Results by "P.D. Kendall" in All categories

Do you go on vacation praying that everyone will speak English? Want to learn enough Spanish and French for situations like in hotels and restaurants, but don't want to buy a 30-hour course to try and make you 'fluent' ? Want a book that teaches you useful phrases like 'Can I have the check, please?" and "I have a reservation in the name of Smith", and not stuff you will never say like "This broccoli is under-cooked"? Want to do all that in a week or two?

Do you get frustrated when you're on vacation and you can't make yourself understood? Or maybe you'd like to be appreciated by the locals and your family for making an effort? Maybe you don't want to come across as that guy who thinks everyone should speak English? I was that guy once. We went on vacation to Costa Rica, and in the more remote places we went, not a single person spoke English. I ended up miming things to bemused locals, or saying English words really slowly, and I felt really dumb. By the end of the trip, I vowed I wouldn't put myself in that situation again.

In large parts of France where they don't speak English, the reception you get in the restaurant if you say "Bonsoir, avez vous une table pour quatre s'il vous plait?" instead of mumbling in English, is night and day.