Did your parents tell you to learn languages since you were little? Some extra English classes? A language school? Spanish, French, German or Italian? Did you go through exams, heavy vocab learning and trying to understand what does past perfect really mean? How does it look today? Did the hours spent on books translate into skills in adult life or have you forgotten all the languages you learned when you were little?
My memories of learning languages are varied! I guess I always liked learning them but, like anybody, I also had bad teachers, got bored during lessons and cursed the need to go to British Council early Saturday morning. On the other hand I loved learning Spansh, both in Warsaw and then in practice while I was in Bilbao on student’s exchange. Each moment of studying, better and worse teachers, each stressful exam made me what I am today. I have clients from London and feel pretty much at home in Barcelona and Madrid while in Italy I can easily go through a menu in a restaurant and ask „Dove possiamo mangiare?”.
Foreign languages are useful at work but right now they come much more in handy during travels! They’re essential! There is a strong reason behind people who do not know the language to go for all inclusive vacation with a tourist office. Because of the language, we went to Mexico for a first exotic trip with Maks since I knew I would feel better with a 6 month old child in a place where I can communicate. Spanish was helpful on many occasions – in Mexico and Spain where it might have been difficult to go through several situations without the language knowledge.
But let’s be straight: there will always be places where we communication using hands, by drawing, waving and using just a few words written in the dictionary is necessary. And I don’t mean exotic countries such as Vietnam or Indonesia…
Just go to Normandy or Brittany not knowing French. You’ll find yourself facing a menu in French and staff who say there’s no English version. We’ve been through that on many occasions on our trip through the North of France. English, Spanish and Italian (Łukasz knows a bit of it) didn’t help at all… So we went through the French menu and tried to guess what is what. We got something from the internet, we compared some things to another and tried to work hem out: because if jamón in Spanish means am then jambon in French should mean pretty much the same, right? I memorised magical chevre chaud and always knew how to ask for a salad with my beloved hot goat’s cheese. But still there were plenty of funny situations. For instance when Łukasz wanted to have a dessert in Paris and asked: „Can I have a dessert with strawberry?” the waitress was flabbergasted and asked “Strawberry, strawberry? Banana”?
Spain is not better! Try to fix something more complicated in Barcelona! In Spanish! I won’t even mention the Basque Country where it’s easier to communicate in Basque language than in English. I still laugh when I remember how one of our friends tried to teach the Basques English asking them ‘Can I have a tea?’ not using our Spanish help while they looked at her as if she was an alien 😉 The other thing is that in Spain you still look like an alien if you ask for teas in Spanish! 🙂
These situations happen pretty often during all sorts of trips! Not only in Thailand, China or Indonesia but also right next to us: in Germany, Spain, France. That’s one of the reasons I love going through phrasebooks before we leave! I have plenty of them at home: Portuguese, Italian, Spanish-Italian which I got somewhere in a ‘cheap book store’ in Valencia! And if I don’t a have a relevant phrasebook I learn the names of meals from the guide so that I know what I order 🙂
And this is why we immediately decided to write about PizzaPortal’s idea when we heard about i! 🙂 PizzaPortal decided to help all of those who love eating and travelling but didn’t have time to learn all the languages of Europe. Now you no longer need a phrasebook or a guide. You can download a special free phrasebook from their website . The phrasebook is focused on culinary and restaurant vocabulary! Right now you can choose from English, Spanish, French and German You can quickly check anything on your smartphone as you sit studying the menu and wonder what a ‘poulet’ is or how to order scrambled eggs. The website also includes a short dictionary, some useful phrases and a small guide to regional meals such as patatas bravas or paella. You can even learn when was the first recipe for French croissant invented. Now the whole world eats croissants!
You can also use the dictionary on your laptop or, if you prefer it traditional and analogue, you can print it or find printed versions in Empik School!
So what? What meal would you like? 🙂 I’ll surely use this app in France! Or in Germany! 🙂
* the entry was written in cooperation with PizzaPortal
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