General French News | Britons undeterred by fear of foreign language embarrassment, survey reveals

Tuesday, October, 26th at 14.42 by Joseph Jeffries

For many Britons, the opportunity to try out their language skills on the locals is one of the highlights of their French holidays.

Indeed, there are few things more rewarding than trying out a newly-learned phrase on a waiter or hotel receptionist, and seeing their eyes light up in surprise at their guest's linguistic mastery.

By the same token, trying to speak a foreign language abroad can sometimes lead to intense embarrassment, and many holidaymakers are reluctant to take the risk.

However, a recent survey by a holiday company found that 95.2% of British tourists are undeterred by the fear of making mistakes and are willing to risk ridicule by chatting to local people in their native language.

According to The Telegraph, one of the most frequent and eyebrow-raising mistakes usually comes at mealtimes, when Britons try to say 'I am full'. Many choose the literal French translation 'je suis plein', which, when mispronounced, means 'I am pregnant', or ' I'm drunk'.

Other mistakes cited by the survey include a woman who asked for her 'head baked al forno' when asking for a hairdryer, and another who mixed up the Greek 'kalimera' (good morning) with 'calamari,' suggesting that a local elderly woman was a squid.

In addition, the survey found that Britons consider themselves to be unhelpful to tourists who visit the UK, with many feeling that more effort should be made when dealing with visitors who do not speak English.

'We found this survey fascinating - especially the contrast between Brits abroad and in their home territory,' the holiday firm's marketing manager said.