help me brainstorm? (travel related but not van related)

[Morgana]

If you woke up tomorrow in a country where you don't speak the language ... what would be the first thing(s) you'd want to be able to say?

To simplify a bit, let's say you've managed to feed and dress yourself and leave the van/house/hotel/alley/tent/etc. And let's say Google Translate doesn't exist.

Silly and serious answers all welcome. Wrong answers don't exist. Everything is relevant. Feel free to make up any additional context you need. (I'll be offline for much of today after I post this, but I'll look forward to checking in later and seeing what this creative lot has come up with :idea: ) Thanks!

 

[WanderingRose]

I would want to smile and say “good morning” to everyone who crossed my path.

 

[shadowmoss]

Please, thank you, where is a bathroom, how to order black coffee, help

I did just that a few years ago. Smiles and pointing get most of.tje rest of what is necessary.

 

[user 423]

"Hello. Is there someone here who speaks English?"

 

[RoamerRV428]

100% with slow2day

I would be friendly and smile and wander and FIND someone thru signing and chat of WHO speaks English around here

 

[MrNoodly]

"Hello. Is there someone here who speaks English?"

That reminds me of the time I was in Brussels, where the official languages are Dutch, French and German. In my best (awful) junior high school French I asked a shopkeeper, "Parles-tu Anglais?" To which he replied, "Yes, do you?" 

Oh. Yeah. If someone speaks English they would understand if I simply asked, "Do you speak English."

 

[MrNoodly]

I was sent to China on a business trip. It was the most alien I had ever felt. I had a translator for the work sessions, but I was left to fend for myself the rest of the time. Pointing and pantomiming can accomplish a surprising number of things.

 

[user 423]

Oh. Yeah. If someone speaks English they would understand if I simply asked, "Do you speak English."

Good point but the OP is asking what you would want to be able to say in the foreign language

 

[Ripper238]

Only thing I would want to do is get back to the USA. So all I need to be able to say is "please help me get to the US embassy"

 

[nature lover]

For me it have to be “where’s the pot?” I tried it in Jamaica and I didn’t get the answer I wanted.
And for my Hispanic friends I’ve always appreciated how the romance languages attach gender to nouns. But I’d like to know why the bathroom EL BAÑO is always in the masculine. Even the ladies room is referred to in the masculine - EL BAÑO. Doesn’t seem right.

 

[user 423]

To simplify a bit, let's say you've managed to feed and dress yourself and leave the van/house/hotel/alley/tent/etc. And let's say Google Translate doesn't exist.

If I awoke after spending the night in an alley, I probably would want to ask where I could find the nearest bar so I could grab some hair of the dog.

 

[user 423]

For me it have to be “where’s the pot?”  I tried it in Jamaica and I didn’t get the answer I wanted.

If you were a true 'nature lover' that answer would have pleased you

 

[MrNoodly]

Years ago there was a 2-man stage show entitled "Greater Tuna." It was about the fictional town of Tuna, Texas. The two actors played a variety of characters. One character was a woman who objected to Spanish being taught in schools. She went on a rant about how proper Texans/Americans need to know only a handful of Spanish phrases, like:

¿Cuánto cuesta esto? Eso es demasiado. (How much is this? That's too much.)

¡Más margaritas!. (More margaritas!)

¿Dónde está el baño? (Where is the restroom?)

So, yeah, if I was in a new country, I would certainly want to be able to ask where the toilet was.

 

[user 423]

So, yeah, if I was in a new country, I would certainly want to be able to ask where the toilet was.

Shadow Moss mentions smiling,pointing,pantomiming to convey what you want but doing that for the toilet question would be tricky.

 

[wayne49]

Bathrooms are marked with the international symbols in most places where an American would be comfortable.

"Coffee" should be good enough to get a cup. But, it may have cream and sugar, "Americano/American", or be espresso in a tiny cup. Trying to get just a normal cup of black coffee can be frustrating.

On the plane/ship, you can spend the time studying everyday phrases in the local languages. Your pronunciation will probably suck, but an English speaker will appear to stop you mangling the local language.

 

[Morgana]

OMG guys these are fabulous. Thanks for the great ideas -- and for the laughs! It was a challenging day and these definitely got my smile back.



And thanks for playing along without demanding more context. Here it is, but don't let that stop you brainstorming more. I'm trying to make up an easy English lesson for some pretty stressed-out people. (Yes, I know, there are 5000 "English for beginner" resources out there, and I do have a few ideas of my own -- but something was missing, and I think you guys are providing the secret sauce.)

Thank you!
Amanda



PS my where-is-the-bathroom scenario:

Q: "Where is the bathroom?"

A: "Go to the end of the hall, then turn right; it's the third set of swinging doors on the left but not the one marked 'Employees Only'. If you end up on the loading dock, you've gone too far."

I guess if you ask in a thick enough accent, they might take pity and show you instead of telling you...

 

[nature lover]

Did I mention that my posts are all copyrighted? In order to ensure this I write them in a separate journal that’s covered by copyright and then quote them here on the public forum. I will be willing to sell portions of it to you please PM me to discuss the same. Or you can call my lawyer Sue Demall esq.

 

[Tony's Dream]

We lived in Italy for 4 years and the first thing I learned to say in Italian ways.....How do you say....and I pointed to what I had in my hand. It helped me to learn the language. I also bought an English/Itailan dictionary which helped me alot. These were the years before the internet.

 

[GypsyJan]

" Pointing and pantomiming can accomplish a surprising number of things."
You should have seen my mother ordering a chicken breast, LOL. Too bad it was before cell phones were around or I could have videoed it. The waiter understood perfectly. My dad asked her to try for a cold beer for him next time.

 

[Cammalu]