Maybe seven words if you include 'excuse me' at the beginning. Everyone knows that English is an international language and more and more people around the world are speaking and learning English. As such, all you need really are the translation and correct pronunciation in the local language of 'Excuse me, do you speak English?' And also of the word 'No' as if the person you ask can speak English, he will probably answer with a 'Yes' in English, of course. I did just this during a vacation in Europe when I visited six countries with six different languages. Not many people have the capacity to learn that many languages. Of course, it also helps to learn simple daily conversational phrases or the numbers but when you are lost, the best way to find help is to find someone who speaks a common language with you.
To get started, here are the seven words in the languages I know. These are transliteration of the language stated which maybe written in an entirely different alphabetical from English.
Arabic: Law samat, hal tatakallam al-ingiliziyya? La.
French: Excuzi mwah, parley voo anglais? Non.
Italian: Mi scusi, parla inglesi? No.
Mandarin: Kingwen, ni shuo ying-wen ma? Meiyou.
Portuguese: Desculpe, fala ingles? Nao.
Russian: Izvenyeteh pahjaloosta, ti gavarit pa angliski? Nyet.
Spanish: Pardon, habla ingles? No.
Thai: Kao thot, khun phuut phaasaa angkrit dai mai? Maidai.
(234 words)
No comments:
Post a Comment