If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Planes in Europe
Janet Wilder wrote:
Stephen Farrow wrote: Janet Wilder wrote: I just picked up all of my documents from the travel agent today. We will be doing 3 flights within Europe. One from Paris to Budapest, one from Amsterdam to Seville (with a change of plane in Madrid) and one from Seville to Barcelona. They are all e-tickets. I won't have a printer so I can't get boarding passes. Do we just go up to the check-in counter and show them the copies of the schedules the TA gave us? I'm assuming that they will not speak English. The check-in agents will almost certainly speak some English. Of course, if *you* had any manners, you'd try to learn at least a few phrases of French, Spanish, Dutch and Hungarian before your trip. You are visiting their countries, so it behoves you to at least try and speak a little of their languages. I do have manners. That's debatable, given that you didn't appear to be prepared to meet people in the countries you plan to visit halfway by learning a few words of their languages. I also have a program on CD with French, Spanish, German and Italian, and I've been trying to learn from it for 6 months. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at remembering what I've learned. Then buy a phrase book and refer to it as you go, rather than fretting over the possibility that people in other countries won't speak English (which, at airport check-in desks in Europe, they most likely will anyway). You don't need to be fluent in each language. You just need to make some effort. All you need to remember are a few simple words and phrases. It's *incredibly* arrogant and rude to visit a country without learning at least a little of the language - and "I'm not very good at it" is no excuse. -- Stephen |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
Planes in Europe
Stephen Farrow wrote:
Janet Wilder wrote: Stephen Farrow wrote: Janet Wilder wrote: I just picked up all of my documents from the travel agent today. We will be doing 3 flights within Europe. One from Paris to Budapest, one from Amsterdam to Seville (with a change of plane in Madrid) and one from Seville to Barcelona. They are all e-tickets. I won't have a printer so I can't get boarding passes. Do we just go up to the check-in counter and show them the copies of the schedules the TA gave us? I'm assuming that they will not speak English. The check-in agents will almost certainly speak some English. Of course, if *you* had any manners, you'd try to learn at least a few phrases of French, Spanish, Dutch and Hungarian before your trip. You are visiting their countries, so it behoves you to at least try and speak a little of their languages. I do have manners. That's debatable, given that you didn't appear to be prepared to meet people in the countries you plan to visit halfway by learning a few words of their languages. I also have a program on CD with French, Spanish, German and Italian, and I've been trying to learn from it for 6 months. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at remembering what I've learned. Then buy a phrase book and refer to it as you go, rather than fretting over the possibility that people in other countries won't speak English (which, at airport check-in desks in Europe, they most likely will anyway). You don't need to be fluent in each language. You just need to make some effort. All you need to remember are a few simple words and phrases. It's *incredibly* arrogant and rude to visit a country without learning at least a little of the language - and "I'm not very good at it" is no excuse. So sorry I disappoint you. I do speak a little French and my DH speaks a little German and Spanish, but we aren't comfortable enough to try conversing in it. That's why I wanted to get our boarding passes ahead of time. It's possible you were so interested in flailing me for being an Ugly American that you missed my initial query about getting boarding passes printed while traveling. If that's the case, then I forgive your arrogant attitude. If it's not the case then kindly STFU. I have better qualified critics than you. -- Janet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
Planes in Europe
Janet Wilder wrote:
Stephen Farrow wrote: Janet Wilder wrote: Stephen Farrow wrote: Janet Wilder wrote: I just picked up all of my documents from the travel agent today. We will be doing 3 flights within Europe. One from Paris to Budapest, one from Amsterdam to Seville (with a change of plane in Madrid) and one from Seville to Barcelona. They are all e-tickets. I won't have a printer so I can't get boarding passes. Do we just go up to the check-in counter and show them the copies of the schedules the TA gave us? I'm assuming that they will not speak English. The check-in agents will almost certainly speak some English. Of course, if *you* had any manners, you'd try to learn at least a few phrases of French, Spanish, Dutch and Hungarian before your trip. You are visiting their countries, so it behoves you to at least try and speak a little of their languages. I do have manners. That's debatable, given that you didn't appear to be prepared to meet people in the countries you plan to visit halfway by learning a few words of their languages. I also have a program on CD with French, Spanish, German and Italian, and I've been trying to learn from it for 6 months. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at remembering what I've learned. Then buy a phrase book and refer to it as you go, rather than fretting over the possibility that people in other countries won't speak English (which, at airport check-in desks in Europe, they most likely will anyway). You don't need to be fluent in each language. You just need to make some effort. All you need to remember are a few simple words and phrases. It's *incredibly* arrogant and rude to visit a country without learning at least a little of the language - and "I'm not very good at it" is no excuse. So sorry I disappoint you. I do speak a little French and my DH speaks a little German and Spanish, but we aren't comfortable enough to try conversing in it. That's why I wanted to get our boarding passes ahead of time. It's possible you were so interested in flailing me for being an Ugly American that you missed my initial query about getting boarding passes printed while traveling. I didn't miss it. In fact, I did point out that check-in agents in major European airports will most likely be able to speak English (which means you wouldn't necessarily need to get your boarding passes printed out in advance). Perhaps you were so intent on taking offense that you missed it. And the rest of your (overly defensive) response misses the point: you will have a better time if you try and speak a little of the local languages. You will get better service. People will be friendlier if you make the effort to speak a little of their language. You don't need to be fluent enough to hold a complete conversation. You need to learn a few words and phrases, stop worrying about making mistakes, and jump in. For a start, the best way to learn a language is to *use* a language - I promise you that you will learn more trying to speak even very limited French or Spanish or whatever while you're on vacation than you will studying the language in abstract from a CD-Rom. And if you make mistakes, you make mistakes. The world won't come to an end if you try ordering a coffee or a meal in French or Spanish and you get it slightly wrong, and people will appreciate your making the attempt. But to perpetuate the "ugly American" stereotype by making no attempt at all to speak the local language while you're in a foreign country is, yes, both arrogant and rude (which I guess, since your response to me was to tell me to STFU, probably fits you like a glove). -- Stephen You know? Recapture your godhood and unleash Armageddon, and all of a sudden everyone wants to be a part of the inner circle. |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
Planes in Europe
Janet Wilder wrote:
I just picked up all of my documents from the travel agent today. We will be doing 3 flights within Europe. One from Paris to Budapest, one from Amsterdam to Seville (with a change of plane in Madrid) and one from Seville to Barcelona. They are all e-tickets. I won't have a printer so I can't get boarding passes. Do we just go up to the check-in counter and show them the copies of the schedules the TA gave us? I'm assuming that they will not speak English. Why would you assume they don't speak English? The internet is all over Europe, it's not like your hotels won't have printers. Show up at the counter with the flight number, and you should be fine. |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
Planes in Europe
mul wrote:
I just picked up all of my documents from the travel agent today. We will be doing 3 flights within Europe. One from Paris to Budapest, one from Amsterdam to Seville (with a change of plane in Madrid) and one from Seville to Barcelona. They are all e-tickets. I won't have a printer so I can't get boarding passes. Do we just go up to the check-in counter and show them the copies of the schedules the TA gave us? I'm assuming that they will not speak English. TIA, -- Janet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life English is widely spoken in the EU,most especialy in Holland,,less so in France,, But i doubt you will have any problems Mul English will be available at all of the locations indicated, without a problem. Of course, the OP might actually attempt the language of the country are in. After all, all they need for check in is the flight number and to make sure they go to the right destination. |
#16
|
|||
|
|||
Planes in Europe
Janet Wilder wrote:
So sorry I disappoint you. I do speak a little French and my DH speaks a little German and Spanish, but we aren't comfortable enough to try conversing in it. That's why I wanted to get our boarding passes ahead of time. It's not like you need to make a profeesional speech. All you are trying to do is tell them you are on a specific flight or going to a specific destination, and hand them you passport. They will figure it out even if your accent isn't perfect. Stop worrying about it. Americans have been getting boarding passes at ticket counters for years. It's not like you are going to be the only English speaker the agents are going to see that day. |
#17
|
|||
|
|||
Planes in Europe
"Janet Wilder" wrote in message ... Stephen Farrow wrote: Janet Wilder wrote: Stephen Farrow wrote: Janet Wilder wrote: I just picked up all of my documents from the travel agent today. We will be doing 3 flights within Europe. One from Paris to Budapest, one from Amsterdam to Seville (with a change of plane in Madrid) and one from Seville to Barcelona. They are all e-tickets. I won't have a printer so I can't get boarding passes. Do we just go up to the check-in counter and show them the copies of the schedules the TA gave us? I'm assuming that they will not speak English. The check-in agents will almost certainly speak some English. Of course, if *you* had any manners, you'd try to learn at least a few phrases of French, Spanish, Dutch and Hungarian before your trip. You are visiting their countries, so it behoves you to at least try and speak a little of their languages. I do have manners. That's debatable, given that you didn't appear to be prepared to meet people in the countries you plan to visit halfway by learning a few words of their languages. I also have a program on CD with French, Spanish, German and Italian, and I've been trying to learn from it for 6 months. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at remembering what I've learned. Then buy a phrase book and refer to it as you go, rather than fretting over the possibility that people in other countries won't speak English (which, at airport check-in desks in Europe, they most likely will anyway). You don't need to be fluent in each language. You just need to make some effort. All you need to remember are a few simple words and phrases. It's *incredibly* arrogant and rude to visit a country without learning at least a little of the language - and "I'm not very good at it" is no excuse. So sorry I disappoint you. I do speak a little French and my DH speaks a little German and Spanish, but we aren't comfortable enough to try conversing in it. That's why I wanted to get our boarding passes ahead of time. It's possible you were so interested in flailing me for being an Ugly American that you missed my initial query about getting boarding passes printed while traveling. If that's the case, then I forgive your arrogant attitude. If it's not the case then kindly STFU. I have better qualified critics than you. -- Janet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life My experience is that even if you only say "hello" in the local language and then ask "do you speak English" that people (be they check in agents, hotel staff or just anyone) are almost always helpful and friendly. If they indicate they don't speak English then mime works surprisingly well and if that fails just smile, say thank you (preferably in local language) and move on. Many people see English as something they want to learn and practice (I'm not sure I think that's a good thing but there you are). I recently spent 3 weeks in Japan and that seemed to work for me (and actually, I don't think I ever had to move on). Turn the problem on its' head. If someone approached you and spoke no English but did speak French would you refuse to help? You might have to ask them to speak slowly and repeat a few words but I bet you would do your best. It's all a matter of give and take. You try their language, they try yours, smile, mime, be friendly. |
#18
|
|||
|
|||
Planes in Europe
Stephen Farrow wrote:
Janet Wilder wrote: Stephen Farrow wrote: Janet Wilder wrote: Stephen Farrow wrote: Janet Wilder wrote: I just picked up all of my documents from the travel agent today. We will be doing 3 flights within Europe. One from Paris to Budapest, one from Amsterdam to Seville (with a change of plane in Madrid) and one from Seville to Barcelona. They are all e-tickets. I won't have a printer so I can't get boarding passes. Do we just go up to the check-in counter and show them the copies of the schedules the TA gave us? I'm assuming that they will not speak English. The check-in agents will almost certainly speak some English. Of course, if *you* had any manners, you'd try to learn at least a few phrases of French, Spanish, Dutch and Hungarian before your trip. You are visiting their countries, so it behoves you to at least try and speak a little of their languages. I do have manners. That's debatable, given that you didn't appear to be prepared to meet people in the countries you plan to visit halfway by learning a few words of their languages. I also have a program on CD with French, Spanish, German and Italian, and I've been trying to learn from it for 6 months. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at remembering what I've learned. Then buy a phrase book and refer to it as you go, rather than fretting over the possibility that people in other countries won't speak English (which, at airport check-in desks in Europe, they most likely will anyway). You don't need to be fluent in each language. You just need to make some effort. All you need to remember are a few simple words and phrases. It's *incredibly* arrogant and rude to visit a country without learning at least a little of the language - and "I'm not very good at it" is no excuse. So sorry I disappoint you. I do speak a little French and my DH speaks a little German and Spanish, but we aren't comfortable enough to try conversing in it. That's why I wanted to get our boarding passes ahead of time. It's possible you were so interested in flailing me for being an Ugly American that you missed my initial query about getting boarding passes printed while traveling. I didn't miss it. In fact, I did point out that check-in agents in major European airports will most likely be able to speak English (which means you wouldn't necessarily need to get your boarding passes printed out in advance). Perhaps you were so intent on taking offense that you missed it. And the rest of your (overly defensive) response misses the point: you will have a better time if you try and speak a little of the local languages. You will get better service. People will be friendlier if you make the effort to speak a little of their language. You don't need to be fluent enough to hold a complete conversation. You need to learn a few words and phrases, stop worrying about making mistakes, and jump in. For a start, the best way to learn a language is to *use* a language - I promise you that you will learn more trying to speak even very limited French or Spanish or whatever while you're on vacation than you will studying the language in abstract from a CD-Rom. And if you make mistakes, you make mistakes. The world won't come to an end if you try ordering a coffee or a meal in French or Spanish and you get it slightly wrong, and people will appreciate your making the attempt. But to perpetuate the "ugly American" stereotype by making no attempt at all to speak the local language while you're in a foreign country is, yes, both arrogant and rude (which I guess, since your response to me was to tell me to STFU, probably fits you like a glove). Nice diatribe. I'd say you're the one who's sounding arrogant. I've made speeches like that myself, back when I thought (1) I knew it all, or (2) what I did know was important. The years have served to disabuse me of both notions. Louis |
#19
|
|||
|
|||
Planes in Europe
Graham Harrison wrote:
My experience is that even if you only say "hello" in the local language and then ask "do you speak English" that people (be they check in agents, hotel staff or just anyone) are almost always helpful and friendly. If they indicate they don't speak English then mime works surprisingly well and if that fails just smile, say thank you (preferably in local language) and move on. Many people see English as something they want to learn and practice (I'm not sure I think that's a good thing but there you are). I recently spent 3 weeks in Japan and that seemed to work for me (and actually, I don't think I ever had to move on). I have had the same experience traveling in Mexico and Central America. Most people want to try out their English on us. Turn the problem on its' head. If someone approached you and spoke no English but did speak French would you refuse to help? You might have to ask them to speak slowly and repeat a few words but I bet you would do your best. It's all a matter of give and take. You try their language, they try yours, smile, mime, be friendly. I can't begin to count the number of times I have interpreted for French Canadians traveling in the US and also in Mexico. This will be my first trip to Europe. I'm a senior citizen and a little nervous about it. So shoot me. -- Janet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life |
#20
|
|||
|
|||
Planes in Europe
Janet Wilder wrote:
Graham Harrison wrote: My experience is that even if you only say "hello" in the local language and then ask "do you speak English" that people (be they check in agents, hotel staff or just anyone) are almost always helpful and friendly. If they indicate they don't speak English then mime works surprisingly well and if that fails just smile, say thank you (preferably in local language) and move on. Many people see English as something they want to learn and practice (I'm not sure I think that's a good thing but there you are). I recently spent 3 weeks in Japan and that seemed to work for me (and actually, I don't think I ever had to move on). I have had the same experience traveling in Mexico and Central America. Most people want to try out their English on us. Turn the problem on its' head. If someone approached you and spoke no English but did speak French would you refuse to help? You might have to ask them to speak slowly and repeat a few words but I bet you would do your best. It's all a matter of give and take. You try their language, they try yours, smile, mime, be friendly. I can't begin to count the number of times I have interpreted for French Canadians traveling in the US and also in Mexico. This will be my first trip to Europe. I'm a senior citizen and a little nervous about it. So shoot me. You'll do just fine. You may enjoy it so much that you decide to try it again! |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Socialized medicine Europe:UK news media admits NHS cancer survival rate lowest in Europe and all of Europe signifigantly worse than US due to early diagnosis in US | P J O'donovan | Europe | 24 | August 27th, 2007 02:40 PM |
OT Low Planes | [email protected] | Cruises | 2 | October 5th, 2005 04:58 PM |
What can't be brought on U.S. planes? | Ablang | Air travel | 4 | January 25th, 2005 11:47 PM |
SPITTING ON PLANES | Peter Neenan | Air travel | 3 | September 22nd, 2004 03:06 PM |
Zeppelins are much better than planes | Frank F. Matthews | Air travel | 0 | January 13th, 2004 05:47 PM |