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MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
14. Actually, that's a myth. I've traveled in France
Sat Dec 31, 2011, 12:30 PM
Dec 2011

several times, and have never encountered that at all. The truth is that most tourists only deal with people whose job it is to deal with tourists. It's rare for American tourists to communicate with anyone who doesn't speak English in France. The tourists tend to stick to tourism activities, and those they communicate with speak English pretty well, since they deal with a lot of English speakers.

As it happens, I do speak French well enough to handle most common situations. But, often, when I'm struggling a bit to come up with the correct language for a situation, the person I'm dealing with seamlessly switched to English to simplify the communication.

I take it that you have not visited France. If you had, you wouldn't be repeating that incorrect information. I've found that most French people are quite friendly, as long as your approach is equally friendly. I don't actually just deal with tourism-oriented people when I travel, and I've found a welcome wherever I go. I smile, make my best effort to speak the local language, and am glad to laugh at my poor attempts. The people I meet are happy to try their English and generally have questions about the United States, etc.

French IS the official language of France, it's true. But, whatever western language you happen to speak, you'll find someone nearby who can speak it if you're in typical tourism venues in France. They're used to a multilingual customer base, and are happy to deal with you in whatever language you use.

I hope you do get a chance to visit France. It's a very interesting country.

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