(no subject)

[mamculuna]

Well, now that I've planned a trip to Europe that includes Barcelona I've decided to concentrate on getting a little more fluency in Spanish (Castellano) since I have someone to help me with that, and no Catalans handy.

I was just talking with someone in eurotravel about the discomforts of trying to communicate in a language that you're not very comfortable with. I realize that I seem to take on the persona of a very hestiant kid (in spite of my years)--I guess the inability to come up with words equal to your thoughts makes that happen. At any rate, then I usually read the native speaker's helpful or even amused responses as kindly (usually! Some get very unmistakably angry, like a lady in a Berlin ticket office--and I didn't blame her, although the other Germans in line behind me did. I think she had an individual rather than a cultural one). But I'm realizing that other people sometimes perceive the native speakers as being unfriendly. I'm wondering too if cultural nonverbal signals are getting misread, and there's no good dictionary to look them up in.

Comments

[ninerva.livejournal.com]

I get more embarrassed not trying, and some of the best stories I've got involve language barriers. :-) Plus I absolutely rock at charades come christmas. The hardest challenge I had was trying to buy a bus ticket in Italy for the next day. How do you mime 'tomorrow'? I think I was that funny trying no-one liked to interrupt my efforts and arm waving. The next hardest was when assessing a Ukrainian chap in A&E at work and trying to mime 'anaemia'.;-) My usual trick though is to find a common language, or word, they might not speak English, but they may speak French or German, so it's always worth a go using any word that comes to mind. Though the charades is fun too. Also putting a call out for an interpreter is a really good way of meeting people, especially when travelling alone. At the ticket office I eventually shouted out "Does anyone here know the Italian for tomorrow because if you can't help me you are going to be waiting for a long time, I am not leaving wthout the ticket" at which point three people piped up with the word. ;-)

Hope you have fun in Europe.

[angels-nibblet.livejournal.com]

Barcelona - I'm so jealous!!

I know how you feel, I found it so difficult speaking to people who weren't my host family when I was in Chile when I first arrived. And I'm not the most forward person in general, even in English or German. I had an assignment for my course which involved actually approaching random strangers on the street and asking them their opinion on something. That would have been terrifying enough for me to do in English!

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

Actually, what I meant to say is that although I'm unsure of myself in the language, I usually expect to get kind reactions from the native speakers, and so tend to read the reactions I get as that. Was wondering why others seem to feel they get such negative responses, esp. in places like France, and thinking that we tend to read our expectations onto others. Sorry to be so unclear!

Oddly, I feel less hestitant in a language I don't really expect myself to know, like Italian, than one where I know how bad I sound!

[royalbananafish.livejournal.com]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Barcelona! Be sure to visit Sagrada Familia and the Guell Park (two of Gaudí's projects), even if you don't think you want to. The trip up the funny train thing to the top of Tibidabo is also worthwhile, what a view!

Making any effort to speak Spanish in Spain will be met with appreciation. (And aren't you lucky, you've just befriended a Spanish teacher!) I recommend you take the Berlitz little phrase book with you, because it has visual pages where you and the other person can literally point to pictures and things to communicate. It sounds dumb, but it could be very handy in the event of an emergency.

How much Spanish have you studied? I can recommend some resources for you if I know something about what you already know.

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

What luck! I've been studying on my own off and on for a year--a good friend taught Spanish at the local university, and I have a linguistics background which makes comprehending grammar easier, but doesn't do anything at all to make me more fluent! I was considering--and still may next year--going to an intensive Spanish school in Oaxaca or Guatemala, maybe Antigua, b/c think Mexican Spanish would be most useful.

I've found in most countries that people really like the idea that you don't just assume it's up to them to learn your language and are very helpful when you stumble along--I've even had that experience in Paris (the place I didn't want to name that the other person found very rude). Still think we see what we expect to see though--I've taught ESL a good bit and sort of look at the world as my language teacher...

But I would love any sources you can recommend.