Cattle Airlines

Get by as in visiting for a few days. When I was in Hungary, I didn't say a single word to anyone. That was the only country that I've been to where I was entirely mute.

Braindrain

Yes. Other than small local places that only locals go to, you'll do fine.

jpdx

IME, Taipei is MUCH easier to navigate than Seoul or Tokyo for English speakers ... excellent signage, good English skills everywhere. Really surprising for an Asian country where English is not an official language.

TrueBlueFlyer

I was surprised too, very easy to get by and plenty of tourists to ask for help if you are stuck somewhere

Maykita

Yes, definitely. Just be sure to get place names and addresses written down for you (or printed out from a website, or on a business card) in Chinese, so you can show them to taxi drivers. It also helps to have maps or guidebooks that have place names written in Chinese if you're out sightseeing or touring around, in case you get lost and need to ask directions. One of the most useful things to have is a map of the subway system with all the stops written in both English and Chinese (I think I found a pdf on the web) -- you can always get re-oriented once you make it to a subway station.

jimbo99

I think the truth is yes, you can "get by" and that is what I do and have done every year since 1996. But I wouldn't put it any higher than that.

You won't get the most out of the place unless you are with local people. The reality is that many local restaurants don't have English menus and people generally don't speak English except perhaps a few words. Unlike some other places, even when people can speak English they are sometimes too shy to try.

A big compensating factor is that Taiwan is relatively prosperous and trouble-fee for visitors. So as an obvious foreigner you are unlikely to fall victim to scams/rip offs. Taxis won't go the long way around, and will always give you back the correct change. People are often very polite and well mannered to foreigners (and to each other, perhaps!)

Contrast this with Saigon where I'm sitting now. English is not an official language here either, but it so much more widely spoken. Many reasons for this of course. Much easier to get by for non-VN speakers, but at the same time you have to be more on-guard.

mayodave

English is the official 2nd language of Taiwan

babypuwet

just make sure you speak slow if they can't understand you. Most >40 year olds in taiwan studied atleast 5-15 years of english.

lin821

Good tips!

At least carry the name and address of the hotel in Chinese, in case you get lost. When Taipei was hosting the Summer Deaflympics in 2009, some European athletes made it to the news and TV for getting lost. A group of folks spent the night out and somehow managed to get lost. Around midnight, they tried to get some help from the cashiers at the convenient store but they didn't remember (or weren't able to communicate) the name of the hotel. After a long hour of communication on paper and pencil, the cashier was able to guess their participation in Summer Deaflympics. I recall the happy ending came with local police, the authority/organizer for Deaflympics and interpreters a few hours later. What a night! Hours of guessing game could've been spared if they had carried the name of the hotel with them.

Thank you!

Taiwanese government usually doesn't run good ad campaigns nor PR. Taipei hasn't done as good a job as Tokyo and Seoul to promote the city to English speakers. I wouldn't say everyone understands English though, even in Taipei.

Don't let those years of studying English fool you. True English is part of the standard curricula in junior and senior high school but not at the conversation level. When people don't understand English, it won't matter how slow you speak, they just don't understand English nor you. Period.

Really? Your source and since when? Please help educate this Taiwanese.

Mandarin is the official language in Taiwan. I would think Taiwanese (dialect) then maybe Hakka language comes next. No way "English is the official 2nd language of Taiwan." OTOH, in terms of foreign languages spoken in Taiwan, Japanese and English probably are the two dominant ones, statistically speaking.

Does one have to worry about not speaking Chinese in Taipei? I think not. What about Taiwan? Maybe not.

There's a story last month about an American college girl visiting Taiwan for the 1st time. She speaks no Chinese but was backpacking in the summer around the island. She was even able to hitchhike! People will try, and sometimes go out of their way, to help you even when they don't speaking English.

Imagine the power of body language and smiles.

lcpteck

Taiwanese are some of the most friendliest people you can meet in this world, so don't be afraid to ask for help if you really need help.

vwtoys

They are very friendly to foreigners. Don't be shy. I love going to Taiwan. Though I do speak Mandarin since my wife is from Taiwan and I married her. So that helps a lot.

jimbo99

Certainly keeps it simple, being married to your wife

glennaa11

I just noticed that this ancient thread is at the top of this forum for some reason. Didn't see the dates at first.....

It feels like piling on at this point, but I will echo that you absolutely can "get by". The metro is excellent and easy to navigate for English speakers. Some buses also announce stops in English in addition to Mandarin.

I tend to be pretty introverted and don't talk to a lot of people anyway.

But I will also note that having some one with you who can speak Mandarin is a huge help. On my two trips I did photo trips/tours with a tour guide friend who is American but has lived in Taiwan for about 10 years. Being with him made it very easy to explore the island beyond Taipei. However I did venture to Tainan by myself via the HSR for a couple of days and even there getting by was easy enough.

And I do agree that people there are nice and friendly (as is the case in most places in the world in my experience).