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Learning the local's language is THE way to become in good favour of those who live there. When I'm travelling for more than a few days I learn "hello" and "Sor

Learning the local's language is THE way to become in good favour of those who live there. When I'm travelling for more than a few days I learn "hello" and "Sorry, I don't speak x language" which usually gets a smile and I can then politely ask if they speak english. I used to learn enough to read a menu but these days I get lazy with Google translate (which is incredible, when you use it in real-life. Hands down, digital translation is one of my favourite technologies)

sersi 7y ago
It's super obvious in Hong Kong, speak English and you get the world class indifferent service HK is famous for. Speak Mandarin and you get even worse. Speak a bit of Cantonese as a foreigner and everyone is all smiles and you get better service than locals :)
nerdponx 7y ago
It's also in my opinion basic courtesy. You are a guest in their country, at least try to learn how to say hello and thank you.
- karl_schlagenfu 7y ago
  I disagree, English is fast becoming (already is?) the global language. It makes sense to standardise on English instead of learning hundreds of different languages (which is no easy task).
  - Infinitesimus 7y ago
    English is woefully inadequate to capture cultural nuances of a lot of places in this blue-green spinny ball though I grew up multi lingual before moving to the US and there are still several things that i have to say "well, there's no word for that in English but it's kind of xyz". There are so many ideas, thoughts and feelings that cannot be captured with the English language presently. Of course every language has that issue across borders so I'm not convinced standardizing in english as a global language will bring enough benefit to be worth the cost
    - celticninja 7y ago
      I think that's unfair, just because there is no direct or succinct translation doesn't mean the same thought cannot be expressed, it's just that it needs to be more verbose perhaps. It is also incredibly open to new ideas and words, best put by James Nicoll >The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.
  - AYBABTME 7y ago
    Either you haven't gone many places, or you did so with a special kind of insensitivity. People all over the place have cultures and languages that is part of their identity. When you bulldoze over that and just use english without any further bother, these people feel that you rob them of who they are, that you attempt to commoditize them as an interchangeable people that just happens to be present in these lands.
  - celticninja 7y ago
    That's my excuse, but I know it's an excuse (and not a reason) for not learning a different language. I do however learn and use the pleasantries of any local language because that's just good manners.

sersi 7y ago

It's super obvious in Hong Kong, speak English and you get the world class indifferent service HK is famous for. Speak Mandarin and you get even worse. Speak a bit of Cantonese as a foreigner and everyone is all smiles and you get better service than locals :)

nerdponx 7y ago

It's also in my opinion basic courtesy. You are a guest in their country, at least try to learn how to say hello and thank you.

karl_schlagenfu 7y ago
I disagree, English is fast becoming (already is?) the global language. It makes sense to standardise on English instead of learning hundreds of different languages (which is no easy task).
- Infinitesimus 7y ago
  English is woefully inadequate to capture cultural nuances of a lot of places in this blue-green spinny ball though I grew up multi lingual before moving to the US and there are still several things that i have to say "well, there's no word for that in English but it's kind of xyz". There are so many ideas, thoughts and feelings that cannot be captured with the English language presently. Of course every language has that issue across borders so I'm not convinced standardizing in english as a global language will bring enough benefit to be worth the cost
  - celticninja 7y ago
    I think that's unfair, just because there is no direct or succinct translation doesn't mean the same thought cannot be expressed, it's just that it needs to be more verbose perhaps. It is also incredibly open to new ideas and words, best put by James Nicoll >The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.
- AYBABTME 7y ago
  Either you haven't gone many places, or you did so with a special kind of insensitivity. People all over the place have cultures and languages that is part of their identity. When you bulldoze over that and just use english without any further bother, these people feel that you rob them of who they are, that you attempt to commoditize them as an interchangeable people that just happens to be present in these lands.
- celticninja 7y ago
  That's my excuse, but I know it's an excuse (and not a reason) for not learning a different language. I do however learn and use the pleasantries of any local language because that's just good manners.