As the holiday season gets underfoot many Brits will be packing their sun-tan lotion and heading off to foreign lands. Sadly, we Brits have a terrible reputation abroad when it comes to language skills. Recently Irene Macías wrote about our apparent unwillingness to learn foreign languages recently in the Times Higher Education supplement*. For those working in the tourist industry it is a sad reflection on our desire (or lack of it) to give a good level of customer service.

Some say it’s because of our island mentality - all our neighbours speak English (of a sort!), while on the continent speaking a second or even a third language is not just common, it’s almost expected.

So let’s look at a couple of common misconceptions…

1. “Everyone speaks English anyway”
Wrong! If that were the case we’d have no problems abroad. While many people see English as the key to economic success - a better job, income or education - 75% of people in the world speak don’t speak any English**. In the future that might change as languages like Chinese and Spanish develop - Spanish is already the second language of the United States.

2. “I’m too embarrassed to try and say a few words in their language”
Actually you’ll find that people will warm to you and show you a lot of respect because you actually bother to say a few words - even if you’re pronunciation is a bit dodgy! It tells them that you are interested in their culture and lifestyle.

3. “I’ve tried to learn a few phrases but no-one understand me!”
That might happen, but don’t be put off! Remember - people everywhere have different accents - even when you visit somewhere new in the UK you might get some strange looks when you start to speak - so it’s not personal, don’t be put off.

So why not try brushing up your language skills before going on holiday. Some colleges and universities run language classes for holiday makers and you can find some free lessons on i-tunes or YouTube.

* http://timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=412280&c=2

** http://www.cilt.org.uk/home/valuing_languages.aspx