Tourists lacking in language skills

Published on 30/04/2012 03:47

British tourists’ take on foreign languages is generally limited to “hello”, “thank you” and “please”, according to a survey.

Yet as many as 79 per cent of British holidaymakers expect foreigners in and around holiday resorts abroad to speak and understand English, the poll by travel agent www.sunshine.co.uk found.

Of the 1,627 UK adults surveyed, just 8 per cent said they spoke another language fluently, while most said they could speak only three words or phrases in the language of the destination they had last visited. “Hello”, “thank you” and “please” were the best-known words, followed by “yes” and “no” and “beer”.