European Languages

ABOVE: To walk the walk (or dance the dance), do you have to talk the talk? It never hurts to try, even in a country like Denmark.

Many first-time travelers to Europe worry about making themselves understood. Others aren't fazed in the least by language problems, having read or heard (incorrectly) that most Europeans are fluent in English.

In his delightful book, Neither Here Nor There, Bill Bryson puts language worries in perspective:

"I don't want to know what people are talking about. I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can't read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can't even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses."

Still, I've always found that learning at least a little of the local lingo makes a trip more pleasant--even in countries like Denmark or Portugal where nobody expects a foreigner to be able to say more than "Hello," "Good-bye," and "Where's the toilet?" So, before you leave for Europe, learn some language basics or polish your rusty high-school skills with the help of these Web sites:

General Resources

Languages for Travelers europeforvisitors.com
Before heading off to Europe, get acquainted with the local lingo. My article includes practical language-learning tips and links to related sites.

Learn a Language in Europe europeforvisitors.com
A language vacation can be a life-enriching experience. Read my advice on how to find a language school, what to expect, and what I experienced as a middle-aged language student in Siena, Italy.

Audiomagazines for Language Study europeforvisitors.com
Sharpen your German, Italian, French, or Spanish listening skills with a subscription to monthly audio programming on CDs or cassettes from Champs-Élysées.com.

Worldwide Multilingual Phrase Book europeforvisitors.com
If it's Tuesday and you're in Belgium, Eric Dondero Rittberg's introduction to 40 languages will help you meet and greet the locals before you rush to your next destination.

Hide This French Book 101 europeforvisitors.com
Hide This Spanish Book 101
Berlitz has published "a countdown of the 101 hottest expressions" in two languages. The inexpensive books make great bon voyage or buen viaje gifts for hip travelers and semester- or year-abroad students.

Fodor's Living Language
Hear common travel phrases through your computer's loudspeakers in French, German, Italian, or Spanish.

Foreign Languages for Travelers
Scroll down past the ads to the search section, where you can select phrasebooks with recorded audio in many different languages.

ForeignWord.com
This site offers free machine translation of 27 languages plus 97 online dictionaries for languages that range from the familiar (German, French) to the esoteric (Frisian, Breton). It also has an inernational directory of human translators.

Travelingwords.com
Download language courses in MP3 format, with text (for your PC) or without (to burn on CDs). The first chapter of each course is free.

Specific Languages

Allegra! (An Introduction to Romansh) switzerlandforvisitors.com
Switzerland's fourth language, based on "the people's Latin," is spoken by about 48,000 citizens and a small number of Italians near the Swiss border.

Schwyzertüütsch switzerlandforvisitors.com
From Switzerland for Visitors, an introduction to Swiss-German dialects.

French Language
From Laura Lawless, a site for Francophiles and aspiring Francophones.

German Language
Hyde Flippo's site covers everything from dictionaries to dialects.

Italian Language
Michael San Filippo serves up articles and links for travelers and students.

Spanish Language
Gerald Erichsen's site features a "Word of the Day" and other learning aids.

Featured link (Italian lessons)

Parlo con Carlo
If you're looking to learn conversational Italian and can't afford to live in Italy, ask Carlo Pescatori--a former chemist who resides in Venice--to deliver live lessons via Skype. (Carlo also rents three Venice vacation apartments in the building where his family lives.)

 

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