They all know English … well, almost all …

Many visitors to Italy make the incorrect assumption that because an Italian does not respond to their English, or tells the visitor that they don’t speak English, that the Italian means they know no English. This is an easy mistake to make. Especially since most Americans speak but one language. Most of the time, what the Italian means is, “I do not feel I speak English very well, so I’m not going to speak it with you because I would be embarrassed.”

I have watched some “brutti Americani” (Ugly Americans) make this mistake in a restaurant. They try to speak English and get no response in English from a waiter or waitress. Then, they start talking poorly about the waitperson, or the establishment. Watching the response of the Italian as a third party who knows a bit about this, it’s clear that the waitperson does understand English, and understands exactly what’s being said about them by people who think they’re doing so “behind the back” of the Italian.

Let’s face it, Americans aren’t the only people that do this, and it doesn’t just happen to Italians. It happens to Americans when foreign visitors come to the US. I’ve seen it. I also had it happen to me in Venice when I was asking a ticket seller for the vaporetto which line to take to Murano. I spoke a sentence in both Italian and English combined because I had heard her speak English. She (wrongly) assumed I was just trying a few words in Italian to show off … and told her coworker this. I responded in pretty darn good Italian, “Io non parlo italiano bene, ma io sento italiano moto bene.” Which is translated as, “I don’t speak Italian very well, but I hear Italian very well.” Her response was a quick flip of the head (or maybe the nose) upward, as if to say that I was an a%% for catching her.

Hmm … but then again, that's Venice ... too many tourists, too much rudeness ... what was I to expect?

Back on point … we can’t fix all the problems in the world, although we Americans will die trying. But, maybe by knowing this little tidbit about Italians we Americans can show a bit more graciousness when visiting their country. And this same theory would apply to any other country as well. Be kind, be patient, be understanding, act like a guest (which you are) … and assume anything you say can be understood by someone nearby, because it likely can. As our grandmothers told us, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Or, at least don’t say it until you’re safely locked in your hotel room or rental … but only if you must.

Best if you can avoid doing so altogether.