Language Barriers?

[Brian blue bear]

I have been lucky enough to visit many countries in my nautical career. My advice would be - don't worry about languages (you can't learn em all!), just be polite and cheerful. This always works no matter how tired, wet and generally grumpy at the end of a difficult passage when faced with beaurocracy.

Many continental marinas also have reception berths. Once you are tied up there, a face to face visit to the office solves problems, don't forget marina staff are used to dealing with yachts of many nationalities, as are Port Authorities, Customs and Immigration.

It will always sound banal to those that are not interested, but I have many times broken the ice with some 'difficult' officials by talking sport. Works for me!!!!

Hope this helps.

Thanks.. Everything that has been posted has been helpful It was really what I have wanted to hear, inhabitions gone..

 

[Brian blue bear]

Get hold of a copy of the "Yachtsmans' Ten Language dictionary", it will get you all the way to Turkey on the more technical stuff do do with boats. Learning the local for "Two large beers and where's the toilet please" in all ten languages goes a long way to getting the conversation started though.

Have fun and don't put it off

worth a try, £14.95 (little more than a round of Beers), on Ebay will have one soon Thanks.

 

[Allan]

Hi Mate, I spent 3 years living in France a found it very difficult to learn French. Everyone wanted to practise their English on me. I did find a little of the practise of not speaking English until you speak at least a little French. You only need to learn a little to get by. One thing to remember is to shake hands with everyone you meet.
see you soon,
Allan

 

[Brian blue bear]

Wonderful al

Hi Mate, I spent 3 years living in France a found it very difficult to learn French. Everyone wanted to practise their English on me. I did find a little of the practise of not speaking English until you speak at least a little French. You only need to learn a little to get by. One thing to remember is to shake hands with everyone you meet.
see you soon,
Allan

Thought you may wish to teach me, practice the Phrases above, Sorry lost one of your allen keys, well not lost I know where it is within 6 inches see you soon...got my sail on .. well half on need a bit of Silicone..

 

[whipper_snapper]

As has been said, a few words and willingness to try make a huge difference.

But along with that and at least as important is some awareness of cultural/behavioural differences. eg brits are often very slow to shake hands and very stiff about it. Brits put a much heavier and more formal significance to a handshake. This makes them look snooty and stand offish in places where a handshake is a much more casual and less weighty affair.

Similarly, the rituals behind verbal greetings are very important. I have watched brits trying to be firm and decisive when dealing with a non-brit bureaucrat, but come across as boorish and rude and not wort helping. This is not a language thing, but a language-use thing.

Generally people are pretty tolerant of strange behaviour, but some things such as this in some place cause real offense. Another example is handing/receiving something with the left hand. I am actually no longer sure where that applies, it has become so ingrained that I find I am offended when someone uses their left hand to hand something to me!