Subj : Re: Language Support To : N2qfd From : AKAcastor Date : Mon Apr 22 2024 12:53 pm n> I was a student in Prague and spoke little to no Czech getting there but n> learned enough and became what I'd call functionally n> illiterate. It was an awesome experience to be a foreign n> national and having to figure it out. I haven't been to Czech Republic, but I've started to develop an appreciation by watching The HONEST GUIDE channel on Youtube. A great channel full of information about Prague and its tourist traps, as well as scams to watch out for - they have even gotten scammers on the street arrested, after catching them stealing from tourists many times. While the channel often focuses on problems that travelers may run into, it also shows how wonderful a visit can be, when you seek out the local culture and don't just stick to the tourist traps. An Honest Guide video from a few days ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-Ije5p86eg What you said about the experience of being a foreign national and having to figure it out resonates with me. In my early 20s I spent a few years living in France, going there after growing up in English-speaking Canada. I did have some high school French classes under my belt, but it was pretty minimal as when I was taking the classes I never imagined I would USE the language. So I spent some time as a foreigner, bumbling my way through day to day life. Since then I have taken a couple vacations to Spanish-speaking countries, while the only Spanish I know is "uno mas, por favor" (I know, some real North Americans on vacation vibe here haha). It's an adventure to travel to a place and work around the language hurdles, for sure. It can be a really enjoyable experience. It's helpful that English has such a presence around the world, it's not uncommon for SOMEONE to be around that understand at least SOME English. Feels like world travelling, on easy mode sometimes. :) n> The thing is trust I think. I had to learn to trust myself and the n> people I was around. The great people of Czech Republic n> were kind to an American who was doing his best to n> manage their language. I can remember helping a German n> family trying to figure out what our coinage was worth n> here. You don't think about stuff like that till you're n> across an ocean sometimes! I found a whole new understanding of immigrants, after spending some time in another country myself. Some of the everyday tasks can be so complicated when you're in a foreign place. And learning languages is HARD for most of us! I understand now that when I see an immigrant family and the kids are translating for the older family members - it is such a frustrating situation for the older family members to be in! If it was so easy for them to "just" speak English, they absolutely would! But our brains take time to learn, and meanwhile we all have lives to live and things we need to get done. After some time in another country, I realized that immigrants who have trouble with the language aren't lazy or entitled, they are BRAVE! Chris/akacastor --- Maximus 3.01 * Origin: Another Millennium - Canada - another.tel (21:1/162) .