I don't think you can really get the same feeling for another country without knowing enough of the language to get around, order at a restaurant and do a little bit of small talk. I've always felt that you can get more immersed in the culture and people by (trying to) speak in their language. Whenever I've gone somewhere I didn't speak the language I felt quite isolated. It is also amazing how fast you will learn more if you've studied before you go. One of the big highlights of my trip to Japan was small talk (in Japanese) with a cab driver.

However on that trip I was very frustrated that almost every Japanese person wanted to speak with me in English while I wanted a chance to speak in Japanese. The only exception was when I was wandering around Tokyo at 1 am and completely lost. I knew I was only 3 blocks from my hotel but just couldn't find it. No one could speak English and my brain was warped by too much sake to understand Japanese.

Alan

Japanese rarely get a chance to talk to native english speakers, so it's a real delight for them to do so.

japanese, i'm convinced, is the hardest possible language to learn if you didn't learn it from the womb. It's so confusing it's not even funny. I took it for 2 years in college and while I can manage a little bit still, there are so many endings and subject markers and object markers.. ugh.

I studied Spanish for 3 years in high school, French for 2 years in college and took a crash-course in Italian for about 2 months prior to my first trip to Italy. The great thing, is that you can cobble all of these languages together and make yourself understood in many countries. Indeed, in VCE, one of my good friends drives a water-taxi. He speaks little English, but does speak a smattering of French and Spanish and, of course, Italian. We communicate beautifully using a combo of languages. In fact , a memorable day was spent with him and his wife at his family home in the country. With our mix of languages, good food and wine and comfort, it further cemented our friendship. Smiles and hand-gestures also go a long way.

I have been studying Romanian on and off since my 1st trip in July 04.
It helps to know a few basic words. I have used the pimsluer language tapes for Portuguese( Brasilian) and Romanian. The tapes make it easy to pick up some basics in a short period of time.

Its good to know basics if you take taxis alot. In Romania I found most drivers knew a little english but a few didnt know any and my basics helped get my point across plus the drivers knowing I didnt understand too much romanian made it simple for me to understand them.

Besides Pimsluer I have also used Berlitz and actually have about 5 different
Romanian courses that I find all online. Ahh the internet, i'm sure glad it came to computers

Dutch is a Germanic language. As is English - at least structurally.(It has a lot of vocabulary that isn't). In theory Dutch should be easy to learn if your first language is English. I know quite a few English speakers who learnt Dutch by just picking it up as they went along. It is certainly VERY easy to learn if you know German.

I've tried to learn a little about the languages where I undertake long trips (e.g. not for the weekend in Berlin, but for the month in the Spain), but sometimes I don't succeed. (My husband and I planned to study Spanish and Arabic before our honeymoon in Spain and Morocco; we managed to fit in the Spanish lessons but the Arabic fell by the wayside - something about the stress of organizing a wedding ...)

These days, I'm trying to learn Turkish because I have about 5 business trips to Turkey in the next year.

I study the language before I travel because, as other posters have mentioned, it's a great way to get a little insight into the culture of the place you're visiting, it allows you to demonstrate a little respect for the inhabitants and makes you more independent.

Have you considered incorporating language study into your trips? I've done this several times over the past few years (French and Spanish). It's not practical if you're only taking a short holiday, or only have enough time to spend a few days in each of several places - but if you've got a little time (e.g. 2 weeks for one country), it's a wonderful way to explore a place in more depth. What I've done is to take an introductory language course (e.g. 12-24 hours of classes), or use self-study guides for languages that are easier to tackle, and then sign up for a one week (one city) or two-week (two different cities) course in the country I'm visiting. The language course provides some structure to your day (e.g. it stops me from sleeping in and wasting the day), the school usually has a variety of sightseeing and social activities planned for you, you meet curious and like-minded people from around the world, and at the end of the course, you've accomplished something and are a little better equipped to go exploring on your own. Usually, you can find courses that offer 3-4 hours of instruction a day - leaving you enough time to go exploring for the rest of the day - and you can take excursions on the weekends. And if you pursue a language fairly consistently over time (e.g. 1-2 weeks of Spanish every year, in a different place), it can benefit you in your career. (I live and work in Paris now - and I got the job in part because I had brushed up on my high school French during language holidays during the past few years.)

I've never actually learned Dutch, but when I was a kid living in Germany and learning French in school and traveling to the Netherlands on weekends with my family because we could get hamburgers there (this was in the 70s), it always seemed to me that Dutch was just a blend of German, French, and English (and a spoonful of phlegm).

And while some have suggested Spanish as the first language for the OP to learn because it will be most useful, that's probably true. But Italian is the most enjoyable.

Oh, and one more thing: You might want to familiarize yourself with what hand signals are considered offensive in the area you are going to...


Agree wholeheartedly! Body language can mean a lot and it complements what you are saying. I have found this especially true in Asia. My hands have gotten me in trouble more than once in the Philippines.....no, not like that!

i agree with a lot of what has been said. i am spending two weeks in italy in february and am taking a italian language class at a local college. i know some spanish so its not as rough. i have learn italian in your car, on my ipod, great for studying.

thanks everyone for the replies! also i work in the international terminal at ohare in the arriving area so i rn tino people who need help catching connecting flight who cant speak english. thats another reason i wanted to become multilingual. im just so helpful lol.

but i did buy the complete idiots guide to spanish from borders!!! so thats a start!!