English is spoken as a first language by approximately three hundred fifty million people out of a global population of close to seven billion. Many English speakers seem to believe that wherever you go on holiday you can get by speaking English, so there’s no point in learning any other languages. If people don’t understand you all you have to do is speak slowly and turn up the volume. You can more or less get away with this, as long as you stick to popular tourist resorts and hotels where you can usually find someone who speaks English. However, Ludwig Wittgenstein said, “The limits of my language are the limits of my universe”. Who wouldn't want to be exposed to an unlimited universe?
However, if you want to venture beyond such places, do more than just take photos and post them on social media, to get to know the locals, to read signs, menus, etc., knowing the local language is necessary and will make your travel experiences so much better. A basic ability in a foreign language will help you:
- To enable you to safely navigate around your destination.
- To immerse yourself in the culture more fully.
- Enable you to meet people with very diverse life experiences and outlooks.
- It will also ensure you can order food and drink, find your way around, buy tickets etc.
- If you have a more advanced knowledge of the language, you can have real conversations with the people you meet, which can be very interesting and will add a new dimension to your holiday, you may even establish lifelong friendships.
- Learning a foreign language can revolutionize your travel experience.
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