Community Comments – 2012

EVERY few months when one or other of the British newspapers are short of a silly story, they focus on an invariably elderly English lady who has complained because her holiday in Spain was spoiled by a combination of too many Spaniards also on holiday, Spanish food and no-one speaking English.

This week, we have been able to amuse readers with the story of an American TikTok traveller who was moved to tears when visiting France as even though she had armed herself with a pink beret, she felt isolated and unwanted because she doesn’t speak French.

Well she got her two minutes of fame, move on. If she goes to Yorkshire is she going to wear a flat cap and buy a whippet?

Kevin Airey

If you try to speak the language (whichever country you are in) then the locals will bend over backwards to help you. It’s all about respect xx

Jocie Hoten

She wasn’t wearing a French beret, and wasn’t carrying any onions! What does she expect, they speak French!

Tony O’Shaughnessy

Go to Benidorm. They mostly speak English

Richard Wise

Of course it would help to speak a bit French ! But many French people are not willing to speak another language than French . It is true that tourists who do not speak French have problems sometimes ! I always try to help them when i am in France (i am French) and make them feel welcome. After all France is the most visited country in the world and French people should be a bit more friendly to tourists.

Véronique Kropin

AND her little show was a success. Marketing goal fulfilled, well done

Erik Ea Petersson

The majority speaks English but expect the tourists to make an effort to try to speak some French! And they are right!

Ulli Hawthorne

Why is it that people go to a foreign country and expect them to speak your language, how ignorant is that.

Diane Pinkerton

If it wasn’t for the Brits and the Americans the French would be speaking German now!

Lee Whearty

Stop in America and speak Mexican

Terry Sutcliffe

Well I’m from Lyon and it is a magnificent city with so much to do, amazing monuments and top world class gastronomy. Maybe she should have spent a little money to pay herself a local guide to show her around.

Stay home lady, that is the best you can do.

Simon Sendac

I visited Cherbourg on a regular basis and chatted up the bar owners daughter in my broken French… after a couple of years she spoke to me in the best English I’d ever heard.

Dee Jaa Mas

I’m shocked, a North American, with a passport, and travelling outside of their country.

Les Pimlott

If you visit a country that does not speak your language you can’t expect them to speak yours. However I remember our French teacher in high school telling us to speak any other language but English while visiting France.

Armando Padron-Dueñas

Is it April 1st already

Ruma Jordan

Well i arrived in France in.2000 and had to get to a small village. This was before the euro and i had no money but on my British passport it says I was born in Montreal but  when i was two years old.

The bank lady actually abused me for not speaking in French as I came from Montreal so  it was with a sigh of relief that I  crossed the border by train into northern Spain and instantly felt at home and have stayed here for 24 years

Elaine Macpherson

First world problems

Ade Bowley

Don’t be so judgemental, if you don’t try to speak French they will not speak to you in English if  they can. It is no surprise especially if she was in Paris

Clive Marks

Whilst there were a couple of examples of traditional British anti-French feeling, the majority of people agreed that if you travel to a foreign country don’t expect everyone to speak English and almost no-one had any sympathy for the young lady’s view.

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