Speaking English

Traveling was different when I was younger. You decided where to go and then prepared by learning enough of the language to survive the most important everyday situations. I always had a small guide book with me with the most important sentences and was proud, when I was able to order my food without having to open it. Of course I knew English at the time (although admittedly, I was far from fluent), but often the people I spoke to didn't know it or were only as good as I was.
So the natural thing to do was to learn as much native language as possible.

Times have changed.
Living in England has improved my ability to speak English by a lot and suddenly, I expect all people in the world to understand and speak it as well. I became as arrogant as many American or English people when it is about traveling. Having English as the world's language doesn't necessarily mean that everybody is able to speak it. Of course this slowly changes. I recently visited Finland and even in the countryside, almost everybody spoke clear English. But does that mean I don't have to learn foreign languages any more? What am I going to miss?

Language evolved alongside with the culture of an area and therefore can be a mirror which reflects many cultural aspects and differences. The way natives use the language and how it differs from your own can hint to cultural conventions and attitudes. Learning a language shows people that you respect and are interested in their culture and their way of living. In many countries (there are exceptions, e.g. France) people are genuinely pleased when you try to speak to them in their tongue and make an effort, even if it is far from being perfect. They often help and correct you and many times it can be the start of an interesting conversation.

Living in an English-speaking world should not be an excuse for not making the effort. If you really want to experience a country, there is no better way than learning its language and trying to speak to its people. And I know that it's often not possible, because the visit is to short or on short notice (e.g. business meetings). But especially in these situations we should always remember, that we are the guests in this country. We should never expect the natives to understand us if we didn't make the effort. It makes things easier for us if they do, but if there are language barriers, we are the ones who have to apologise