Britons heading on holiday don’t always learn the language of the country before arriving.
A whopping 27 per cent of holidaymakers refuse to learn the language before heading on holiday, as ‘everyone speaks English’.
http://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/806898/language-abroad-holiday
However, some phrases have now been revealed to be much more dangerous than previously thought.
Some of the common terms could cause problems that could even leave travellers with a huge fine.
The worst phrase a traveller could use is in Germany when attempting to speak to a policeman.
Whilst the correct term is ‘sie’, many may use the informal ‘du’ which, when talking to a government official, could leave travellers with a fine as big as €500.
Offering to say ‘bon appetite’ in France to someone is also considered highly rude and improper.
The taboo word means to invite diners to ‘good digestion’, suggesting they are so hungry they will jump at any food, embarrassingly.
The survey by language-learning app Babbel compiled some of the worst words to use abroad.
For example, ‘mamma mia’ in Italy and ‘sacrebleu’ in France are very outdated and never used in conversation.
Using ‘garçon’ in France is also considered very rude and patronising when in a restaurant, despite Britons using the phrase in an attempt to embrace the language.
Others to avoid are ‘hasta la vista’ in Spain and ‘ooh la la’ in France, as both are not what British tourists think they may mean.
A recent poll found that half of Britons admit to being embarrassed for not speaking the foreign language.
Vicky Gough, schools adviser at the British Council, previously commented: “The reality is that having more of us being able to speak at least a little of a foreign language is good for the UK’s long-term competitiveness, particularly as the country comes to reposition itself on the world stage.
Babbel’s recent campaign, “Be A Better Brit Abroad” showed how tourists could be missing out when not learning the language.
Some could have even been given a free yacht if they had understood it.
