Week #2

Ahoj znovu! (Hello again!) Some of my “best guesses” have come from guessing what different Czech words mean. It really is as though you become five years old again when your native language is "pushed under the rug".

Laughter is a language everyone understands
Courtesy of Kassidy McConville

 The daily struggle with language I have is not being able to understand a menu. Only one restaurant has offered a menu in English within Olomouc, otherwise I use my Google translate app to piece together what the menu says. Otherwise I have just been guessing and crossing my fingers that I will like what I just ordered! Side note: I do suggest getting that app. It does work without Wi-Fi, but the direct translations do not always make sense. None-the-less the app does help! Also, a lot of restaurants serve the same things and have a short menu. This helps the language barrier cause you will begin to recognize some of the words.

            It’s difficult to speak Czech cause you must get the pronunciation correct. The Czech people do not hear their language spoken with a different accent very much, so it’s hard for them to understand what you are saying. However, they do appreciate it when you try!

John Lennon Wall
Courtesy of Kassidy McConville

            When you do talk to a local that speaks English, consider it as a “treat”. Especially here (in Olomouc) not many people know a great deal of English so there is a vast language barrier. However, I have ran into many locals that know a few common words in English such as yes, no, hello, and thank you. Additionally, we did learn that within the school system they are to take seven years of English. I have found that because of this it seems that the younger kids and teens are able to communication more with me then the adults around. It is true when they say, "if you don’t use it you will lose it".

            Many cafes, restaurants, and stores we have visited play American music. This is so interesting to me because I am not sure that those people know exactly what they are actually singing about. They will sing the words, but then when you ask them a question or order a meal they do not speak very much English. Also, I think that this may happen because they are “nervous” to speak a different language so they might just be avoiding the situation all together.

White hot chocolate on Easter morning

            When you walk into a place and the people start talking to you in Czech, stop them by politely saying “hello”. A lot of the time the person will giggle or laugh then say hi right back. It happened to me a few times where I

did not want to seem rude by interpreting them, so I let the person finish then I would say something in English. This just makes the person frustrated that you let them go on and you had no idea what they were saying. I was unsure about what to do, but a local told me that next time that happens to stop the person by simply greeting them. It just helps everyone be on the same page and it's a friendly way to start your conversation in English!

             Going to the grocery store (Globus) is a language battle too. When I first got here I needed shampoo and conditioner with deep conditioning strength, but all the labels were in Czech. The workers do not know what you are trying to ask for, so you just got to take your best guess. 

             Traveling really is all about your "best guesses," but that is the fun of it! The language barrier will not be practical and even uncomfortable, but that is okay. Until next week, Na shledanou!!