La Langue

I have noticed something very interesting since living in Europe.  More often than not, English tends to be a very dominant language, regardless of where you go or what country you find yourself in.

I have had the good fortune to be in Amsterdam, Milan, and Paris over the last two weeks and the English language was everywhere.

• The safety video on Swiss Airlines flight to Amsterdam and Paris
• Spoken by all employees encountered either at hotels or in restaurants 
• On signs and advertisements in every city
• As part of the public transportation announcements – “watch out for pick pockets” (Paris, of course)
• Spoken on the street

When I first started traveling abroad, I always felt it was very rude to start trying to speak to someone in English.  While I still definitely make an attempt in French when in France, I find everywhere else that it actually isn’t that big a deal.  Most Europeans speak English and I am finding that it is almost expected they do by more than just silly American tourists.

Which leads me to my next thought – how sad is it that many Americans don’t even know one other language, while so many of the people I’ve met since living here can rattle off four different ones with ease?  I think that if Europeans are expected to know English, then Americans should be expected to know more than one language as well.  Sure, it’s part of the education system to a small degree, but how much is it actually reenforced?

Maybe if one needed to speak French to be understood when in Indiana, it would be a different story in the States.  I can see that to a certain extent, but I feel ignorant living here and still barely understanding French….having a hard time picking up Swiss-German….getting red in the face when someone asks me a question in another language.

All I know is that our children will learn to speak at least one other language fluently, if only to talk about mommy and daddy behind our backs.  It will make it that much easier for them to function in the wide wide world.  It will prevent them from expecting everyone else to know their language and not being able to reciprocate.  And hopefully they won’t ever need to feel embarrassed like their mommy has felt.