Contrary to popular belief, the world does not speak English. I’ve learned this the hard way, by getting lost in a foreign country. One of the rudest things one American can say to another American, who is about to travel abroad, is, “Oh don’t bother trying to learn the language. They all speak English.”
I went to Hong Kong. Americans I knew who traveled there said to me, “Don’t bother trying to learn any phrases. They all speak English.”
These people were, in the words of Red from “That 70s Show” “Dumb-asses.” Hotel clerks speak English. Taxi drivers do not. Waiters in dives do not. Store clerks do not.
In an email once, I mentioned to a “friend” that I was learning Spanish in anticipation of moving to Baja one day. She wrote back and in a condescending tone, told me, “Don’t bother, sweetie. They all speak English.”
Tell that to the dozen people I tried to speak to in restaurants this past weekend, from the bartender to the waitress. Or to the three different guys we stopped to ask for directions.
“Que?”
It is arrogant to think that the world speaks English. The world speaks their own language, and those lucky enough to be educated in a foreign language may speak English. They may speak French. As Grandpa would say, “Thanks to us, they don’t speak German.” Unless, of course, they are German.
