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Is English Sufficient?
Is English enough in the big cities of China, Korea, and Japan? Is it rather
a case of much of Europe, where some people speak a bit, but generally it is a myth that you're fine if you know English? Always Wondered. www.freewebs.com/travel-deals |
#2
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On Sun, 5 Sep 2004 18:41:55 -0400, "emailalias"
wrote: Is English enough in the big cities of China, Korea, and Japan? Is it rather a case of much of Europe, where some people speak a bit, but generally it is a myth that you're fine if you know English? Why is it a myth that you're fine in European cities if you only speak English? I've never had any problem in places when I've known none of the language, of course I've ended up with things I perhaps didn't really want to eat, and sometimes had to walk a bit further than I needed too as getting directions was tricky, but certainly never had any problem getting by without the language - people generally get bye. As to the countries you mentioned, well I've had no trouble without any japanese at all in the 36 hours I've been in tokyo so far. Jim. |
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On Sun, 5 Sep 2004 18:41:55 -0400, "emailalias"
wrote: Is English enough in the big cities of China, Korea, and Japan? Is it rather a case of much of Europe, where some people speak a bit, but generally it is a myth that you're fine if you know English? (Jim Ley) wrote in message ... Why is it a myth that you're fine in European cities if you only speak English? I've never had any problem in places when I've known none of the language, of course I've ended up with things I perhaps didn't really want to eat, and sometimes had to walk a bit further than I needed too as getting directions was tricky, but certainly never had any problem getting by without the language - people generally get bye. Well... Speaking like Tarzan is actually quite helpful, using basic words and sign languages. This is a good way to communicate, especially in places where you don't the languages of the locals. Besides, people have been travelling around the world for thousands years, sometimes to places where they don't know the language, so it's no doubt that language is no problem. As matter in fact, I think that maybe that some of the problems these days is that people speak too much. As to the countries you mentioned, well I've had no trouble without any japanese at all in the 36 hours I've been in tokyo so far. Jim. |
#5
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Jim Ley wrote:
"emailalias" wrote: Is English enough in the big cities of China, Korea, and Japan? Is it rather a case of much of Europe, where some people speak a bit, but generally it is a myth that you're fine if you know English? Why is it a myth that you're fine in European cities if you only speak English? These are not legitimate questions. He's just disingenuously coming up with one random question per day to post in the travel forums so he can get hits on the ads-only web site in his sig. miguel -- Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu |
#6
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Jim Ley wrote:
"emailalias" wrote: Is English enough in the big cities of China, Korea, and Japan? Is it rather a case of much of Europe, where some people speak a bit, but generally it is a myth that you're fine if you know English? Why is it a myth that you're fine in European cities if you only speak English? These are not legitimate questions. He's just disingenuously coming up with one random question per day to post in the travel forums so he can get hits on the ads-only web site in his sig. miguel -- Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu |
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"emailalias" wrote in message ... Is English enough in the big cities of China, Korea, and Japan? Is it rather a case of much of Europe, where some people speak a bit, but generally it is a myth that you're fine if you know English? Always Wondered. www.freewebs.com/travel-deals IMHO you cannot get by with only English anywhere in PRC. There is virtually 100% inability to understand English in all major cities in China, and I make myself understood with non verbal aids. In the meanwhile I am practicing my Mandarin. I see difficulties ahead for Beijing for the Olympics in 2008 unless hotel staff and taxi drivers go on a crash course to understand very basic English phrases. Airline checkin staff come in no better with only a really rudimentary understanding, but at least a little better than average. But thats only my opinion. Daniel Shenzhen |
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"emailalias" wrote in message ...
Is English enough in the big cities of China, Korea, and Japan? Is it rather a case of much of Europe, where some people speak a bit, but generally it is a myth that you're fine if you know English? Always Wondered. www.freewebs.com/travel-deals Sure it is sufficient. Only you'll miss a lot not understand or read the local language. |
#9
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"emailalias" wrote in message ...
Is English enough in the big cities of China, Korea, and Japan? Is it rather a case of much of Europe, where some people speak a bit, but generally it is a myth that you're fine if you know English? Always Wondered. www.freewebs.com/travel-deals Sure it is sufficient. Only you'll miss a lot not understand or read the local language. |
#10
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"emailalias" wrote in message ... Is English enough in the big cities of China, Korea, and Japan? Is it rather a case of much of Europe, where some people speak a bit, but generally it is a myth that you're fine if you know English? Always Wondered. www.freewebs.com/travel-deals Though you'll find English speakers in the major cities of China and Japan, you will not be able to rely on speaking English. However, that begs the question. After many, many years of international travel (including China and Japan), I've found that communicating in English is absolutely unnecessary to get along. A phrase book for simple concepts like "please" and "thank you", a willingness to look foolish acting things out, and a sense of humor are all that are necessary to get along in viritually every human culture. |
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