Many years ago, I had the good fortune to travel to Japan. There weren’t any of those language apps you see advertised now but I and the other members of the group I accompanied did manage to learn a few basic Japanese words and phrases. And I’m proud to say that all these years later, I can still count to ten and say hello, goodbye, thank you and octopus. Really.
I knew a little more back then, but not enough to keep from embarrassing myself. I still remember the way my host looked at me curiously when instead of describing Tokyo as a big city, I called it a big dog. Still I think he appreciated my effort—or at least was entertained by it.
All of this comes back to me now because later this year my husband and I will celebrate our 35th anniversary in France. Mainly we’ll be with groups, so we could get by without knowing any French. But we both downloaded a certain language app whose name I won’t mention since they’re not paying us to endorse them. We thought knowing a bit of the language would add to the experience as long as I don’t embarrass us both by calling Paris a big dog.
My husband was once fluent in French so he downloaded the advanced version. I downloaded the beginner version. What I recall from my semester of college French is similar to what I remember of my Japanese—minus octopus.
I do still remember one very useful French swear word but it’s probably best I don’t use it too much on our trip if I want to make a good impression on my fellow travelers.
We’ve both been practicing our French faithfully for months and I’m making great progress. I can now say “Hello. My name is Dorothy. I live in the United States. I adore my cat.” I can also say small cat, pretty cat and big cat but I have not yet learned how to say big dog, which is probably just as well.