Weekend Word to the Wise (Learn the Language!)

I’m sure you’ve all heard about the “Ugly American”. It’s a term used to describe the American tourist that travels outside of the United States but expects everyplace they visit to be just like the Unites States.

You’ve probably even seen these people here in the States. When they encounter stores or shops that aren’t as good as the ones they have at home they complain; when someone speaks to them with a heavy accent, whether it’s a local accent or a foreign one, they complain that people should “talk English” to them; when they visit someplace that isn’t up to their standards they exclaim it’s not as good as it is “back home”.

In my opinion, if you want things to be like they are at home, or if you want people around to speak only English, you should stay home.

If you want to see the world, whether it’s more of the beautiful states we have here in the U.S., or to visit other countries, you should be open to your experiences and make yourself a part of the story, not just a mention in the description on the inside of the book jacket.

One of the best ways to do this is to learn to speak the language! Luckily, here in the U.S., you probably already do; however, you should allow yourself to be open to the different dialects and find out if there are any key words for basics that might be different than your own. If someone is speaking to you with a strong accent, don’t be afraid to ask them to slow down a bit or to repeat themselves so you better understand what they are saying. If you’re traveling to another country, you would do yourself a disservice if you didn’t take the time to learn, at least the very basics of, a new language.

Read the rest of this post at GlobeDiva Travels.