Do You Need To Speak Italian To Go To Italy?

Language barriers are one of the reasons many people do not travel to foreign countries. This is especially true of Americans that typically know only one language -- English -- as opposed to Europeans that many times know multiple languages. The good news is that the world has changed. You no longer need to speak or understand a country's language to enjoy the experience of travel in that country. And Italy is no exception. In fact, you will be surprised to find out just how many Italians speak English.

In most Italian schools, English is a required subject. Children learn English as a second language much as a student in a typical high school in the United States learns Spanish, French or German -- enough to get by if necessary, but not enough to speak fluently especially if the foreign language is used not at all or very little after learning. Unless one is adept at learning languages, it is almost impossible to become fluent in a language without complete immersion in it.

So, do you need to speak Italian to go to Italy? Absolutely not. But as a courtesy to the Italian people, it is a nice idea to attempt to learn some basic Italian vocabulary. Just as Americans expect people from foreign countries that travel to the United States to speak a little English, Italians reward the tourist that understands a little bit of their language with a much richer travel experience.

Italy is one of the most visited countries in the world, and a great many of those visitors are American. But foreigners, and especially the Italians, also know just how gullible Americans are and that virtually none of them can speak or understand Italian or any other language for that matter. This, of course, gives them a distinct advantage in any negotiating situation. It is not uncommon for an Italian clerk to act like he doesn't speak any English, especially where a tidy sum of money is concerned.

Americans do not learn how to bargain. They are conditioned from the time they know what money is to pay the price that is marked on an item -- except for maybe automobiles. Italians and most other nationalities bargain for almost everything. Not only can they feign ignorance of the English language, they also have the upper hand when it comes to negotiating.

Of course, this does not mean that you should become fluent in Italian when you vacation in Italy, but it does point out that a language barrier can reach into your pocketbook if you are not aware of it. The best solution to the problem is to avoid making large purchases without the assistance of a trustworthy translator if you think there really is a language barrier. This will rarely be a problem in the major cities of the northern Italy, but you could find this to be a significant problem in the cities of southern Italy where crime and unemployment make tourists prime targets for scams of all sorts.

So how much Italian should you know to go to Italy? As much as you feel comfortable learning. If that is none, then you need not bother learning a word of Italian. You can carry along an Italian dictionary which will also be a big help on your Italian vacation. Most good Italian travel guides also have sections on useful phrases and how to say them. If, however, you feel you would like to learn some basic words and phrases, like please (per favore) and thank you (grazie), just to be courteous, then you might want to consider taking a class at a local community college. Also, thanks to the Internet, there are a number of places online where you can learn enough Italian to get around. Most sites are free or charge only a nominal fee.