Athens, Greece – The Universal Language – by Allison Brennhofer. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports
Three friends and I traveled to Athens, Greece. It was an amazing trip, in my opinion. The weather was not the best but I have dreamed about visiting Greece since I was a child, so I viewed the entire trip through rose colored glasses. We saw the Acropolis and various other ruins and sites that blew me away. The sheer amount of history held in one city is astounding to me. I also grew up reading Greek myths and legends, so it was a little unreal to be able to see these temples and places dedicated to the gods and goddesses.
None of us speak Greek. However, that was never an issue. I had been a little nervous about the language barrier, but the city was incredibly easy to navigate without knowing Greek. We either walked or took the metro everywhere. All of the signs and stop names were listed in Greek and English. All of the sites that we visited, such as the Acropolis and Hadrian’s Library, had signs and plaques in English as well as Greek.
[A sign with Greek and English words]
We stayed in an Airbnb, which allowed us to stay in a residential neighborhood. It was a ten minute walk south of the Acropolis, which was a phenomenal location. Even in this less touristy location, many of the restaurants we went to had English translations on their menus. Most of the servers spoke English, which helped when we had questions about what certain foods were.
[The Old Temple at the Acropolis]
My point here is that I had not realized how we are both lucky and unlucky that so many people speak our language across the world. Lucky, because it takes a lot of the stress out of traveling to other countries. It may not sound that difficult when you live in an English speaking country, but when I was actually confronted with a few Greek people who did not speak English, it was a huge obstacle. I was frustrated at first, but at myself more than anything. I had no right to be annoyed a Greek person did not speak English. If anything, I would understand if the Greek people were annoyed at these tourists that show up and expect to be catered to. I think it is also a little unlucky that our language is so universal. It enables our laziness as a country in language proficiency. I took French from seventh grade to eleventh grade. As soon as I figured out I was going to CSS, which only carries a three year language requirement, I dropped French my senior year. While I certainly was not bad, I was not great at it. And I am the person who does not like to do things that do not come naturally to me (a great character flaw I am working on).
[In Athens, orange trees line the streets]
This casual assumption that I can travel most places around the world, at least to main cities, and find people who speak my language, is an incredibly privileged assumption. I am working on lessening my assumptions. I attempted to use my incredibly rusty French when I traveled there for Spring Break, which worked as a way to start the conversation. However, I am nowhere near good enough to carry a conversation on in French. I understand that Athens is a city that depends heavily on tourism for a source of revenue for their economy, which is a big part of why so many people speak English there. But we saw people of all nationalities visiting there at the same time as us. I highly doubt every Greek person speaks Mandarin, Russian, or Spanish, just to name a few other languages. Other tourists probably also speak English, but that just feeds back into the cycle where English is held up as the universal language. It certainly is a beneficial language to know, in a world where the United States is so a prominent player in world affairs. But with the growing number of speakers of other languages such as Spanish and Mandarin, it just struck me as incredibly selfish and self-absorbed to continue thinking English is the only language a person should know.
Allison serves as an editor for The North Star Reports.
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I loved your article because this is a topic that I’ve researched quite a bit. It has bothered me for the longest time that English has been considered the universal language of the world and you touched on one of the reasons why: the allowed laziness English speaking countries have when concerning a second language. Additionally, coming from the United States, a country with a certain percent of the population that demands people speak English (even though it’s not an official language), it’s frustrating that many travelers are able to assume that people in their destination country will know English. Therefore, said people don’t bother to learn even the basics of the official languages. I liked that you pointed out the growth of other languages in the world. As someone who is a world traveler and is a lover of languages, I’d love to see one other than English rise to the top. This will not only challenge myself, but the rest of the English-speaking community.
Thank you, Allison, for the very well done report on your trip to Athens, Greece and your experiences there. You bring up an excellent point, Americans have it way to easy. In regards to travelers, I would say Americans definitely have the worst rep. because of how separated we are from the rest of the world. With only Canada and Mexico as our bordering nations, Americans experience less cultural diversity than many other people around the world. Due to this fact, Americans have a tendency to possess more exclusive knowledge than other people around the world. Compare Americans to the Germans, for example. Germany is surrounded by many nations that all speak a different home language and they all have a very dense and widely different background story that offers Germany many other perspectives that Germans would learn from. Also, based on Germany’s location, one could travel very easily to other places with extreme cultural differences. American, on the other hand, do not have these culturally rich opportunities to explore easy at hand. America is located across an entire ocean to Europe and many other places where culture intersects.
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Interesting article, Allison. I like how you talk about the universal languages as they are a ritual because people continue to learn other languages so we can have conversations and tell stories. We grow up in a place where we feel comfortable and safe. And learning to speak a new language can be a tough thing and take time. So when we travel and have the ability to communicate with others is a net thing because then we then have the ability to continue the rituals of learning other languages and telling stories of their personal experiences.
Greece seems like such an interesting place! I can definitely relate to the feeling of privilege by assuming that other countries will know English. While many foreign countries do teach English, it’s important to remember that the world doesn’t revolve around the English language. I would be scared to travel to a country where English isn’t the first language, because communication is so important, and without it, I would probably get lost and in a whole bunch of trouble. You definitely lucked out by the fact that there was a lot of English where you were!
Hi Allison,
I was just talking about the fear of international traveling concerning language barriers the other day with one of my professors. It is such a coincidence to read through your essay and understand your emotions stated above. I have never traveled abroad before so I have not experienced the frustration and amazement of culture shock or language difficulties. Despite that, communicating locally at certain restaurants or through phone conversations are even hard sometimes. The United States and Minnesota alone is such a diverse land that religions, traditions, and languages spread like fire. When this happens, all I hope for are people like you and me that are understanding and welcoming of other cultures and languages. Thank you for sharing!
I appreciate that you took the time to write this article about our language and how it is everywhere. English is the universal language, the language of diplomacy, in our time as you point out. I like that you say this phenomenon is a good thing and a bad thing all at the same time. For those of us who speak english the benefits are obvious, but you point out that this often makes Americans speak only one language. I wish that there were more emphasis placed on learning another language in our country, and maybe there will be in time. Either way Greece and Athens sound amazing and I am glad you were able to see as much of the history as you could!
Greece is somewhere I have always wanted to go, and it certainly looks amazing! I like how you said english being such a universal language enables our laziness as a country. There are many instances that people in the U.S. act in a fairly arrogant manner expecting others to cater to them. A lot of people in the U.S. grow up not being very cultured in general. Many kids in the U.S. grow up in a comfortable town with primarily caucasian people like themselves. We grow up naive to the many different cultures around the world. Unfortunately, this allows for some people grow up feeling entitled and not as accepting of different people.
I enjoyed reading this article. The title for me was a little misleading. I feel that this article was about two very different things: your trip to Greece and how English is a universal language that has benefits and drawbacks. This article would be much more effective if you had focused on one or the other. Stepping back from that, I enjoyed briefly hearing about your trip to Greece. I would also love to visit Greece and see the ancient temples and have some idea of what their rituals and habits looked like based off of the architecture. I also found your thoughts on English as a universal language very relatable. I have never traveled to a place where English is not the national language. So I have not personally experienced this phenomena. I do agree with you that it enables our laziness of learning different languages before traveling or our assumptions that everyone will be able to understand us when we go to a foreign country.
I enjoyed the meaning behind this article. I liked the way you explained how we as Americans have grown to expect things, even when we don’t mean to do so. You are right, we are extremely lucky to be able to travel most places and have someone from there speak English. When people from other countries come here, they do not expect us to know the language that they are speaking, nor do they think anyone will. We are told in school that we should learn another language because it is a good hiring point on a resume and helps set you apart from others. So we only do this to make our applications look good (most of the time). We often lose this knowledge of another language very quickly after we stop taking classes, unless we have a real reason not to.
Wow, this was a fantastic read. I to have traveled over seas, however not to Greece, but rather Germany. Like you I had rose goggles on, and no matter how bad the weather could have ever been, I would have loved it. I also was worried that I would not be able to communicate with the citizens, however I was relived when I found out the spoke English to. It also helped that I was with my cousin who lives in Germany and has spent his whole life in Germany, and could speak both perfect English and Spanish. It is amazing to think how common the English language is in foreign countries.
Thanks for sharing, Allison. I get very nervous about language barriers when I travel. It’s good to know that the signage in Greece is also in English. That’s a big help to travelers. Do a lot of people in Greece speak English as well as Greek? I should probably stop worrying about language barriers and do something about it, such as learning a bit about the language of the place I will be traveling to. Just knowing basic phrases can be very helpful in those situations where communication is tough. Knowing multiple languages is a great skill and not always an easy one. Leaning another language can be difficult, especially when you don’t get enough practice. I’m glad you were still able to enjoy your trip to Greece without knowing the language. Safe travels!
What a fun trip! I enjoy how you wrote this about our language, it is handy that it is everywhere, yet it makes me wonder a lot of the times. Why are they learning to speak English? Why aren’t we pressured more to learn other languages? I am glad that your travels are going well!
Hi Allison,
I really enjoyed reading your post because I didn’t think of that myself. I agree with you on how you mentioned that we are lucky to be in an English speaking country where it is easier to communicate around the world. I know how it feels to go somewhere where there is very little to no English speakers at all because I have visited China. It is very hard and you are basically lost if you get frustrated because of how hard it is to communicate. These experiences definitely opens up ones eyes and perspective on those who speaks English as a second language or struggles in the United States. It’s not something to be made fun of or taken for granted at all. Overall, this post was great and I really like how you acknowledged yourself and is trying to learn and improve positively!! Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts!
Thank you for sharing your experience! It is very true that the U.S. is a prominent country in this world and it can be beneficial to know its English language. You did a great job of showing both perspectives from the English language. It is important to keep in mind those on the other end of a language barrier. What are they thinking? Not every person in he world can know every language but that also shows the uniqueness of places and people. That is where tradition and culture is preserved. English is one of the most complex languages and it can be a privilege to fluently speak it. Although there are positives and negatives to the English language, there will always be the opportunity to learn another language or translate so we are able to travel the world like you have done.
Alli, great post! That is very nice that everything is in English as well as Greek. This can make traveling a little bit less stressful and more time to enjoy what you’re there for. I like how you discussed the pros and cons of English being spoken around the world. One of my friends who is also studying abroad this semester is in Greece right now and I am living through her photos, as well as the ones you have posted. It looks amazing and I hope to travel there one day!
Allie, I feel like you have been in my World History class because this is something that we have talked about all semester. I remember one student’s chapter presentation and we were asked if there was a universal language. It was interesting because some people said architecture was a language, I said that money could be one, but someone actually did say English. I cringed because I knew it was true, a lot of people know English, but I also felt, for lack of a better word, ashamed. I felt ashamed for the exact points you brought up. It is convenient when everything is in my language, but that also means we are losing languages. We’ve talked about humans being universal and diverse, and I think language is something that encompasses that idea very well. I know that there are benefits to people speaking the same language because then more people can connect, but at what cost? I hope that we can find some way to communicate better, but still keep cultural traditions and languages alive.
Thank you for sharing your story. Many countries seem to have accommodations for those of us who speak English, which is a privilege. I believe this is because they have a large tourist community and the last thing a person wants to deal with is trying to translate every word they see while they are on vacation.The first time I ever traveled outside of the United States was when I went to Mexico. I was so nervous because I did not know spanish, but when I got there I found that I did not need to worry. All of the people who were working at the resort I had stayed at knew English perfectly well. Because of this I have always wondered why other countries consider those who speak English when it comes to signs and services, but the US does not consider them. Could this be because the United States has such a diverse population that it would be difficult to accommodate for every language?
This is a very cool article, I enjoyed how you brought up the language barrier and how it is in fact a privilege to be able to go places and have others speaking our language. The ancient cites and ruins sound like they would be a blast to visit!! It must have been really cool to only live a 10 mile walk away from the Acropolis, it would be so awesome to be able wake up every morning living in a city that has been around for thousands of years!
This article is wonderful in so many ways. First, I appreciate that you admit defeat and frustration with language because it is a difficult concept to grasp and learn, no matter where you are. Also, understanding how widespread English is around the world is shocking and incredible in my opinion. It’s an incredibly interesting thing to consider especially being an English speaker. All in all, traveling and seeing English everywhere is both a wonderful thing that makes life easier and topic of conversation when it comes to a dominating culture and language.
This is such an important fact to point out. English may be very common to us, but that doesn’t mean we should automatically expect other people in other countries to speak English as well. I have been very lucky that when i travel I go to a very very tourist favored area so that the citizens do know English, but realistically that isn’t fair. I should not go into their country and expect them to accommodate me. I should have learned their language out of respect to them. I am very thankful that I am not required to learn a new language to travel to a new country with a different culture because I do not think I would have ever gone on a trip like that. We humans can be very selfish. Thank you for sharing your story.
Thank you for sharing more about your experiences studying abroad this semester! I agree with your main point that nowadays English has become more universal and it can be seen as a blessing and a curse. Overall I feel like English becoming more of a universal language is beneficial to all. What I mean is that it helps these economies based heavily on tourism to really relate to their clients and make transactions and other incidents go more smoothly. It also allows more people to actually go out and travel. I personally think that one of the number one fears of travelling is not knowing the language and that then leads to more trouble. I do think that it is sad that some people have become so lazy and rude that they expect everyone to know English. People should still make the effort in trying to learn some of the language because language is a huge part of the culture and experience. Great Article!
I for one would not mind a trip to Greece because I would want to learn what amazing infrastructure they had thus the weather that may have or may not have inspired the Greek Philosophers. Knowing that they have the signs in both English and Greek was very helpful and I just can think of any other way to let the visitors of Greece to feel inclusive. Why did they do that and allow only those with the knowledge of their history and those who can speak/understand Greek experience this wonderful opportunity. English, although being very universal to an extent, is very difficult and claiming it as a language when it breaks all the rules it creates just does not seem right when compared to other languages. It is also great to acknowledge that you have a flaw because we all do, but it helps you to work on changing that habit.
I am really glad you went to Greece, I can´t imagine how amazing the opportunity of being there was. I would have freaked out if I had seen the temples of the Greek deities as I have always been fascinated by them and the huge amount of human qualities they possessed even if they were taken to extremes. I understand what you feel about language to a certain extent as I am bilingual. I understand how easy it is when you know English to travel the world and be understood by others, as after all English is “the universal language” and therefore more people in the world know how to speak it. By knowing English I feel like in a way I have made myself more available to the world. By knowing Spanish and English, I think that I would be able to communicate to at least the most minimum level in most places of the world, or I would be able to be understood as most people talk one of these two languages. I must say I appreciate your thought about it being unfair for others to have to adapt to you instead of the other way around, as this is the case with most (not all) english speaking individuals.
This reminds me that the world is connected in more ways that we think are imaginable, and that no matter the place we are in, we are social beings and communicating, no matter the means, is always crucial.
In this article, I really like how you point out that English being so universal enables our country’s laziness. It seems like many americans, when traveling, expect others to accommodate us, becuase they are the guests. We don’t generally try to learn basic parts about a language in a country we will travel to, we expect there to be something at our destination which will make that translation for us. At the same time, it is kind of cool to be part of a culture that the world knows so well and is willing to make accommodations for. I find it interesting how even in our country where languages other than English, such as Spanish and Arabic, are prevalent, we don’t have accommodations at big landmarks and travel destinations in our country for them. We expect them to learn our language. In class, we talked about how humans are contradictory and complex, and I think this really shows it. Thanks for sharing!
Right away upon reading about how almost everything was written in Greek and English I found myself a little annoyed. It seems you and I share a similar view on the general pushiness of the English language. It almost devalues the sense of adventure or newness of a place when it has been dominated by English-speaking tourists. This is not to say that cities should not reap the benefits of tourism or that citizens can’t learn English. It just seems that it indeed plays into laziness. Despite all this, Greece looks fantastic! Thank you for sharing Allie!
Allison, I completely agree with the conclusions you have drawn about english being a global language that other nations usually adapt. I think it really comes down to consumerism. Most people from the United States have the resources to travel the world, therefore, other nations learn english so that they attract U.S. tourists. It is extremely hard to travel in a country where english is not the first language, but when employees at restaurants and hotels speak English, it makes traveling a little bit easier. I have experienced this traveling through Canada. It also makes that business more attractive. If someone recommends a restaurant in Paris, France where the employees speak French and English, it is more likely you will go there.
Thank you for sharing apart of your trip to Greece. I have always dreamed of going there as well since I was little. It is true that when Americans travel we seem to have accommodations across the globe when it comes to language. As an ASL minor I have learned and understand the struggle you experienced when trying to communicate with someone that doesn’t speak the same language. I feel that you could have focused more on not how Americans are so lazy but how it truly felt to be placed in another persons shoes. It isn’t easy and can be very frustrating and some people experience that every day. I loved the connections you made tho. Have fun!
Allie, you drew a very legitimate conclusion here. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us all. You are one-hundred percent correct, English speakers should not be so entitled and selfish with their language, but should aim to learn other languages as well. It is not difficult to see the benefits of learning other languages, so why is it that many people in the U.S. who speak English as their only language do not think it important? My friends and I were booking trains and hostels in Amsterdam for a trip this summer, and we were worried about the language barrier we might encounter there. None of us speak a lick of Dutch, so it should prove to be an interesting trip. Perhaps I will try and learn some before and on the plane ride over to Europe? Again, thank you for sharing!
Thank you for sharing, Allison. It is so interesting how wrapped up, us American’s, get into our culture. The best part of traveling is learning the uniqueness of a specific country. Language is all a part of this. It is most certainly nerve-racking not knowing what everyone is saying. However, there is something so satisfying communicating through nonverbal cues. It goes to show that language isn’t just all words. We can talk through our actions. The saying that “actions speak louder than words” is so true.
Thank you for making such an important point. I never really appreciated the English Language. We take it for granted especially here. We expect everyone we interact with to know the language. When we visit other countries and they know English it makes it a whole lot more convenient for us. Learning a new language other than your first is very difficult. Hats off to those trying to learn English in other countries. I think it is something we consider universal but also diverse because there are so many different languages. It is shame that we do not make much effort to learn new languages and try to preserve those that are being forgotten.
What an interesting article! This is something I have thought a lot about and I am very lucky that English is my native language. Something that my mom taught me is to at least try to talk to people in their native language if you are in their country because they will appreciate it. My mom is fluent in Spanish so this is easy for her, but not as much for me. I took three years of Spanish and I was okay at it, but it was never a class that I tried very hard in . It’s amazing how universal the English language is but most native English speakers do not even think twice about it. Thanks for sharing!
I would absolutely love to visit Greece one day! I think it is both good and bad that English is usually a universal language–while it makes things easier for native English speakers, it also allows us to fall into the cycle of not being forced to learn another language, like you mentioned. I only had the option of enrolling in a foreign language once I started high school and I also chose to take French. However, I only had three years of learning, and I stopped when I started college. I wish that it was more common for elementary schools to teach a secondary language to kids. I think it is never too late to learn, but if children started learning a language other than English in kindergarten, by the time they graduated they would have years of practice! I would love to pick up learning French again in the future. Thanks for sharing!
I think that we don’t fully understand the level of privilege that we have in America sometimes. A Japanese person traveling to America would not expect to encounter anyone that speaks Japanese but when the roles are switched, we take for granted we will find someone that speaks English. This is prevalent across the world especially Europe. English is the language of business and learning it is beneficial to people that rely on business and tourism. I wish that more Americans would be more open to speaking and learning a new language such as Spanish which is becoming more and more prevalent in the US, especially in the southern US. Great article!
You are right that native English speakers have a lot of privilege. My friend from Russia came to CSS to study for a semester, and it was initially difficult for her, though she had been studying English for years. There were not many opportunities for her to speak Russian here in the US either. The only places were with the Russian speaking students, faculty, and native speakers. However, I know if I go to Russia, I will be able to find someone who speaks English rather easily, as they start learning the language early in school. In America, I wish we put greater attention on learning other languages early on in school. I wish we had a greater appreciation for other languages in schools.
Thank you for sharing your article!
This is a really nifty article to read after reading Abby’s language article about Ecuador earlier this semester. I think the three of us share similar concerns about the wide reach of the English language to far off corners of the world. I think it is shameful for the US to be (presumably) the only country in the world where people aren’t required to be learning a second language before middle school. I have also realized that in large cities in Germany, even though they are moderately nationalistic and prefer German, they will use English to speak if they assume you are American, which seems to relate to how things worked in Athens. Do you think you lost out on some of the culture because of the use of English rather than Greek? Are we perpetualizing the universality of English just through our own ignorance as tourists? It will be interesting to see if Spanish becomes more prominent universally than English in the future (there is a statistic that says there will be more native Spanish speakers in the US than any other country by 2060, so I’m wondering if that will shift the culture just in the US or if it will have a large effect on the globe as well).
Hello, Allison, it was nice reading your article and I am envious that you got to go to Greece. I have to agree with you on it being an issue that English speakers do not see the need for learning another language. Various times in school Scholastica I overhear students who hate the idea of a language requirement. Most simply believe that it is not needed and it takes time away from other classes that they can be taking. Hearing this makes me sad, and that is due to the fact that I love languages. I believe they are the most fascinating thing about people and their culture. When one takes a language, not only are they being intellectually advance they are also exposed to a different culture. Adding on, knowing a different language simply makes you connect with people at a different level, even if you do not speak the same language. Overall, second languages should be widely advocated for. Having this skill will connect people on a humanistic level, where people can learn the true identity of each other. Thank you for sharing.
Allison,
You make fantastic points throughout this article. I was surprised when you first said it was slightly unlucky that other countries seem to be very proficient in English, but when you made your point I totally agree with you. If we were not so lucky to have other countries cater to us, I feel as though it would almost force many people to become proficient in other languages, which would be positive. I can’t imagine going to a country and not knowing the language, so I would be completely lost in a foreign country that does not also speak English. I think you are right, that we are extremely lucky that other countries take the initiative to learn English, while we as Americans take it for granted. Thanks for sharing your article.
Hello Allison,
Thank you for such a great article. Greece is one of the places on my bucket list so I am grateful to hear that you had a great time and to hear about your experience there. I think we do take the English language for granted and are selfish about it. A lot of people expect you to be able to speak it no matter what corner of the world you are in. Also, even in the United States you can see people throw fits over others not speaking language. We see other Americans on the news harassing visitors for simply speaking their own language which is not okay. I also think that the English language is westernizing the world itself. We are losing different aspects of different cultures because they are trying to align with the United States. I think we need to be less pushing for the English language and try to navigate our way. We need to start learning other languages to help people feel like we care and that we will try to learn the language so we are not making situations uncomfortable of sorts. Thank you for the great article.
Dear Allison,
This article was really fun to read and the trip to Athens, Greece sounds like fun. The ruins of the temples and buildings that were built by ancient Greeks are beautiful and its amazing that these structures still exist. I was really surprised that the city of Athens has signs in Greece and English which seems to suit the American tourist’s. Many of the people that live in the city knew English but it seems rude that other languages like Spanish, French, and German are ignored. Overall, it really shows that English still plays a dominant part of the world but other languages like Spanish will eventually catch up in the near future.
Allison,
I too read many Greek mythology books in my childhood and would jump at the opportunity to visit Greece. I was very intrigued about your analysis of how global the English language is, that it is both good and bad. It makes the world extremely accessible to those who speak it but also illustrates a darker past. European colonialism and imperialism over centuries forces English into those communities and it has been passed down over centuries. I think that it is very important that we all realize this when we view the rest of the world, how Western expansion onto foreign land has left a deeper aftermath than realized.
Allison, thank you so much for highlighting such an important point that I couldn’t agree with more. Americans are very lucky in our global recognition and therefore accommodation, but it is very selfish and lazy of us to be so complacent with how we interact with the world. I find it pretty astounding that with our resources we are not able to implement some type of language program in our public schools the way other countries are. opportunities and global accessibility would be broadened so much further for our citizens if the department of education put more of a focus on language studies at a younger age.
We as English speakers have been very fortunate that our language has been adopted as a “standard” around the world. However, it is important that we do not take this for granted. We are guests in their country and should be respectful and not expect that everyone we interact with will know English. In my limited travel experience, many people welcome tourists to try and use the native language when possible. Since many places know English, it would at the very least be a nice gesture for tourists to make the effort and learn some of the native language before going. It shouldn’t always be up to others to accommodate us, we should do our best to accommodate to those who are welcoming us to their land. The trip sounds like a blast and thank you for writing about this great topic!
Hi Allison!
I really appreciate that you brought up how knowing English can be a privilege, especially in other countries. This is proabably an unpopular opinionn, but it saddens me to see that so many countries are starting to use Eglish more and more. To me, it seems like there is almost a little loss of culture. I think it is also important to learn to communicate with people with different backgrounds, and learn from them. Even learning just a few phrases in the native language would be a great start! The struggle of trying to communicate with someone who knows zero English is VERY frustrating (and I would know), but the take away from that experience is worth more than anything to me.
Thank you for sharing this very thought provoking article Allison! The first thing I noticed while reading this article was the tone that you took on. Respectful and understanding is what I got from it. There are many things in the world today that are unfair and allow an imbalance of privilege. People like you who accept and continue to work against these privileges are who we need in the world today. It is quite saddening to think that purely because one was born in a smaller town where English is not spoken, they would be automatically disadvantaged in the eyes of the rest of the world.
Allison, it was very cool to read about your vacation to Greece. I wish to go there someday! I too find it very interesting that English has become almost the universal language that every country pushes to teach their citizens. In the United States, we wait too long to begin encouraging young people to learn new languages. It is more effective to learn language as a young child. I think white, European colonialism has forced the English language on speakers of other languages; in addition to that, many Americans are very hostile towards people of color who do not speak English. Sorry for ending on a negative idea.
Thank you for sharing!
Catey
Allison,
Thank you for this awesome post! I have always wanted to go to Greece and I still do. My aunt and uncle went there last year along with my cousins and they said they enjoyed it so much. Not only Greece looks beautiful, but it’s overflowing with history. Honestly, before taking World History I with Professor Liang, I didn’t know that Greek Gods and Greeks were real… I thought they were fiction. I think I watched way too many movies about them.
I agree with you that we Americans do take our English language for granted. I’ve been to many places all over the world and until now, I kind of just expected the countries I traveled to, to know English without really thinking about it. I like how you pointed out how the English language has grown all over the world, but even though it may be the “universal” language, I agree that we need to still respect other non-English speaking countries we go to and use that as an opportunity for us to immerse ourselves into their culture by first, knowing the basics of their language. This reminds me of Hellenism which according to the book, Worlds Together Worlds Apart by Tignor et al., is the individual cultures of the Greek city-states gave way to a uniform culture stressing the common identity of all who embraced Greek ways (Tignor et al., 2018, pg. 200). Hellenism brought people together, through dancing, arts, and especially a common language just like the English language. All in all, thank you for this awesome post Allison 🙂
Tignor et al. Worlds together, worlds apart: A history of the world from the beginnings of humankind to the present. 5th ed. Vol. 1. New York. W.W Norton & Company, 2018.
Allison,
I really liked reading about your experience in Greece! I too have always dreamed about going there so I really enjoyed the read. Last January I was able to go to the Philippines for Nursing. I experienced the same type of thing. Being the first foreign country I have ever visited I subconsciously expected people to speak English when I got there. I was pretty disappointed in myself as well when I realized that I thought that. I did not want someone to have to cater to my language needs when I was in their society. Because of this, I found myself at times remaining silent when someone was speaking Tagalog (the local language). I found this hard to experience the culture at times when there was such a language barrier. This reminds me of the Silk Road in my world history textbook, Worlds Together Worlds Apart. Many people who traveled the silk road experienced many different cultures and languages along the way. Some even hired guides to help them along their journey (Tignor, Adelman, Brown, Elman, Liu, Pittman, & Shaw, 2018, p. 223). I wonder if they ever felt lost or confused when they came across a language or a culture that they didn’t understand. The people who guided them along the way remind me of modern day tour guides. Tour guides helped me to experience the Philippine culture while not having to learn the local language. I appreciate their jobs because they allow us to travel to their country without having to be able to talk like they do. I think that we should be humble when we travel abroad. I know that I will now forever think that I am a guest in their country and I should not expect that they will speak English.
Hi Allison,
I have done some traveling myself, so I can relate to your experiences you’ve shared. We are extremely fortunate that English is spoken around the world. However, when we begin to expect it, I think that’s where we go wrong. We cannot expect locals to cater to our tourist needs as we are merely visitors in their country. The “universality” of English is likely due to the surge in connectedness many years ago. Between 1000 and 1300 CE, for example, we saw cultural spheres prospering and becoming more integrated (Tignor, 2018, p. 399). Though this integration has many benefits, it is important for us to value our differences in culture and language. Great article!
Allison,
You are so incredibly lucky to have been able to travel to Greece. I too hope to travel there some day, and I also grew up being super interested in Greek mythology. I agree with you, it is unfortunate that having English as a universal language has allowed people that speak English as their primary language to be lazy. I also took a language in high school, but I did not take the class all that serious because I knew I could get away with it. In some European countries, students often learn 3 or 4 languages and they don’t start this process in high school. I wonder how the US would be different if students were required to take a secondary language K-12 and if language classes had national and state mandated standards. Thanks for sharing.