I like to joke that I can get into trouble in four languages—but can only get out of it in one because I'm only fluent in English. But being able to be somewhat conversational in French, German and Spanish has changed travel for me. Interacting with people in their own language, no matter how basic one's skills are, makes the difference between being in a trip versus watching a trip happen.
Why German?
On my honeymoon in Austria, I spoke no German other than a few cheesy phrases from a book. But it worked out OK because a lot of the people we dealt with had some English skills—and you can always fall back on pointing and rudimentary sign language. And we still had fun. But I kept thinking, "I'm a smart guy, why don't I speak another language better? Why not German?" So I bought some more paperback phrase books with German grammar and business phrases and started studying them at lunch. A set of Berlitz tapes for the car soon followed. Six years later, we were back in Germany and Switzerland and I took care of nearly all our needs in German. I know it made for a much more interesting trip—I was interacting with the people at the sights, not just seeing them.
"If you can get us dinner, you can come to Paris." — my boss
This was the challenge presented to me one November day in Dallas. The first ever international industry trade show was on the schedule for the following June and and my five fellow salesmen and I were hassling our boss to go with him. He said to us, "Do you speak French?" and my peers all merely answered "No". But I said, "No, but I will by June." So I took the same approach as I did for learning German: phrase book studying at lunch and tapes in the car. When the time came to book tickets for the trip, my boss took me at my word when I said I have "Travel French" down pat and could get us fed and around. I managed food, drink, transportation—and even some business conversation on the show floor—adeptly enough, and garnered compliments from a French colleague along the way. Once again, really being part of something and not just at something.
Spanish, because, tradesmen.
I took Spanish in high school and did well in it but, due to the trite but true "Use it or lose it.", I lost it. It wasn't until I started consulting in, and working with, the construction trades that I began to pull some of it from the Spanish File in my head. It was "on the job" language training on Central American Spanish—and "Spanglish" half the time—but completely useful at work then or in a Buford Highway taqueria now.
Grand Canal, Venice. Photo by Ellin McCabe.
Mark J. McCabe 10605 Pinewalk Forest Circle, Alpharetta, GA 30022
All site content by Mark McCabe except as specifically attributed.