4 ms·
Okay, how about this then: If it is in Latin script, the tourists from countries with Latin-based languages can phonetically butcher whatever it is they're att
by jsgo 8y ago
Okay, how about this then:
If it is in Latin script, the tourists from countries with Latin-based languages can phonetically butcher whatever it is they're attempting to communicate with the other party.
If it is in Cyrillic script, the tourists from countries with Latin-based languages can just stare at a person blankly or point at words on paper/signage if the other party is close enough. Provided they traveled at all for fear of this scenario.
Honestly, I think it is reasonable to attempt to obtain at least a passing capability to communicate in a foreign area, but the question is why would someone used to a Latin language prefer a similarly derived language vs one with completely different glyphs.
- emodendroket 8y agoThis benefit, again, seems small (you may just be completely impossible to understand), and ignores the fact that Kazakhstan probably has more visitors from Russian-speaking places.
- jsgo 8y agowhile I think it seems pretty reasonable to assume that their tourists are currently from countries with Cyrillic-based languages, they're making a concerted effort to draw more Western audiences. How that'll play out, not sure, but I don't think the premise is silly.
- emodendroket 8y agoI expect that this change will make almost no difference, if not no difference at all, in that respect, while imposing significant costs in other ways.
- amaccuish 8y agoI can't recall a time I chose not to go to a country because their alphabet was different...
- gsich 8y agoCyrillic is not hard to learn.
- yosito 8y agoMost people don't learn a new alphabet just to go on vacation though, so this change will remove a lot of friction.
- disordinary 8y agoYou're just backing up the stereotype of an English speaker unfortunately. Cyrilic is extremely easy to learn, you can do it in under an hour, and even in Russia most places that tourists interact will have latin and cyrilic versions of the same text (on the metro, etc). Countries like China are tougher to travel in, but it's not exactly difficult.
- emodendroket 8y ago> Countries like China are tougher, but it's not exactly difficult. Uh, no, that's definitely wrong. Learning Chinese script is a very difficult and time-consuming task. Literacy in Japanese requires about 2,000 characters; literacy in Chinese requires about 5,000.
- disordinary 8y agoI mean difficuilt to get around as a tourist - of course I didn't mean learn the glyphs, I've backpacked across China and, yes, if you're looking for a particular street you have to compare it carefully, you're making out the shapes as a picture rather than reading it like a language, but it's not that hard. I modified my comment to better reflect the intention.
- yosito 8y agoI speak three languages. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- shard 8y ago