Learning basic greetings and how to say "Thank you" in the language of your destination should be the norm

Maybe this is because I worked in the tourism industry in Québec (French-speaking part of Canada) and I was a little triggered when visitors didn't even bother with "Bonjour!", but when I am overseas, I always try and say "Hello" and "thank you" in the local language. The locals sometimes make fun of my bad pronunciation, but I think it's just basic decency to make that small effort.

We just wrapped up 5 weeks in Northern and Central Europe. People either giggled or congratulated us for trying, so I wonder : if you just start with English wherever you go, why? I mean, you wouldn't turn up in the US and expect to be served in French or German.

Submitted August 08, 2022 at 03:11AM by tonemillion https://ift.tt/3RiOTl9