Business Travel Blog

“Do they speak English?”

I can’t remember how many times I’ve been asked this of friends and family who heard I was (yet again) moving to a new country. This seems to be the biggest concern of new and non-travelers – the language barrier. In fact, through my travels, I’ve discovered that language barriers can sometimes prove to be slightly troublesome, but are never enough of a problem to warrant staying home altogether.

The fact of the matter is that, 9 times out of 10, English is enough to get you by in almost any country around the world. It has become the world’s lingua franca – a kind of common language that everyone agrees to speak in mixed company.

Are there exceptions? Sure.

For instance, if you’re the type of traveler that likes to get away from big cities, you will probably encounter a language barrier, where English will be less commonly learned and spoken. And some countries have a better overall use of English than others. For instance, English is widely spoken in all parts of Europe, but in Peru, you might have more trouble. Likewise, despite a huge push to make their population better Anglophones, the Chinese are still generally brutal with English.

When it comes right down to it, you’re better off trying to learn at least a few words in the native language of whichever place you’re traveling to. Even a ‘thank you’ or ‘hello’ with a smile can go a long ways toward garnering goodwill.

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