local’s perspective.

Choosing the right holiday destination takes a bit of careful consideration and planning, but try to find a common ground or particular interest with your child i.e. do they love marine life, are they interested in sculptures or archaeology?  Travelling further afield should be an exciting experience and with proper planning and preparation your child will learn about the colourful and wonderful world we live in.