TRAVEL INFO Smile, It’s the Universal Language By Carol Corbin Jones Several people, knowing of my world travels, have said “How have you traveled so much in other countries and yet speak no other language” My reply for over twenty years has been “Because no matter where I go, educated people always want to speak English.” I have always made it my business to learn “please” and “thank you” in the local language and I smile a lot, another universal language. Many people, even in countries that were formerly communist, boast that they speak English, and are aware of speaking properly, perhaps even more so than the average American. In vast America, we have unsurpassed beauty. We have the magnificent coastlines of both the Atlantic and the Pacific - from soft sand beaches to rugged rocky cliff sides cascading out to foaming surf to miles of lush tropical greenery. People all over the world come to explore its beauty and to practice speaking the English language. Under Communism, in the part of Czechoslovakia that is now the Czech Republic, I was in a nightclub where the band was playing wonderful, danceable, American music in English. <strong>The</strong> head of the club came over to our table and asked to speak with me. He explained that he personally had to understand all of the lyrics that his band sang. “Please tell me,” he asked “What is Tiffany connected” When I explained about Tiffany’s merchandise, he said “Ah- ha - that is so American, but it is not in my vocabulary book!” Unusual words, slang, hip-hop, poor pronunciation and Ebonics unfortunately serve to confuse those who are trying to learn proper English. Some Europeans even mention the difference between speaking English and American. I have been told that I sound English, not American, probably because my high school English teacher in tiny Deep River, CT., insisted on proper pronunciation and grammar in all of our work, which we had to read in front of the class daily. How many teachers today don’t even recognize that necessity One reason America is a marvelous melting pot is because we are so large and yet we have the rarity of one language. English is the language of business and the preferred language for most Americans. One cannot conceive of the European Union working without English as a cohesive entity. One of the first travel seminars that I was hired to give was called “Conversations Around the World.” <strong>The</strong> most memorable aspects of world travel through the years have been the people I met and the information I gleaned from them. I speak of travel over more than 25 years through five continents. I have rarely taken a group tour because being alone gives strangers less hesitation about communicating with you. My point here is that as children return to school it is important for them to realize the importance of speaking English properly and taking pride in speaking and understanding the “universal language”. “Like” and “you know” used constantly does not speak of pride in our language. A staggering statistic that I read recently stated that in 1950, the average 14 year old had a vocabulary of 25,000 words. Today, the average 14 year old has a vocabulary of 10,000 words. In St. Petersburg, Russia, a year after communism failed, even the ladies room attendant at the Summer Palace spoke English as she profusely blessed me for a $1.00 tip. Young men selling pins and postcards in the park spoke English, and after I bought a few items and strolled down the unkempt path, ran after me saying “We have a present – a present for you!” <strong>The</strong>y said they appreciated the time that I took to speak English with them. Many people, even in countries that were formerly communist, boast that they speak English, and are aware of speaking properly, perhaps even more so than the average American. Ten years ago, while traveling in Japan, I learned of the pride many Japanese had because they spoke English. I was strongly advised not to relax by my American colleagues.<strong>The</strong>y told me to be guarded and formal. However, my upbeat nature soon surfaced and in a small Japanese city, after bowing to the officials, I smiled a lot, and spoke with enthusiasm to my female guide. <strong>The</strong> men soon relaxed, their stern demeanors disappeared and their comment was, “We like Mrs. Carol, who is so happy to be here!” <strong>The</strong> value of a smile, whenever possible, should never be underestimated. I know from my travels in France that in Brittany, they are kind about speaking English, but in Normandy, they are apt to look down upon speaking another language. However, I simply smiled a lot, pointed to my phrase book and then smiled some more. Amazing! Almost all answered me in English. Well-informed people all over the world know that America is a vast, powerful and wondrous nation, and that we have the advantage of the global language. 68 SEPTEMBER <strong>2008</strong>
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