No foreign lingo, we're British
Source: Agencies |
November 14, 2009, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
BRITONS love to travel to exotic destinations, but don't expect them to speak the local lingo, a new study reveals.
The survey by online travel service travelsupermarket.com showed that more than half of Brits going abroad on holiday refuse to embrace local languages.
More than one in 10 of the 2,012 respondents said that they felt there was no point in learning foreign languages as everyone speaks English anyway.
Some 45 percent of respondents said locals have acted negatively toward them because they don't make the effort to communicate in the local language. Despite this negative attitude toward Brits, only 4 percent of those surveyed said their ideal holiday would be in an English-speaking country.
French was found to be the most widely spoken language with 27 percent of respondents saying they could speak enough to order a meal or hire a car.
One in three over 60s proved that they are more inclined than their younger counterparts to speak French, and tourists from Northern Ireland (36 percent) were the most linguistically savvy.
The under 20s were found to be the best equipped to cope with foreign languages, with more than half saying they can speak a second language.
The survey by online travel service travelsupermarket.com showed that more than half of Brits going abroad on holiday refuse to embrace local languages.
More than one in 10 of the 2,012 respondents said that they felt there was no point in learning foreign languages as everyone speaks English anyway.
Some 45 percent of respondents said locals have acted negatively toward them because they don't make the effort to communicate in the local language. Despite this negative attitude toward Brits, only 4 percent of those surveyed said their ideal holiday would be in an English-speaking country.
French was found to be the most widely spoken language with 27 percent of respondents saying they could speak enough to order a meal or hire a car.
One in three over 60s proved that they are more inclined than their younger counterparts to speak French, and tourists from Northern Ireland (36 percent) were the most linguistically savvy.
The under 20s were found to be the best equipped to cope with foreign languages, with more than half saying they can speak a second language.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
