Bad-mannered Brits admit to shouting and waving their arms in bid to communicate with locals abroad…

This week we launched a brand new piece of independent research on how British travellers cope with language barriers abroad – and the results are quite shocking.  Almost one third admit to speaking louder and slower and waving their arms or even pretending they understand the locals when they don’t.  And believe it or not, women have been found to be worse than men at adopting this inappropriate manner.

The question is are we really bad-mannered or a little bit ashamed and embarrassed about our lack of language skills?  We polled over 1,000 Brits and they certainly weren’t backward at coming forward with a number of ways in which they attempt to overcome the language barriers – although it’s fair to say that for the majority of us, ignorance is bliss with 53% saying they don’t worry about language barriers because most people overseas speak English anyway – the truth is, 82% don’t! 

61% of laid-back Britons simply hope to understand the odd word to get by, but 17% of those surveyed have never ventured to a country where they don’t speak the native language and 4% would avoid a country altogether for this reason.  More alarmingly, and despite a clear lack of language skills only 10% worry that they would struggle to communicate in an emergency situation.

All of this comes in the wake of the official launch of i-interpret4u – the personal telephone interpreting service which allows you to put an interpreter in your pocket 24/7 and allows you to communicate in 85 languages exactly at the moment you need to.  And forget so-called translation tools, this is different.  This new service is about real human beings, real live situations and a way of dealing with language barriers that really works.  Visit our site now to find out more www.i-interpret4u.co.uk

 

Asia and Australia most popular destinations for backpackers

Recent research announced this week has discovered that well-known backpacker’s haven Asia, is the most popular destination on the gap travellers’ hot list closely followed by Australia as an ideal choice to combine work with adventure.  But what is interesting is the complete diversity of these two destinations. Both provide the warmth and tropical climate that so many travellers hanker after, but comparing Sydney (the most common location in Oz for the gap year adventure to begin), with Bangkok (a hugely popular destination amongst Brit gap year travellers) is like comparing chalk and cheese.

Of course, travelling along the coastline of Australia as you stop-off at numerous locations brings with it a certain home-from-home comfort (aside from the legendary snakes and creepy crawlies) – after all, English is the spoken language so most travellers won’t lose any sleep over whether they’ll be able to communicate with the locals or not – you get lost, you ask someone, simple.  Now consider Thailand and you have a different situation entirely.  A buzzing city, a brand new culture, a whole set of new traditions, rules and regulations; and a completely new way of life which is unlike anything you’ve been used to back home, even when London’s at its busiest.  Communicating with locals in these kinds of locations is a different ball game altogether.  So being prepared is a must.

If you are considering heading off on an adventure towards the Asian shores, it’s worth doing your research beforehand.  Check out those areas where English-speaking locals are more common, avoid areas which are deemed unsafe or where there is a greater chance of misunderstanding the local laws.  Stick to well-lit areas and try to stay in a group and avoid going out at night alone.  These are all logical rules to follow but you’d be amazed how easy it is to get into trouble in a city where you don’t understand the language and are unable to communicate should a difficult situation arise.  It’s always best to err on the side of caution and minimise the risk of causing an offence or putting yourself in danger.

Gap year travel is becoming increasing popular year on year and for the most part it should be an exciting journey of discovery, but sometimes the boring bit (the planning in advance) is overlooked as people would rather spend time looking for a pair of new sunglasses for their impending trip than get bogged down in the detail of language barriers and safety tips – but spending even half an hour on this important aspect could really make all the difference to your experience.

It’s never too late to see the world…

According to this week’s headlines from a major travel site, not travelling enough has been cited as a top regret for the over 50s.  This is in contrast to our blog two weeks ago in which a new survey indicated a rise in over 50s looking for more adventurous holidays.  But perhaps the truth is, not enough people are actually making their travel adventure dreams come true?  Or at least, they are possibly waiting until retirement before they make further plans to visit more exotic destinations?

In fact 64% of over 50s said that they travel abroad less than once a year but 63% said they planned to see more of the world once they had retired.  The real message here is, it’s never too late to see the world and you don’t need to spend hours and hours on long flights to experience new and exciting cultures; there are plenty of destinations within a five-hour flight which have an abundance of beautiful sights and historical artefacts to explore – such as Jordan, Morocco and mainland Greece to name a few.

Interestingly the US, Australia and South Africa were highlighted as the top destinations that over 50s Brits had wished they had gotten around to visiting.  Funny that Brits seem to warm towards countries which speak their own language – could this be a deciding factor when choosing a destination?  Are the more mature generation more comfortable going to a country where they know the lingo – and indeed, does travelling to a country with an unfamiliar language deter people from visiting?  It’s a good question and one that we may never know the answer to.  If the language barrier is a deciding factor for some, it does mean that people are missing out on experiencing the true wonder of the world.

Travelling abroad is far more accessible than it was 30/40 years ago, and sometimes people need to travel a little further out of their comfort zone to see the world in all of its glory.

‘Five of the best’ – ideas for speaking the language of ‘’love’

 

The season of hearts and flowers is upon us, and personal telephone interpreting service i-interpret4u, has some great suggestions for wooing your loved one in the language of love this Valentine’s Day:

Five of the most romantic languages to say ‘I love you’:

1.    Te Amo (Spanish)

2.    Ti Amo (Italian)

3.    Je t’aime (French)

4.    Eu Te Amo (Portuguese)

5.    Te iubesc (Romanian)

 

Five of the most romantic destinations

1.    Paris

2.    Venice

3.    Rome

4.    Hawaii

5.    Fiji

 

Five of the best, language-related gifts

1.    A romantic language course for two.

2.    An Italian, French or Spanish cookery course.

3.    An old French or Spanish romantic movie with subtitles

4.    An iTunes voucher for useful travel apps, or a subscription to a personal interpreter service, or a phrase book/pocket translator.

5.    A book on a romantic destination.

 

Five of the best ways to bring the language of love to your doorstep (without having to leave the country!)

1.    Choose one of the best ‘languages of love’ and theme your Valentine date around it.

2.    Cook a romantic meal at home – and theme it around your chosen language (choose French, Spanish, Italian recipes).

3.    Do some research and choose wine or soft drinks to compliment your theme.

4.    Learn a poem or a romantic phrase in another language to impress your date (you could even announce/explain each course you have cooked in the chosen language).

5.    Choose some French, Italian or Spanish music to set the scene.

 

Adventurous over 50’s want more from their holiday abroad

Did you know that last year, a 73-year-old Japanese woman became the oldest female to climb to the summit of Everest, the world's tallest peak?  Pretty impressive stuff – but apparently it’s all the rage!

A new survey from a major UK travel company has revealed this week, that Brits over the age of 50 have a growing taste for adventure travel.  Forget laying towels on the pool-side sun-beds at 6am, never mind lazing on golden sands in your sandals and socks or paddling in the shallows, todays over 50’s Brits are looking for something much more exotic.

Such adventure travel usually means visiting places further afield, whether it’s coming face to face with dangerous wildlife on a safari in Kenya, mountaineering in Nepal, a colourful rainforest trek in Malaysia or a visit to an under-developed country; the chances of meeting locals who don’t speak English is magnified.  Being able to communicate in those native languages would certainly add a little more colour to the whole traveller experience; but for most of us laid-back Brits content with muddling along, phrase book in hand, we could find ourselves in a difficult situation should we fall ill during a trek, have an accident or get bitten by a poisonous snake for example.  Flicking through a phrase book just might not be an option.

It’s encouraging to hear that more people want to experience new cultures and destinations in later life, but engaging in daring experiences in a bid to get the most out of trips abroad can also be dangerous if travellers are not adequately prepared.  There is a tendency to be so fixated on the excursion or holiday itself that the serious side of travelling half way across the world is overlooked – even though travellers are venturing further afield to unfamiliar countries and climates.  It pays to do some research and also to recognise that when it comes to language barriers, UK travellers will increasingly find themselves in scenarios where they simply don’t understand what is being said to them.  In most cases that won’t be the end of the world, but in some it might be just that.

Most people wouldn’t go on an adventure holiday without travel insurance (they may even take out a better policy so that they are covered for other instances), so using a service like i-interpret4u to make sure you can communicate in over 85 languages if you need to, would give extra peace of mind as an inexpensive but much-needed addition to the comfort of good insurance cover.

Record numbers of Brits holidaying in Jordan – but Middle Eastern languages could present challenges for tourists…

News this week from an online flight operator in the UK, announced that the number of British tourists visiting Jordan in 2012 had hit new record highs of 69,845; revealing that some UK travellers are indeed getting more adventurous when choosing a holiday destination.  Of course, certain historic events may have had something to do with the sudden rise in popularity of the location - 2012 marked the 200^th anniversary of the rediscovery of the ancient city of Petra and the 50^th anniversary of the release of the classic film Lawrence of Arabia (shot for the most part in Jordan’s Wadi Rum desert).

It’s encouraging to see more Brits venturing away from the comfort zone of the Mediterranean and dipping their toes into the waters of the Dead Sea instead.  The appeal of new cultures, epic landscapes, ancient lands steeped in history, not to mention the guarantee of plenty of sunshine, are all likely to be contributing factors to the recent flourish of UK visitors.  But travelling in a region where there are so many unique languages and dialects spoken could present some very real challenges for British travellers.

The most common languages in the Middle East are Arabic, Farsi and Turkish.  For Jordan itself, Arabic is the official language, but the spoken language is Jordanian Arabic.  Modern Standard Arabic is learnt at public and most private schools, but Caucasian languages such as Circassian and Chechen are also understood and spoken by some small communities residing in Jordan – add to that the fact that in many areas of the Middle East the local dialect is mixed up with one or more foreign languages.  For example in Lebanon, French and English are often mixed with the local Arabic dialect so when it comes to language barriers, you may find you’re spoilt for choice!

Aside from the language barriers, visiting the Middle East can also be a real culture-shock for many people with new laws, traditions and customs to consider.  Thankfully, affordable, personal telephone interpreting services like i-interpret4u mean that British travellers can continue to explore these ancient sites and enjoy the rich, historic tapestry that countries like Jordan have to offer, safe in the knowledge that if they do need to communicate, choices of relevant, Middle Eastern language options are available in real-time via a live, experienced interpreter..

It’s Groundhog Day for Brits on holiday – and the language barrier might be to blame…

Recent news from an online flight company has found that after polling 1,000 British holidaymakers a high proportion (40%), admitted they go back to the same holiday resort or hotel every year rather than attempting to explore somewhere new.  It’s actually quite extraordinary that so many of us would prefer to play it safe when going abroad even though there is a big wide world out there full of wonder and new adventures.

The main reasons for this were cited as the ‘price’ and ‘good weather’; but interestingly, ‘ease of travel’ and ‘peace of mind’ were also a close second.  To add to this, the most popular destinations aside from the UK seemed to be USA and Spain – now, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put two and two together here.  Taking these factors into account it wouldn’t be at all flippant to assume that a fear of the ‘language barrier’ or the issues associated with communicating in an unfamiliar country are part and parcel of this attempt to achieve ‘travel self-preservation’ for want of a better phrase.

Spain is typically a popular destination for those wanting a good beach, some sunshine but a slice of British life on the side.  With many Spanish locals having a decent understanding of the English language, no shortage of British-style pubs and cuisine, the Mediterranean coastline is an obvious choice for many.  Similarly with the USA, you know what you’re getting – the type of food, the location and also there’s only a slight change in accent to deal with rather than a whole new language. But sadly, this leaves much of the rest of the world untouched (or inexperienced) by many UK travellers.

It begs the question, regardless of the destination if it were possible to put the power of multiple languages into the hands’ of UK travellers would it be a different story?  If we could comfortably travel to any destination in the world and know that help is at our fingertips should we stumble into the language barrier, would it make a difference?  Food for thought indeed.  Certainly having access to a live interpreter ‘in your pocket’ at the very moment you need it, might change your opinion of travelling further afield – and it may even open up new opportunities of adventure and exploration for many of us that we otherwise wouldn’t have had the courage to embark upon.

Perhaps it’s time to re-set your alarm clock and hopefully you won’t hear that familiar tune ringing out the next time you book your holiday…”Then put your little hand in mine, there ain’t no hill or mountain we can’t climb…” too true.